[boost] Linker error, Windows 7, one specific function from one specific library

Subject: [boost] Linker error, Windows 7, one specific function from one specific library
From: Chris Cooper (chris.cooper_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-04-28 16:24:16

I’m trying to get the boost 1.55 regression tests to build on my Windows machine (msvc-10.0), and nearly all of them build fine but a few of them:

 pool.pool_msvc_compiler_bug_test
 pool.test_bug_1252
 pool.test_bug_2696
 pool.test_bug_3349
 pool.test_bug_4960
 pool.test_bug_5526
 pool.test_msvc_mem_leak_detect
 pool.test_pool_alloc
 pool.test_simple_seg_storage
 pool.time_pool_alloc

Give this error :

pool_msvc_compiler_bug_test.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "class boost::system::error_category const & __cdecl boost::system::generic_category(void)" (?generic_category_at_system@boost@@YAAEBVerror_category_at_12@XZ) referenced in function "void __cdecl boost::system::`dynamic initializer for 'posix_category''(void)" (??__Eposix_category_at_system@boost@@YAXXZ)

pool_msvc_compiler_bug_test.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "class boost::system::error_category const & __cdecl boost::system::system_category(void)" (?system_category_at_system@boost@@YAAEBVerror_category_at_12@XZ) referenced in function "void __cdecl boost::system::`dynamic initializer for 'native_ecat''(void)" (??__Enative_ecat_at_system@boost@@YAXXZ)

If my libraries were completely wrong, I would expect everything to fail, and many more unresolved symbols, but it’s just this one symbol that is confusing the linker.

The command line I’m using to build these tests is:

b2 toolset=msvc-10.0 --without-mpi --build-dir=C:\temp address-model=64 variant=release link=static threading=multi --dump-tests test_bug_1252

Which compares favorably with the command lines I’m using to build the libraries:

b2 -j4 --without-mpi --stagedir=C:\temp\boost\build\stage --build-dir=C:\temp\boost\build  toolset=msvc-10.0 address-model=64 variant=release link=static threading=multi

b2 -j4 --without-mpi --prefix=C:\temp\boost\install --stagedir=C:\temp\boost\build\stage --libdir=C:\temp\boost\install\lib --build-dir=C:\temp\boost\build --build-type=complete toolset=msvc-10.0 address-model=64 variant=release link=static threading=multi install

b2 -j4 --with-math --stagedir=C:\temp\boost\build\stage --build-dir=C:\temp\boost\build --build-type=complete toolset=msvc-10.0 address-model=64 variant=release link=static threading=multi

b2 -j4 --with-math --prefix=C:\temp\boost\install --stagedir=C:\temp\boost\build\stage --libdir=C:\temp\boost\install\lib --build-dir=C:\temp\boost\build --build-type=complete toolset=msvc-10.0 address-model=64 variant=release link=static threading=multi install

I inherited the build scripts, so I’m not sure why b2 is being called 4 times, is that a problem?  Should I merge the “--without-mpi” into calls 3 and 4, and get rid of calls 1 and 2?

Why is it having trouble with just this one symbol?

Thanks,

Chris