diff --git a/gcc/ChangeLog b/gcc/ChangeLog
index fc9554f0142f9e30b12471e153f8bced42c40f18..3f2f34417c656660f8167f1dcd6f8f5dba017b3b 100644
--- a/gcc/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2017-06-15 Jozef Lawrynowicz <jozef.l@somniumtech.com>
+
+ PR target/78818
+ * config/msp430/msp430.c (msp430_data_attr): Check that it's possible
+ for a variable to have a section before checking if the section has a
+ name.
+ Set section to.persistent if persistent attribute is set.
+ Warn if .persistent attribute is used on an automatic variable.
+
2017-06-15 Eric Botcazou <ebotcazou@adacore.com>
PR rtl-optimization/80474
diff --git a/gcc/config/msp430/msp430.c b/gcc/config/msp430/msp430.c
index dd53dea685b5a90f1d4ddfe68a412f8972385605..6acab1e70cb6987ab4b52ff94b45af39c76d3b13 100644
--- a/gcc/config/msp430/msp430.c
+++ b/gcc/config/msp430/msp430.c
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
#include "expr.h"
#include "langhooks.h"
#include "builtins.h"
+#include "intl.h"
/* This file should be included last. */
#include "target-def.h"
@@ -1993,10 +1994,24 @@ msp430_data_attr (tree * node,
gcc_assert (args == NULL);
if (TREE_CODE (* node) != VAR_DECL)
- message = "%qE attribute only applies to variables";
-
- if (DECL_SECTION_NAME (* node))
- message = "%qE attribute cannot be applied to variables with specific sections";
+ message = G_("%qE attribute only applies to variables");
+
+ /* Check that it's possible for the variable to have a section. */
+ if ((TREE_STATIC (* node) || DECL_EXTERNAL (* node) || in_lto_p)
+ && DECL_SECTION_NAME (* node))
+ message = G_("%qE attribute cannot be applied to variables with specific sections");
+
+ if (!message && TREE_NAME_EQ (name, ATTR_PERSIST) && !TREE_STATIC (* node)
+ && !TREE_PUBLIC (* node) && !DECL_EXTERNAL (* node))
+ message = G_("%qE attribute has no effect on automatic variables");
+
+ /* It's not clear if there is anything that can be set here to prevent the
+ front end placing the variable before the back end can handle it, in a
+ similar way to how DECL_COMMON is used below.
+ So just place the variable in the .persistent section now. */
+ if ((TREE_STATIC (* node) || DECL_EXTERNAL (* node) || in_lto_p)
+ && TREE_NAME_EQ (name, ATTR_PERSIST))
+ set_decl_section_name (* node, ".persistent");
/* If this var is thought to be common, then change this. Common variables
are assigned to sections before the backend has a chance to process them. */
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
index 4b7433e2edad9dbb135f034d2295cc6e1bab1469..3677d15c453efb77a59e74ba3b952495a6e41744 100644
--- a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2017-06-15 Jozef Lawrynowicz <jozef.l@somniumtech.com>
+
+ PR target/78818
+ * gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-real.c: New template for tests.
+ * gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto.c: New test.
+ * gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-region.c: New test.
+ * gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-sec.c: New test.
+ * gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto-warn.c: New test.
+
2017-06-15 Thomas Preud'homme <thomas.preudhomme@arm.com>
* gcc.target/arm/its.c: Check that no IT blocks has more than 2
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto-warn.c b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto-warn.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3dba361071ffebf0ec302ebbb7e19c188adbc480
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto-warn.c
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/* { dg-do compile } */
+
+__attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_1_g = 1;
+__attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_2_g = 0;
+static __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_3_g = 1;
+static __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_4_g = 0;
+
+int
+main (void)
+{
+ __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_1 = 1; /* { dg-warning "attribute has no effect on automatic" } */
+ __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_2 = 0; /* { dg-warning "attribute has no effect on automatic" } */
+ static __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_3 = 1;
+ static __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_4 = 0;
+ return 0;
+}
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto.c b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1fb0b28e64a8f9469bfdbc8b021bcc0a21f7b651
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-auto.c
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+/* { dg-do compile } */
+
+/* { dg-final { scan-assembler-not "\\.comm" } } */
+
+#include "pr78818-real.c"
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-region.c b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-region.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..22b1fa272adc67f9892767579362598735ea0100
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-region.c
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+/* { dg-do compile } */
+/* { dg-options "-mdata-region=either" } */
+
+/* { dg-final { scan-assembler-not "\\.either" } } */
+
+#include "pr78818-real.c"
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-sec.c b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-sec.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6367e01d948db5247bce94a3d62d9155e06b9ca6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-data-sec.c
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+/* { dg-do compile } */
+/* { dg-options "-fdata-sections" } */
+
+/* { dg-final { scan-assembler-not "\\.data" } } */
+/* { dg-final { scan-assembler-not "\\.bss" } } */
+
+#include "pr78818-real.c"
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-real.c b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-real.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..504ed4a6a7904d1b58ca7cdc8f3fd17f34017a70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.target/msp430/pr78818-real.c
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+__attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_1 = 1;
+__attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_2 = 0;
+static __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_3 = 1;
+static __attribute__((persistent)) int persistent_4 = 0;
+
+int main (void)
+{
+ return 0;
+}