Statically and dynamically linking the same library
I have a program that's statically linking to a library ( libA.2.0.a ) and also dynamically links to another library ( libB.so ). libB.so also dynamically links to an older version of libA ( libA.1.0.so ). Is this configuration possible? And if so, how does the system know to use the symbols from libA.2.0.a for my program and the symbols from libA.1.0.so for libB.so ? Yes, this configuration is possible. In answer to your question as to how the system knows how to use the symbols, remember that all of the links happen at build time. After it's been built, it isn't a question of "symbols", just