diff --git a/src/cmd/5l/asm.c b/src/cmd/5l/asm.c
index 4afed2b8034..2c9e50d00e0 100644
--- a/src/cmd/5l/asm.c
+++ b/src/cmd/5l/asm.c
@@ -68,9 +68,6 @@ enum {
 	ElfStrText,
 	ElfStrData,
 	ElfStrBss,
-	ElfStrGosymcounts,
-	ElfStrGosymtab,
-	ElfStrGopclntab,
 	ElfStrSymtab,
 	ElfStrStrtab,
 	ElfStrShstrtab,
@@ -160,12 +157,11 @@ doelf(void)
 	elfstr[ElfStrEmpty] = addstring(shstrtab, "");
 	elfstr[ElfStrText] = addstring(shstrtab, ".text");
 	elfstr[ElfStrData] = addstring(shstrtab, ".data");
-	addstring(shstrtab, ".rodata");
 	elfstr[ElfStrBss] = addstring(shstrtab, ".bss");
+	addstring(shstrtab, ".rodata");
+	addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymtab");
+	addstring(shstrtab, ".gopclntab");
 	if(!debug['s']) {	
-		elfstr[ElfStrGosymcounts] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymcounts");
-		elfstr[ElfStrGosymtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymtab");
-		elfstr[ElfStrGopclntab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gopclntab");
 		elfstr[ElfStrSymtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".symtab");
 		elfstr[ElfStrStrtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".strtab");
 	}
@@ -307,10 +303,11 @@ asmb(void)
 	seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
 	codeblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
 
-	/* output read-only data in text segment */
-	sect = segtext.sect->next;
-	seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
-	datblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
+	/* output read-only data in text segment (rodata, gosymtab and pclntab) */
+	for(sect = sect->next; sect != nil; sect = sect->next) {
+		seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
+		datblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
+	}
 
 	if(debug['v'])
 		Bprint(&bso, "%5.2f datblk\n", cputime());
@@ -572,18 +569,6 @@ asmb(void)
 			elfshbits(sect);
 
 		if (!debug['s']) {
-			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrGosymtab]);
-			sh->type = SHT_PROGBITS;
-			sh->flags = SHF_ALLOC;
-			sh->addralign = 1;
-			shsym(sh, lookup("symtab", 0));
-
-			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrGopclntab]);
-			sh->type = SHT_PROGBITS;
-			sh->flags = SHF_ALLOC;
-			sh->addralign = 1;
-			shsym(sh, lookup("pclntab", 0));
-
 			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrSymtab]);
 			sh->type = SHT_SYMTAB;
 			sh->off = symo;
diff --git a/src/cmd/6l/asm.c b/src/cmd/6l/asm.c
index 4c04112b76f..9136e03794c 100644
--- a/src/cmd/6l/asm.c
+++ b/src/cmd/6l/asm.c
@@ -87,9 +87,6 @@ enum {
 	ElfStrText,
 	ElfStrData,
 	ElfStrBss,
-	ElfStrGosymcounts,
-	ElfStrGosymtab,
-	ElfStrGopclntab,
 	ElfStrShstrtab,
 	ElfStrSymtab,
 	ElfStrStrtab,
@@ -571,10 +568,9 @@ doelf(void)
 	elfstr[ElfStrBss] = addstring(shstrtab, ".bss");
 	addstring(shstrtab, ".elfdata");
 	addstring(shstrtab, ".rodata");
+	addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymtab");
+	addstring(shstrtab, ".gopclntab");
 	if(!debug['s']) {
-		elfstr[ElfStrGosymcounts] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymcounts");
-		elfstr[ElfStrGosymtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymtab");
-		elfstr[ElfStrGopclntab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gopclntab");
 		elfstr[ElfStrSymtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".symtab");
 		elfstr[ElfStrStrtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".strtab");
 		dwarfaddshstrings(shstrtab);
@@ -718,10 +714,11 @@ asmb(void)
 	seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
 	codeblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
 
