This fixes an error message given too eagerly on ppc64le, when no input files are used and as-needed is in effect. E.g.: % ld-new --as-needed -o /dev/null -lc gives an error message about input and output ABI versions being incompatible. This is because the ABI setting of "unknown" (0) to "from-input" is done in ppc64_elf_before_check_relocs, which isn't called for as-needed libraries (via check_directives callback). merge_private_bfd_data is called for as-needed and not-as-needed inputs (via notice_as_needed), so copy that code there. This construct is used in some packages to check for availability of libraries (e.g. in nvme-cli to check for -luuid). Redircting error output makes this siletently fail. Index: binutils-2.35/bfd/elf64-ppc.c =================================================================== --- binutils-2.35.orig/bfd/elf64-ppc.c 2020-07-24 11:12:19.000000000 +0200 +++ binutils-2.35/bfd/elf64-ppc.c 2020-08-10 17:25:00.205219071 +0200 @@ -5310,11 +5310,17 @@ ppc64_elf_merge_private_bfd_data (bfd *ibfd, struct bfd_link_info *info) if (iflags & ~EF_PPC64_ABI) { - _bfd_error_handler - /* xgettext:c-format */ - (_("%pB uses unknown e_flags 0x%lx"), ibfd, iflags); - bfd_set_error (bfd_error_bad_value); - return false; + if (abiversion (info->output_bfd) == 0) + set_abiversion (info->output_bfd, abiversion (ibfd)); + else + { + _bfd_error_handler + /* xgettext:c-format */ + (_("%pB: ABI version %ld is not compatible with ABI version %ld output"), + ibfd, iflags, oflags); + bfd_set_error (bfd_error_bad_value); + return false; + } } else if (iflags != oflags && iflags != 0) {