diff --git a/libdw/dwarf_begin_elf.c b/libdw/dwarf_begin_elf.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6834ac5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libdw/dwarf_begin_elf.c
@@ -0,0 +1,365 @@
+/* Create descriptor from ELF descriptor for processing file.
+   Copyright (C) 2002-2011, 2014, 2015, 2018 Red Hat, Inc.
+   This file is part of elfutils.
+   Written by Ulrich Drepper <drepper@redhat.com>, 2002.
+
+   This file is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+   it under the terms of either
+
+     * the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free
+       Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at
+       your option) any later version
+
+   or
+
+     * the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
+       Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at
+       your option) any later version
+
+   or both in parallel, as here.
+
+   elfutils is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+   WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+   General Public License for more details.
+
+   You should have received copies of the GNU General Public License and
+   the GNU Lesser General Public License along with this program.  If
+   not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.  */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+# include <config.h>
+#endif
+
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <endian.h>
+
+#include "libdwP.h"
+
+
+/* Section names.  */
+static const char dwarf_scnnames[IDX_last][18] =
+{
+  [IDX_debug_info] = ".debug_info",
+  [IDX_debug_types] = ".debug_types",
+  [IDX_debug_abbrev] = ".debug_abbrev",
+  [IDX_debug_aranges] = ".debug_aranges",
+  [IDX_debug_line] = ".debug_line",
+  [IDX_debug_frame] = ".debug_frame",
+  [IDX_debug_loc] = ".debug_loc",
+  [IDX_debug_pubnames] = ".debug_pubnames",
+  [IDX_debug_str] = ".debug_str",
+  [IDX_debug_macinfo] = ".debug_macinfo",
+  [IDX_debug_macro] = ".debug_macro",
+  [IDX_debug_ranges] = ".debug_ranges",
+  [IDX_gnu_debugaltlink] = ".gnu_debugaltlink"
+};
+#define ndwarf_scnnames (sizeof (dwarf_scnnames) / sizeof (dwarf_scnnames[0]))
+
+static Dwarf *
+check_section (Dwarf *result, GElf_Ehdr *ehdr, Elf_Scn *scn, bool inscngrp)
+{
+  GElf_Shdr shdr_mem;
+  GElf_Shdr *shdr;
+
+  /* Get the section header data.  */
+  shdr = gelf_getshdr (scn, &shdr_mem);
+  if (shdr == NULL)
+    /* We may read /proc/PID/mem with only program headers mapped and section
+       headers out of the mapped pages.  */
+    goto err;
+
+  /* Ignore any SHT_NOBITS sections.  Debugging sections should not
+     have been stripped, but in case of a corrupt file we won't try
+     to look at the missing data.  */
+  if (unlikely (shdr->sh_type == SHT_NOBITS))
+    return result;
+
+  /* Make sure the section is part of a section group only iff we
+     really need it.  If we are looking for the global (= non-section
+     group debug info) we have to ignore all the info in section
+     groups.  If we are looking into a section group we cannot look at
+     a section which isn't part of the section group.  */
+  if (! inscngrp && (shdr->sh_flags & SHF_GROUP) != 0)
+    /* Ignore the section.  */
+    return result;
+
+
+  /* We recognize the DWARF section by their names.  This is not very
+     safe and stable but the best we can do.  */
+  const char *scnname = elf_strptr (result->elf, ehdr->e_shstrndx,
+				    shdr->sh_name);
+  if (scnname == NULL)
+    {
+      /* The section name must be valid.  Otherwise is the ELF file
+	 invalid.  */
+    err:
+      Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+      __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_INVALID_ELF);
+      free (result);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  /* Recognize the various sections.  Most names start with .debug_.  */
+  size_t cnt;
+  bool gnu_compressed = false;
+  for (cnt = 0; cnt < ndwarf_scnnames; ++cnt)