-	/* output read-only data in text segment */
-	sect = segtext.sect->next;
-	seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
-	datblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
+	/* output read-only data in text segment (rodata, gosymtab and pclntab) */
+	for(sect = sect->next; sect != nil; sect = sect->next) {
+		seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
+		datblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
+	}
 
 	if(debug['v'])
 		Bprint(&bso, "%5.2f datblk\n", cputime());
@@ -1013,18 +1010,6 @@ asmb(void)
 			elfshbits(sect);
 
 		if (!debug['s']) {
-			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrGosymtab]);
-			sh->type = SHT_PROGBITS;
-			sh->flags = SHF_ALLOC;
-			sh->addralign = 1;
-			shsym(sh, lookup("symtab", 0));
-
-			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrGopclntab]);
-			sh->type = SHT_PROGBITS;
-			sh->flags = SHF_ALLOC;
-			sh->addralign = 1;
-			shsym(sh, lookup("pclntab", 0));
-
 			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrSymtab]);
 			sh->type = SHT_SYMTAB;
 			sh->off = symo;
diff --git a/src/cmd/8l/asm.c b/src/cmd/8l/asm.c
index a9a720af149..e1ccfb8a3dd 100644
--- a/src/cmd/8l/asm.c
+++ b/src/cmd/8l/asm.c
@@ -83,9 +83,6 @@ enum {
 	ElfStrText,
 	ElfStrData,
 	ElfStrBss,
-	ElfStrGosymcounts,
-	ElfStrGosymtab,
-	ElfStrGopclntab,
 	ElfStrShstrtab,
 	ElfStrSymtab,
 	ElfStrStrtab,
@@ -531,10 +528,9 @@ doelf(void)
 	elfstr[ElfStrBss] = addstring(shstrtab, ".bss");
 	addstring(shstrtab, ".elfdata");
 	addstring(shstrtab, ".rodata");
+	addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymtab");
+	addstring(shstrtab, ".gopclntab");
 	if(!debug['s']) {
-		elfstr[ElfStrGosymcounts] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymcounts");
-		elfstr[ElfStrGosymtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gosymtab");
-		elfstr[ElfStrGopclntab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".gopclntab");
 		elfstr[ElfStrSymtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".symtab");
 		elfstr[ElfStrStrtab] = addstring(shstrtab, ".strtab");
 		dwarfaddshstrings(shstrtab);
@@ -679,10 +675,11 @@ asmb(void)
 	seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
 	codeblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
 
-	/* output read-only data in text segment */
-	sect = segtext.sect->next;
-	seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
-	datblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
+	/* output read-only data in text segment (rodata, gosymtab and pclntab) */
+	for(sect = sect->next; sect != nil; sect = sect->next) {
+		seek(cout, sect->vaddr - segtext.vaddr + segtext.fileoff, 0);
+		datblk(sect->vaddr, sect->len);
+	}
 
 	if(debug['v'])
 		Bprint(&bso, "%5.2f datblk\n", cputime());
@@ -1083,18 +1080,6 @@ asmb(void)
 			elfshbits(sect);
 
