node-v5.0.0-rc.1 can't work on Android L due to error: only position independent executables (PIE) are supported

[kikijhu]

issue description

I downloaded the latest node-v5.0.0-rc.1 and make it with Android NDK r10e, but it can’t work on Android L.

compile environment

• ubuntu 14.04
• python 2.7.6
• gcc 4.8.4

error log

C:\Users\Kiki>adb shell
# node -v
error: only position independent executables (PIE) are supported.

solution

I searched on Google for solution, found it, to add two flags in Android.mk.

LOCAL_CFLAGS += -fPIE -pie  
LOCAL_LDFLAGS += -fPIE -pie

But it seems node-v5.0.0-rc.1 just uses NDK toolchain, not use NDK to compile a executable file.
So how to add these two flags to node-v5.0.0-rc.1?

[mscdex]

Can't you just set the standard CFLAGS and LDFLAGS environment variables before compiling?

[kikijhu]

I see flag settings in these file, and it seemed node-v5.0.0-rc.1 already considered PIE, but what's the problem to the end?

node/deps/uv/common.gypi

 'conditions': [
          ['OS == "android"', {
            'cflags': [ '-fPIE' ],
            'ldflags': [ '-fPIE', '-pie' ]
          }]
        ]

deps/v8/build/standalone.gypi

  ['(target_arch=="arm" or target_arch=="arm64" or target_arch=="x64" or target_arch=="ia32") and component!="shared_library"', {
                'cflags': [
                  '-fPIE',
                ],
                'ldflags': [
                  '-pie',
                ],
              }],

[Fishrock123]

cc @evanlucas and @Gioyik maybe?

[kikijhu]

I've fixed this issue by modified <node-v5.0.0-rc.1>\common.gypi.

I added -fPIE for cflags and -pie for ldflags on Android.

'target_defaults': {
    'default_configuration': 'Release',
    'configurations': {
      'Debug': {
        'variables': {
          'v8_enable_handle_zapping': 1,
        },
        'defines': [ 'DEBUG', '_DEBUG' ],
        'cflags': [ '-g', '-O0' ],
        'conditions': [
          ['target_arch=="x64"', {
            'msvs_configuration_platform': 'x64',
          }],
          ['OS=="aix"', {
            'cflags': [ '-gxcoff' ],
            'ldflags': [ '-Wl,-bbigtoc' ],
          }],
          ['OS == "android"', {
            'cflags': [ '-fPIE' ],
            'ldflags': [ '-fPIE', '-pie' ]
          }]
        ],
        'msvs_settings': {
          'VCCLCompilerTool': {
            'RuntimeLibrary': 1, # static debug
            'Optimization': 0, # /Od, no optimization
            'MinimalRebuild': 'false',
            'OmitFramePointers': 'false',
            'BasicRuntimeChecks': 3, # /RTC1
          },
          'VCLinkerTool': {
            'LinkIncremental': 2, # enable incremental linking
          },
        },
        'xcode_settings': {
          'GCC_OPTIMIZATION_LEVEL': '0', # stop gyp from defaulting to -Os
        },
      },
      'Release': {
        'variables': {
          'v8_enable_handle_zapping': 0,
        },
        'cflags': [ '-O3', '-ffunction-sections', '-fdata-sections' ],
        'conditions': [
          ['target_arch=="x64"', {
            'msvs_configuration_platform': 'x64',
          }],
          ['OS=="solaris"', {
            `# pull in V8's postmortem metadata`
            'ldflags': [ '-Wl,-z,allextract' ]
          }],
          ['OS!="mac" and OS!="win"', {
            'cflags': [ '-fno-omit-frame-pointer' ],
          }],
          ['OS == "android"', {
            'cflags': [ '-fPIE' ],
            'ldflags': [ '-fPIE', '-pie' ]
          }]
        ],

[bnoordhuis]

A pull request that updates common.gypi would be fine IMO. Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

[IvanGaravito]

Hey @kikijhu , I had the same problem with node v4.2.4, and it worked adding PIE flags as you said. Thanks!

