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The object file for Unix systems typically contains six distinct pieces:

   1. The '''object file header''' decribes the size and position  of the other pieces of the object file.
   1. The '''text segment''' contains the machine language code.
   1. The '''data segment''' contains wathever data that comes with the program: either ''static data'', which is allocated throughout the program, or ''dynamic data'', which can grow or shrink as needed by the program.
   1. The '''relocation information''' identifies instructions and data words that depend on absolute addresses when the program is loaded into memory.
   1. The '''symbol table''' contains the remaining labels that are not defined, such as external references.
   1. The '''debugging information''' contains a concise description of how the modules were compiled so that a debugger can associate machine instructions with C source files and make adata structures readable.

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