diff --git a/goparse-llvm.cpp b/goparse-llvm.cpp
index 020eee9..e986f0b 100644
--- a/goparse-llvm.cpp
+++ b/goparse-llvm.cpp
@@ -284,6 +284,14 @@
                                      Options, getRelocModel(), CMModel, OLvl));
   assert(Target && "Could not allocate target machine!");
 
+  // FIXME: this hard-wires on the equivalent of -ffunction-sections
+  // and -fdata-sections, since there doesn't seem to be a high-level
+  // hook for selecting a separate section for a specific variable or
+  // function (other than forcing it into a comdat, which is not
+  // always what we want).
+  Options.FunctionSections = true;
+  Options.DataSections = true;
+
   // Print a stack trace if we signal out.
   llvm::LLVMContext Context;
   bool hasError = false;
diff --git a/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.cpp b/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.cpp
index 41d1650..2cb38b5 100644
--- a/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.cpp
+++ b/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.cpp
@@ -697,6 +697,7 @@
   Bvariable *rv = makeModuleVar(type, ctag, "", Location(),
                                 MV_Constant, MV_DefaultSection,
                                 MV_NotInComdat, MV_DefaultVisibility,
+                                MV_NotExternallyInitialized,
                                 llvm::GlobalValue::PrivateLinkage,
                                 conval, 0);
   assert(llvm::isa<llvm::GlobalVariable>(rv->value()));
@@ -1061,6 +1062,7 @@
       makeModuleVar(makeAuxType(scon->getType()),
                     "", "", Location(), MV_Constant, MV_DefaultSection,
                     MV_NotInComdat, MV_DefaultVisibility,
+                    MV_NotExternallyInitialized,
                     llvm::GlobalValue::PrivateLinkage, scon, 1);
   llvm::Constant *varval = llvm::cast<llvm::Constant>(svar->value());
   llvm::Constant *bitcast =
@@ -2694,6 +2696,7 @@
                             ModVarSec inUniqueSection,
                             ModVarComdat inComdat,
                             ModVarVis isHiddenVisibility,
+                            ModVarExtInit isExtInit,
                             llvm::GlobalValue::LinkageTypes linkage,
                             llvm::Constant *initializer,
                             unsigned alignment)
@@ -2706,15 +2709,17 @@
   assert(datalayout().getTypeSizeInBits(btype->type()) != 0);
 #endif
 
-  // FIXME: add support for this
+  // FIXME: at the moment the driver is enabling separate sections
+  // for all variables, since there doesn't seem to be an easily
+  // accessible hook for requesting a separate section for a single
+  // variable.
   assert(inUniqueSection == MV_DefaultSection);
 
-  // FIXME: add support for this
-  assert(inComdat == MV_NotInComdat);
-
   // FIXME: add DIGlobalVariable to debug info for this variable
 
-  llvm::Constant *init = llvm::Constant::getNullValue(btype->type());
+  llvm::Constant *init =
+      (isExtInit == MV_ExternallyInitialized ? nullptr :
+       llvm::Constant::getNullValue(btype->type()));
   std::string gname(asm_name.empty() ? name : asm_name);
   llvm::GlobalVariable *glob = new llvm::GlobalVariable(
       module(), btype->type(), isConstant == MV_Constant,
@@ -2725,6 +2730,15 @@
     glob->setAlignment(alignment);
   if (initializer)
     glob->setInitializer(initializer);
+  if (inComdat == MV_InComdat) {
+    assert(! gname.empty());
+    glob->setComdat(module().getOrInsertComdat(gname));
+  }
+  if (isExtInit == MV_ExternallyInitialized) {
+    assert(!init);
+    glob->setExternallyInitialized(true);
+  }
+
   bool addressTaken = true; // for now
   Bvariable *bv =
       new Bvariable(btype, location, gname, GlobalVar, addressTaken, glob);
@@ -2741,22 +2755,20 @@
                                          bool is_external,
                                          bool is_hidden,
                                          bool in_unique_section,
-                                         Location location) {
-#if 0
-  llvm::GlobalValue::LinkageTypes linkage =
-      (is_external || is_hidden ? llvm::GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage
-       : llvm::GlobalValue::InternalLinkage);
-#endif
+                                         Location location)
+{
   llvm::GlobalValue::LinkageTypes linkage = llvm::GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage;
 
   ModVarSec inUniqSec =
       (in_unique_section ? MV_UniqueSection : MV_DefaultSection);
   ModVarVis varVis =
       (is_hidden ? MV_HiddenVisibility : MV_DefaultVisibility);
+  ModVarExtInit extInit =
+      (is_external ? MV_ExternallyInitialized : MV_NotExternallyInitialized);
   Bvariable *gvar =
       makeModuleVar(btype, var_name, asm_name, location,
                     MV_NonConstant, inUniqSec, MV_NotInComdat,
-                    varVis, linkage, nullptr);
+                    varVis, extInit, linkage, nullptr);
   return gvar;
 }
 
@@ -2870,20 +2882,19 @@
   assert(!(is_hidden && is_common));
 
   llvm::GlobalValue::LinkageTypes linkage =
-      (is_hidden ? llvm::GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage
-       : llvm::GlobalValue::WeakODRLinkage);
+      (is_hidden ? llvm::GlobalValue::InternalLinkage
+       : llvm::GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage);
 
-  // bool isComdat = is_common;
-  ModVarComdat inComdat = MV_NotInComdat; // for now
-  ModVarSec inUniqSec = MV_DefaultSection; // override for now
-  ModVarVis varVis =
-      (is_hidden ? MV_HiddenVisibility : MV_DefaultVisibility);
+  ModVarComdat inComdat = (is_common ? MV_InComdat : MV_NotInComdat);
+  ModVarSec inUniqSec = MV_DefaultSection;
+  ModVarVis varVis = MV_DefaultVisibility;
   ModVarConstant isConst = (is_constant ? MV_Constant : MV_NonConstant);
+  ModVarExtInit extInit = MV_NotExternallyInitialized;
 
