Core dump

dirtdog has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hi Monks,

We're migrating our servers from RHEL6(Oracle 12.2.0.1) and using the Perl that comes with Oracle (/12.2.0.1/perl/bin/perl) to RHEL7(Oracle 19.3.0.0 with Oracle Client 19.8.0.0.0) and using Perl 5.32

The problem is that we're getting a random core dump and it doesn't seem to be related to the data in the file that was loading when the core dump occurred. We know this because the file reloads without issue. Also, the core dump can occur soon after a recycle of the env or a few weeks later so the theory is that it could NOT be a memory leak because of this. The application code is mostly java and c++.

Our developer analyzed the core dumps but said they're inconclusive. He found no evidence of a memory leak so his theory was that Oracle client 19 was causing the core dump so we changed a couple envs to use Oracle 12 client, but those eventually core dumped also.

My question is basically could Perl 5.32 be a potential culprit for causing the core dump?

And if so, do you know of the best way to debug this type of random core dump to pinpoint what is causing it

Thanks for your time...it's very much appreciated!

Comment on Core dump

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Re: Core dump (Oracle DB) by LanX (Saint) on Jun 24, 2021 at 16:30 UTC
> We're migrating our servers from RHEL6(Oracle 12.2.0.1) and using the Perl that comes with Oracle (/12.2.0.1/perl/bin/perl) to RHEL7(Oracle 19.3.0.0 with Oracle Client 19.8.0.0.0) and using Perl 5.32 I didn't know that Oracle comes with a bundled Perl and I'm not sure why... But if you are migrating to another version you should keep using° that bundled Perl. My guess is that Oracle requires included XS modules, they are compiled for a particular version and might break otherwise. There must be a reason why it's bundled. Cheers Rolf _{(addicted to the Perl Programming Language :) Wikisyntax for the Monastery} °) What kind of "using"? What for? update I was assuming you are using the bundled Perl for some kind of maintenance of the DB. Anything else would be unfortunate at least.	[reply]
Re^2: Core dump by marto (Cardinal) on Jun 24, 2021 at 20:04 UTC
"I didn't know that Oracle comes with a bundled Perl and I'm not sure why..." Oracle is one of those apps that ships with it's own version of perl, they use it for database maintenance etc. The perl shipped with Oracle should be left well alone. Installing your own perl elsewhere on the system, and building your own DBD::Oracle ensures plain sailing, well, as far as you can get with anything Oracle related.	[reply]
Re^2: Core dump by karlgoethebier (Abbot) on Jun 24, 2021 at 20:21 UTC
«I didn't know that Oracle comes with a bundled Perl and I'm not sure why...» Probably because this crap is a Perl app. Once upon a time I opened a ticket at Oracle Support because this beast forked itself to death and killed the machine where it was running. After 1/2 year or so I gave it up because they couldn’t solve the issue and turned EM off for ever. The other ugly details/reasons I suppressed. «The Crux of the Biscuit is the Apostrophe»	[reply]
Re^3: Core dump by LanX (Saint) on Jun 24, 2021 at 21:06 UTC
But is there any reason for a DBA to use the bundled Perl directly? The longer I think about the OPs question, the more bizarre it becomes... Cheers Rolf _{(addicted to the Perl Programming Language :) Wikisyntax for the Monastery}	[reply]
Re^4: Core dump by karlgoethebier (Abbot) on Jun 25, 2021 at 07:03 UTC
Re: Core dump by ikegami (Patriarch) on Jun 24, 2021 at 20:44 UTC
If you have the core dump, it should easily be able to tell which program produced it! Seeking work! You can reach me at ikegami@adaelis.com	[reply]
Re: Core dump by Ea (Chaplain) on Jun 28, 2021 at 21:50 UTC
Have a look at your environment variables such as PERL5LIB. I got into a mess with modules using XS compiled with different versions of perl that were solved when I unset the library paths. It's still a little magical to me. A decent solution is to try out perlbrew which let's you switch between versions of perl on the same box and sandboxes the installed modules. Ea Sometimes I can think of 6 impossible LDAP attributes before breakfast. Mojoconf was great!	[reply]


go ahead... be a heretic
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Core dump

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Ea