+    if (strcmp (scnname, dwarf_scnnames[cnt]) == 0)
+      break;
+    else if (scnname[0] == '.' && scnname[1] == 'z'
+	     && strcmp (&scnname[2], &dwarf_scnnames[cnt][1]) == 0)
+      {
+        gnu_compressed = true;
+        break;
+      }
+
+  if (cnt >= ndwarf_scnnames)
+    /* Not a debug section; ignore it. */
+    return result;
+
+  if (unlikely (result->sectiondata[cnt] != NULL))
+    /* A section appears twice.  That's bad.  We ignore the section.  */
+    return result;
+
+  /* We cannot know whether or not a GNU compressed section has already
+     been uncompressed or not, so ignore any errors.  */
+  if (gnu_compressed)
+    elf_compress_gnu (scn, 0, 0);
+
+  if ((shdr->sh_flags & SHF_COMPRESSED) != 0)
+    {
+      if (elf_compress (scn, 0, 0) < 0)
+	{
+	  /* If we failed to decompress the section and it's the
+	     debug_info section, then fail with specific error rather
+	     than the generic NO_DWARF. Without debug_info we can't do
+	     anything (see also valid_p()). */
+	  if (cnt == IDX_debug_info)
+	    {
+	      Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+	      __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_COMPRESSED_ERROR);
+	      free (result);
+	      return NULL;
+	    }
+	  return result;
+	}
+    }
+
+  /* Get the section data.  */
+  Elf_Data *data = elf_getdata (scn, NULL);
+  if (data == NULL)
+    goto err;
+
+  if (data->d_buf == NULL || data->d_size == 0)
+    /* No data actually available, ignore it. */
+    return result;
+
+  /* We can now read the section data into results. */
+  result->sectiondata[cnt] = data;
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+
+/* Check whether all the necessary DWARF information is available.  */
+static Dwarf *
+valid_p (Dwarf *result)
+{
+  /* We looked at all the sections.  Now determine whether all the
+     sections with debugging information we need are there.
+
+     XXX Which sections are absolutely necessary?  Add tests if
+     necessary.  For now we require only .debug_info.  Hopefully this
+     is correct.  */
+  if (likely (result != NULL)
+      && unlikely (result->sectiondata[IDX_debug_info] == NULL))
+    {
+      Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+      __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_NO_DWARF);
+      free (result);
+      result = NULL;
+    }
+
+  if (result != NULL && result->sectiondata[IDX_debug_loc] != NULL)
+    {
+      result->fake_loc_cu = (Dwarf_CU *) calloc (1, sizeof (Dwarf_CU));
+      if (unlikely (result->fake_loc_cu == NULL))
+	{
+	  Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+	  __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_NOMEM);
+	  free (result);
+	  result = NULL;
+	}
+      else
+	{
+	  result->fake_loc_cu->sec_idx = IDX_debug_loc;
+	  result->fake_loc_cu->dbg = result;
+	  result->fake_loc_cu->startp
+	    = result->sectiondata[IDX_debug_loc]->d_buf;
+	  result->fake_loc_cu->endp
+	    = (result->sectiondata[IDX_debug_loc]->d_buf
+	       + result->sectiondata[IDX_debug_loc]->d_size);
+	}
+    }
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+
+static Dwarf *
+global_read (Dwarf *result, Elf *elf, GElf_Ehdr *ehdr)
+{
+  Elf_Scn *scn = NULL;
+
+  while (result != NULL && (scn = elf_nextscn (elf, scn)) != NULL)
+    result = check_section (result, ehdr, scn, false);
+
+  return valid_p (result);
+}
+
+
+static Dwarf *
+scngrp_read (Dwarf *result, Elf *elf, GElf_Ehdr *ehdr, Elf_Scn *scngrp)
+{
+  GElf_Shdr shdr_mem;
+  GElf_Shdr *shdr = gelf_getshdr (scngrp, &shdr_mem);
+  if (shdr == NULL)
+    {
+      Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+      __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_INVALID_ELF);
+      free (result);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  if ((shdr->sh_flags & SHF_COMPRESSED) != 0
+      && elf_compress (scngrp, 0, 0) < 0)
+    {
