diff --git a/gas/ChangeLog b/gas/ChangeLog
index f92c3d67596..7abba5e0467 100644
--- a/gas/ChangeLog
+++ b/gas/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2005-02-21  Alan Modra  <amodra@bigpond.net.au>
+
+	* read.c (address_bytes): New function.
+	(TC_ADDRESS_BYTES): Default for BSD_ASSEMBLER to address_bytes.
+	(potable): Add "dc.a".
+	(cons_worker): Handle "dc.a".
+	* doc/internals.texi (TC_ADDRESS_BYTES): Document.
+
 2005-02-21  Alan Modra  <amodra@bigpond.net.au>
 
 	* input-file.c (input_file_open): Rearrange to avoid warning.
diff --git a/gas/doc/internals.texi b/gas/doc/internals.texi
index e0fb74905ca..8cfd33ef99f 100644
--- a/gas/doc/internals.texi
+++ b/gas/doc/internals.texi
@@ -1114,6 +1114,11 @@ pseudo-op.
 @cindex TC_CONS_FIX_NEW
 You may define this macro to generate a fixup for a data allocation pseudo-op.
 
+@item TC_ADDRESS_BYTES
+@cindex TC_ADDRESS_BYTES
+Define this macro to specify the number of bytes used to store an address.
+Used to implement @code{dc.a}.  The target must have a reloc for this size.
+
 @item TC_INIT_FIX_DATA (@var{fixp})
 @cindex TC_INIT_FIX_DATA
 A C statement to initialize the target specific fields of fixup @var{fixp}.
diff --git a/gas/read.c b/gas/read.c
index 807f41030a0..c86b7d7c1ee 100644
--- a/gas/read.c
+++ b/gas/read.c
@@ -243,6 +243,24 @@ read_begin (void)
     lex_type['?'] = 3;
 }
 
+#ifndef TC_ADDRESS_BYTES
+#ifdef BFD_ASSEMBLER
+#define TC_ADDRESS_BYTES address_bytes
+
+static inline int
+address_bytes (void)
+{
+  /* Choose smallest of 1, 2, 4, 8 bytes that is large enough to
+     contain an address.  */
+  int n = (stdoutput->arch_info->bits_per_address - 1) / 8;
+  n |= n >> 1;
+  n |= n >> 2;
+  n += 1;
+  return n;
+}
+#endif
+#endif
+
 /* Set up pseudo-op tables.  */
 
 static struct hash_control *po_hash;
@@ -263,6 +281,9 @@ static const pseudo_typeS potable[] = {
   {"common.s", s_mri_common, 1},
   {"data", s_data, 0},
   {"dc", cons, 2},
+#ifdef TC_ADDRESS_BYTES
+  {"dc.a", cons, 0},
+#endif
   {"dc.b", cons, 1},
   {"dc.d", float_cons, 'd'},
   {"dc.l", cons, 4},
@@ -3335,6 +3356,11 @@ cons_worker (register int nbytes,	/* 1=.byte, 2=.word, 4=.long.  */
       return;
     }
 
+#ifdef TC_ADDRESS_BYTES
+  if (nbytes == 0)
+    nbytes = TC_ADDRESS_BYTES ();
+#endif
+
 #ifdef md_cons_align
   md_cons_align (nbytes);
 #endif
diff --git a/ld/testsuite/ChangeLog b/ld/testsuite/ChangeLog
index 51486851218..85ef563de9f 100644
--- a/ld/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/ld/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2005-02-21  Alan Modra  <amodra@bigpond.net.au>
+
+	* ld-elf/exclude1.s: Use ".dc.a".
+	* ld-elfvsb/hidden2.s: Likewise.
+
 2005-02-21  Alan Modra  <amodra@bigpond.net.au>
 
 	* ld-elf/warn1.d: Specify -Ttext.
diff --git a/ld/testsuite/ld-elf/exclude1.s b/ld/testsuite/ld-elf/exclude1.s
index 515d078315e..99efc7e9ad2 100644
--- a/ld/testsuite/ld-elf/exclude1.s
+++ b/ld/testsuite/ld-elf/exclude1.s
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 	.globl include_sym
 	.data
 include_sym:
-	.long	exclude_sym
+	.dc.a	exclude_sym
diff --git a/ld/testsuite/ld-elfvsb/hidden2.s b/ld/testsuite/ld-elfvsb/hidden2.s
index b4a2e92bee7..beb123b5e2d 100644
--- a/ld/testsuite/ld-elfvsb/hidden2.s
+++ b/ld/testsuite/ld-elfvsb/hidden2.s
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 	.data
 	.hidden foo
 	.global foo
-	.long foo
+	.dc.a foo