 		if (!debug['s']) {
-			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrGosymtab]);
-			sh->type = SHT_PROGBITS;
-			sh->flags = SHF_ALLOC;
-			sh->addralign = 1;
-			shsym(sh, lookup("symtab", 0));
-
-			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrGopclntab]);
-			sh->type = SHT_PROGBITS;
-			sh->flags = SHF_ALLOC;
-			sh->addralign = 1;
-			shsym(sh, lookup("pclntab", 0));
-
 			sh = newElfShdr(elfstr[ElfStrSymtab]);
 			sh->type = SHT_SYMTAB;
 			sh->off = symo;
diff --git a/src/cmd/ld/data.c b/src/cmd/ld/data.c
index bdad58ff9ac..f1132fc8bbb 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ld/data.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ld/data.c
@@ -789,14 +789,34 @@ dodata(void)
 	sect->vaddr = 0;
 	datsize = 0;
 	s = datap;
-	for(; s != nil && s->type < SDATA; s = s->next) {
+	for(; s != nil && s->type < SSYMTAB; s = s->next) {
 		s->type = SRODATA;
 		t = rnd(s->size, PtrSize);
 		s->value = datsize;
 		datsize += t;
 	}
 	sect->len = datsize - sect->vaddr;
-	
+
+	/* gosymtab */
+	sect = addsection(&segtext, ".gosymtab", 04);
+	sect->vaddr = datsize;
+	for(; s != nil && s->type < SPCLNTAB; s = s->next) {
+		s->type = SRODATA;
+		s->value = datsize;
+		datsize += s->size;
+	}
+	sect->len = datsize - sect->vaddr;
+
+	/* gopclntab */
+	sect = addsection(&segtext, ".gopclntab", 04);
+	sect->vaddr = datsize;
+	for(; s != nil && s->type < SDATA; s = s->next) {
+		s->type = SRODATA;
+		s->value = datsize;
+		datsize += s->size;
+	}
+	sect->len = datsize - sect->vaddr;
+
 	/* data */
 	datsize = 0;
 	sect = addsection(&segdata, ".data", 06);
@@ -890,7 +910,7 @@ textaddress(void)
 void
 address(void)
 {
-	Section *s, *text, *data, *rodata;
+	Section *s, *text, *data, *rodata, *symtab, *pclntab;
 	Sym *sym, *sub;
 	uvlong va;
 
@@ -921,7 +941,9 @@ address(void)
 	segdata.filelen = segdata.sect->len;	// assume .data is first
 	
 	text = segtext.sect;
-	rodata = segtext.sect->next;
+	rodata = text->next;
+	symtab = rodata->next;
+	pclntab = symtab->next;
 	data = segdata.sect;
 
 	for(sym = datap; sym != nil; sym = sym->next) {
@@ -938,12 +960,11 @@ address(void)
 	xdefine("etext", STEXT, text->vaddr + text->len);
 	xdefine("rodata", SRODATA, rodata->vaddr);
 	xdefine("erodata", SRODATA, rodata->vaddr + rodata->len);
+	xdefine("symtab", SRODATA, symtab->vaddr);
+	xdefine("esymtab", SRODATA, symtab->vaddr + symtab->len);
+	xdefine("pclntab", SRODATA, pclntab->vaddr);
+	xdefine("epclntab", SRODATA, pclntab->vaddr + pclntab->len);
 	xdefine("data", SBSS, data->vaddr);
 	xdefine("edata", SBSS, data->vaddr + data->len);
 	xdefine("end", SBSS, segdata.vaddr + segdata.len);
-
-	sym = lookup("pclntab", 0);
-	xdefine("epclntab", SRODATA, sym->value + sym->size);
-	sym = lookup("symtab", 0);
-	xdefine("esymtab", SRODATA, sym->value + sym->size);
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/ld/lib.c b/src/cmd/ld/lib.c
index 04ee790a4e0..77a62f5dec2 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ld/lib.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ld/lib.c
@@ -956,7 +956,7 @@ pclntab(void)
 	uchar *bp;
 	
 	sym = lookup("pclntab", 0);
-	sym->type = SRODATA;
+	sym->type = SPCLNTAB;
 	sym->reachable = 1;
 	if(debug['s'])
 		return;
diff --git a/src/cmd/ld/lib.h b/src/cmd/ld/lib.h
index 4637131436c..3479871955a 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ld/lib.h
+++ b/src/cmd/ld/lib.h
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ enum
 	SSTRING,
 	SGOSTRING,
 	SRODATA,
+	SSYMTAB,
+	SPCLNTAB,
 	SDATA,
 	SMACHO,	/* Mach-O __nl_symbol_ptr */
 	SMACHOGOT,
diff --git a/src/cmd/ld/symtab.c b/src/cmd/ld/symtab.c
index e6dafab53a3..60e146b354e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ld/symtab.c
+++ b/src/cmd/ld/symtab.c
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ symtab(void)
 	s->reachable = 1;
 
 	symt = lookup("symtab", 0);
-	symt->type = SRODATA;
+	symt->type = SSYMTAB;
 	symt->size = 0;
 	symt->reachable = 1;