+      Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+      __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_COMPRESSED_ERROR);
+      free (result);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  /* SCNGRP is the section descriptor for a section group which might
+     contain debug sections.  */
+  Elf_Data *data = elf_getdata (scngrp, NULL);
+  if (data == NULL)
+    {
+      /* We cannot read the section content.  Fail!  */
+      Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+      free (result);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  /* The content of the section is a number of 32-bit words which
+     represent section indices.  The first word is a flag word.  */
+  Elf32_Word *scnidx = (Elf32_Word *) data->d_buf;
+  size_t cnt;
+  for (cnt = 1; cnt * sizeof (Elf32_Word) <= data->d_size; ++cnt)
+    {
+      Elf_Scn *scn = elf_getscn (elf, scnidx[cnt]);
+      if (scn == NULL)
+	{
+	  /* A section group refers to a non-existing section.  Should
+	     never happen.  */
+	  Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+	  __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_INVALID_ELF);
+	  free (result);
+	  return NULL;
+	}
+
+      result = check_section (result, ehdr, scn, true);
+      if (result == NULL)
+	break;
+    }
+
+  return valid_p (result);
+}
+
+
+Dwarf *
+dwarf_begin_elf (Elf *elf, Dwarf_Cmd cmd, Elf_Scn *scngrp)
+{
+  GElf_Ehdr *ehdr;
+  GElf_Ehdr ehdr_mem;
+
+  /* Get the ELF header of the file.  We need various pieces of
+     information from it.  */
+  ehdr = gelf_getehdr (elf, &ehdr_mem);
+  if (ehdr == NULL)
+    {
+      if (elf_kind (elf) != ELF_K_ELF)
+	__libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_NOELF);
+      else
+	__libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_GETEHDR_ERROR);
+
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+
+  /* Default memory allocation size.  */
+  size_t mem_default_size = sysconf (_SC_PAGESIZE) - 4 * sizeof (void *);
+  assert (sizeof (struct Dwarf) < mem_default_size);
+
+  /* Allocate the data structure.  */
+  Dwarf *result = (Dwarf *) calloc (1, sizeof (Dwarf) + mem_default_size);
+  if (unlikely (result == NULL)
+      || unlikely (Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_init (&result->sig8_hash, 11) < 0))
+    {
+      free (result);
+      __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_NOMEM);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  /* Fill in some values.  */
+  if ((BYTE_ORDER == LITTLE_ENDIAN && ehdr->e_ident[EI_DATA] == ELFDATA2MSB)
+      || (BYTE_ORDER == BIG_ENDIAN && ehdr->e_ident[EI_DATA] == ELFDATA2LSB))
+    result->other_byte_order = true;
+
+  result->elf = elf;
+  result->alt_fd = -1;
+
+  /* Initialize the memory handling.  */
+  result->mem_default_size = mem_default_size;
+  result->oom_handler = __libdw_oom;
+  result->mem_tail = (struct libdw_memblock *) (result + 1);
+  result->mem_tail->size = (result->mem_default_size
+			    - offsetof (struct libdw_memblock, mem));
+  result->mem_tail->remaining = result->mem_tail->size;
+  result->mem_tail->prev = NULL;
+
+  if (cmd == DWARF_C_READ || cmd == DWARF_C_RDWR)
+    {
+      /* If the caller provides a section group we get the DWARF
+	 sections only from this setion group.  Otherwise we search
+	 for the first section with the required name.  Further
+	 sections with the name are ignored.  The DWARF specification
+	 does not really say this is allowed.  */
+      if (scngrp == NULL)
+	return global_read (result, elf, ehdr);
+      else
+	return scngrp_read (result, elf, ehdr, scngrp);
+    }
+  else if (cmd == DWARF_C_WRITE)
+    {
+      Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+      __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_UNIMPL);
+      free (result);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+
+  Dwarf_Sig8_Hash_free (&result->sig8_hash);
+  __libdw_seterrno (DWARF_E_INVALID_CMD);
+  free (result);
+  return NULL;
+}
+INTDEF(dwarf_begin_elf)