astrologue-usm-repo/glibc-2.42/PACKAGE.md

GNU C Library (glibc) 2.42

The GNU C Library (glibc) is the core system library that provides the essential system calls and C library functions for GNU/Linux systems. It serves as the fundamental interface between user programs and the Linux kernel, enabling applications to access system resources like files, memory, processes, and network connections.

Features

• Core System Interface: Provides essential POSIX and system call interfaces
• Standard C Library: Implements ISO C99, POSIX, and UNIX standards
• Thread Support: Includes native POSIX threads (NPTL) for high-performance multithreading
• Internationalization: Complete locale support with Unicode handling
• Network Services: Comprehensive networking and name service switch (NSS) support
• Security Features: Stack protection, buffer overflow prevention, and secure coding practices
• Performance Optimized: Highly optimized for x86_64 and other supported architectures
• Mathematical Functions: Extensive math library with IEEE 754 compliance
• Dynamic Loading: Advanced runtime linker and shared library support

Components

• Main C Library: Core functions like malloc, printf, string operations
• System Call Interface: Direct kernel interaction layer
• Thread Library: Native POSIX threads implementation
• Mathematical Library: Comprehensive mathematical functions
• Name Service Switch: Pluggable authentication and database services
• Network Service Library: Socket and protocol implementations
• Internationalization: Locale and character set handling
• Time Zone Support: Complete time zone database and utilities

Compatibility

glibc 2.42 maintains compatibility with:

• Linux kernel 3.2 and later
• GCC 12.1 and later
• POSIX.1-2008 and related standards
• UNIX98 and SUSv4 specifications
• LSB (Linux Standard Base) specifications

Security

This release includes enhanced security features:

• Stack smashing protection
• Buffer overflow detection
• Address space layout randomization (ASLR)
• Relocation read-only (RELRO)
• Fortified source functions
• Memory tagging support (on compatible architectures)

Documentation

Comprehensive documentation is available including:

• Man pages for all functions
• Info documentation
• Installation and configuration guides
• Security advisories and release notes

Dependencies

Build requirements:

• GCC 12.1 or later
• GNU make 4.0 or later
• GNU binutils 2.39 or later
• Python 3.4 or later
• Linux kernel headers 3.2 or later

Installation

This package provides the fundamental C library that nearly all system applications depend on. It's typically installed as the primary system library and is essential for building and running most software on GNU/Linux systems.

The installation includes all necessary header files, shared libraries, and development tools needed for C software development.