   Bvariable *gvar =
       makeModuleVar(btype, name, asm_name, Location(),
                     isConst, inUniqSec, inComdat,
-                    varVis, linkage, nullptr, alignment);
+                    varVis, extInit, linkage, nullptr, alignment);
   return gvar;
 }
 
@@ -2931,17 +2942,17 @@
   assert(!(is_hidden && is_common));
 
   llvm::GlobalValue::LinkageTypes linkage =
-      (is_hidden ? llvm::GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage
-       : llvm::GlobalValue::WeakODRLinkage);
+      (is_hidden ? llvm::GlobalValue::InternalLinkage
+       : llvm::GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage);
 
-  ModVarComdat inComdat = MV_NotInComdat; // for now
-  ModVarSec inUniqueSec = MV_DefaultSection; // override for now
-  ModVarVis varVis =
-      (is_hidden ? MV_HiddenVisibility : MV_DefaultVisibility);
+  ModVarSec inUniqueSec = MV_DefaultSection;
+  ModVarComdat inComdat = (is_common ? MV_InComdat : MV_NotInComdat);
+  ModVarVis varVis = MV_DefaultVisibility;
+  ModVarExtInit extInit = MV_NotExternallyInitialized;
   Bvariable *gvar =
       makeModuleVar(btype, name, asm_name, location,
                     MV_Constant, inUniqueSec, inComdat,
-                    varVis, linkage, nullptr);
+                    varVis, extInit, linkage, nullptr);
   return gvar;
 }
 
@@ -3110,10 +3121,9 @@
     bfunc->setSplitStack(Bfunction::NoSplit);
 
   // TODO: unique section support. llvm::GlobalObject has support for
-  // setting COMDAT groups and section names, but nothing to manage how
-  // section names are created or doled out as far as I can tell, need
-  // to look a little more closely at how -ffunction-sections is implemented
-  // for clang/LLVM.
+  // setting COMDAT groups and section names, but there doesn't seem
+  // to be an interface available to request a unique section on a
+  // per-function basis (only a translation-unit-wide default).
   assert(!in_unique_section || is_declaration);
 
   if (is_declaration)
diff --git a/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.h b/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.h
index 6440624..ceacc92 100644
--- a/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.h
+++ b/llvm-gofrontend/go-llvm.h
@@ -416,6 +416,7 @@
   enum ModVarSec { MV_UniqueSection, MV_DefaultSection };
   enum ModVarComdat { MV_InComdat, MV_NotInComdat };
   enum ModVarVis { MV_HiddenVisibility, MV_DefaultVisibility };
+  enum ModVarExtInit { MV_ExternallyInitialized, MV_NotExternallyInitialized };
 
   // Make a module-scope variable (static, global, or external).
   Bvariable *makeModuleVar(Btype *btype,
@@ -426,6 +427,7 @@
                            ModVarSec inUniqueSection,
                            ModVarComdat inComdat,
                            ModVarVis isHiddenVisibility,
+                           ModVarExtInit isExtInit,
                            llvm::GlobalValue::LinkageTypes linkage,
                            llvm::Constant *initializer,
                            unsigned alignmentInBytes = 0);
diff --git a/unittests/BackendCore/BackendVarTests.cpp b/unittests/BackendCore/BackendVarTests.cpp
index 117d884..7fc4f95 100644
--- a/unittests/BackendCore/BackendVarTests.cpp
+++ b/unittests/BackendCore/BackendVarTests.cpp
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@
   Btype *uintptrt = be->integer_type(true, be->type_size(pbt)*8);
   Btype *desct = mkBackendStruct(be, uintptrt, "x", nullptr);
   Bvariable *ims = be->immutable_struct("desc", "desc",
-                                        false, false, desct, loc);
+                                        true, false, desct, loc);
   Bexpression *fp = be->function_code_expression(func, loc);
   Bexpression *confp = be->convert_expression(uintptrt, fp, loc);
 
@@ -298,9 +298,8 @@
   be->immutable_struct_set_init(ims, "", false, false,
                                 desct, loc, scon);
 
-  // Q: do we want weak_odr here?
   const char *exp = R"RAW_RESULT(
-    @desc = weak_odr constant { i64 } { i64 ptrtoint
+    @desc = internal constant { i64 } { i64 ptrtoint
     (i64 (i8*, i32, i32, i64*)* @foo to i64) }
   )RAW_RESULT";
 
@@ -343,13 +342,13 @@
                                  isHidden, isConst, isCommon, con1);
 
   const char *exp1 = R"RAW_RESULT(
-     @v1 = weak_odr global { i32, i32 } { i32 101, i32 202 }, align 8
+     @v1 = global { i32, i32 } { i32 101, i32 202 }, align 8
     )RAW_RESULT";
 
   bool isOK1 = h.expectValue(ims1->value(), exp1);
   EXPECT_TRUE(isOK1 && "Value does not have expected contents");
 
-  // Case 2: common, no init value.
+  // Case 2: const, common, no init value.
   isConst = true;
   isCommon = true;
   Bvariable *ims2 =
@@ -359,7 +358,7 @@
                                  isHidden, isConst, isCommon, nullptr);
 
   const char *exp2 = R"RAW_RESULT(
-    @v2 = weak_odr constant { i32, i32 } zeroinitializer, align 8
+    @v2 = constant { i32, i32 } zeroinitializer, comdat, align 8
     )RAW_RESULT";
 
   bool isOK2 = h.expectValue(ims2->value(), exp2);