[kikijhu]

@IvanGaravito Glad to help you : )

[kikijhu]

I modified the solution.

I add a flag cflag-pie in ./android-configure
If you want to compile the code with -fPIE, just set it as true, otherwise just set it as false.

./configure \
    --dest-cpu=arm \
    --dest-os=android \
    --cflag-pie=true

Modify ./configure

def configure_node(o):
  if options.dest_os == 'android':
    o['variables']['OS'] = 'android'
  o['variables']['cflag_pie'] = options.cflag_pie

parser.add_option('--cflag-pie',
action='store_true',
dest='cflag_pie',
help='add cflags -fPIE')

Modify ./common.gypi

'target_defaults': {
    'default_configuration': 'Release',
    'configurations': {
      'Debug': {
        'variables': {
          'v8_enable_handle_zapping': 1,
        },
        ...
          ['cflag_pie == "true"', {
            'cflags': [ '-fPIE' ],
            'ldflags': [ '-fPIE', '-pie' ]
          }]
        ],...
      },
      'Release': {
        'variables': {
          'v8_enable_handle_zapping': 0,
        },
        'cflags': [ '-O3', '-ffunction-sections', '-fdata-sections' ],
        ...
          ['cflag_pie == "true"', {
            'cflags': [ '-fPIE' ],
            'ldflags': [ '-fPIE', '-pie' ]
          }]
        ],

./config.gypi will contains the flag

# Do not edit. Generated by the configure script.
{ 'target_defaults': { 'cflags': [],
                       'default_configuration': 'Release',
                       'defines': [],
                       'include_dirs': [],
                       'libraries': []},
  'variables': { 'OS': 'android',
                 'arm_float_abi': 'default',
                 'arm_fpu': 'vfpv3',
                 'arm_thumb': 0,
                 'arm_version': '7',
                 'asan': 0,
                 'cflag_pie': 'true',
                 'gas_version': '2.24',
                 'host_arch': 'x64',
                 'icu_small': 'false',
                 'node_byteorder': 'little',
                 'node_enable_v8_vtunejit': 'false',
                 'node_install_npm': 'true',
                 'node_prefix': '/usr/local',
                 'node_release_urlbase': '',
                 'node_shared_http_parser': 'false',
                 'node_shared_libuv': 'false',
                 'node_shared_openssl': 'false',
                 'node_shared_zlib': 'false',
                 'node_tag': '',
                 'node_use_dtrace': 'false',
                 'node_use_etw': 'false',
                 'node_use_lttng': 'false',
                 'node_use_openssl': 'true',
                 'node_use_perfctr': 'false',
                 'openssl_fips': '',
                 'openssl_no_asm': 0,
                 'python': '/home/kiki/node.js/node-v5.4.1/android-toolchain/bin/python',
                 'target_arch': 'arm',
                 'v8_enable_gdbjit': 0,
                 'v8_enable_i18n_support': 0,
                 'v8_no_strict_aliasing': 1,
                 'v8_optimized_debug': 0,
                 'v8_random_seed': 0,
                 'v8_use_snapshot': 'true',
                 'want_separate_host_toolset': 1}}

[Fishrock123]

@kikijhu Mind making a Pull Request for this? :D

[kikijhu]

@bnoordhuis @Fishrock123 I'm behind the firewall in company, so can't pull code from github . Worse still, I can't even access github at home due to the firewall of China >_<.
I will be glad if someone contribute these changes to developer branch.

[bnoordhuis]

Is there an Android developer who wants to take this on? @kikijhu's changes look useful but no one on the core team develops on or for Android, as far as I'm aware.

[bsegault]

@bnoordhuis @kikijhu I was looking just for your answer. Works fine for me with node v4.4.0. Will test on node 5 & do a pull request as soon as possible. Thanks a lot =D

[rvagg]

I'm seeking some feedback about how Node.js is used on Android if anyone watching this thread would like to tell us about it: nodejs/build#359

[bnoordhuis]

Closing, we're building with -fPIE -fpie as of commit 271201f.