Sybase Issue: Segmentation Fault during SUSE OS Upgrade

[nabeel_patel]

Dear Connections,

I wanted to share an issue encountered during an operating system upgrade that may be of interest to fellow community members. Your insights and expertise on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

• Problem Description:

When attempting to upgrade the operating system from SUSE SLES 12 SP4 to SUSE SLES 15 SP4, the Sybase database fails to start. The Sybase server encounters a segmentation fault (core dump) during startup.

• Error Details:

 1.Log Files Checked:

• Sybase Error Log: /sybase/<SID>/ASE-16_0/install/<SID>_BS.log
• System Log: /var/log/messages

2.Relevant Log Error:

• (2023-10-31T15:18:23.560058+05:30 emfiori kernel: [  181.668948][ T9070] dataserver[9070]: segfault at 78 ip 00007f2d120aa61f sp 00007ffef6d1d2f0 error 4 in libstdc++.so.6.0.32[7f2d11fbb000+233000])

3.Analysis:

• The segmentation fault points to an issue with the libstdc++ library version (libstdc++.so.6.0.32).

• Solution:

 1.SAP Note Reference:

• SAP Note 3394455 (ASE segfault core dump after patching the gcc-runtime package libstdc++6 on SLES - SAP ASE) dated 25.01.2024 provides a resolution for Sybase version ASE 16 SP4 PL05.

2.Discrepancy:

• The current Sybase version is ASE 16.0 SP03 PL09, which is not covered by the mentioned SAP Note.

3.Root Cause:

• The issue lies in the incompatibility between Sybase ASE 16.0 SP03 PL09 and the libstdc++.so.6.0.32 library present in SUSE SLES 15 SP04.

4.Compatibility Information:

• Sybase ASE 16.0 SP03 PL09 is compatible with libstdc++.so.6.0.30 or lower.
• SUSE SLES 15 SP04 includes libstdc++.so.6.0.32, causing the segmentation fault.

5.Recommendation:

• To upgrade the OS without upgrading Sybase DB, consider upgrading to SUSE SLES 15 SP05 or SUSE SLES 15 SP03, both of which are compatible with Sybase ASE 16.0 SP03 PL09.

6.Note:

• SUSE SLES 15 SP3 reached its FCS date on 22 Jun 2021, and general support ends on 31 Dec 2022.

• Additional Investigation:
• SAP Note on Supported OS and Versions:

SAP Note 2489781 (SAP ASE 16.0 SP03 Supported Operating Systems and Versions) outlines compatible SUSE SLES versions without specifying the SP level.

• Identified Library Versions:
• SUSE SLES 15 SP5 - libstdc++.so.6 30

• SUSE SLES 15 SP4 - libstdc++.so.6 32

• SUSE SLES 15 SP3 - libstdc++.so.6 30

• SUSE SLES 15 SP2 - libstdc++.so.6 29

• Conclusion:

Ensure compatibility between Sybase ASE versions and the libstdc++ library versions present in the targeted SUSE SLES OS during the upgrade process. Upgrading to a compatible SUSE SLES version or applying relevant patches may resolve the segmentation fault issue. Always refer to the latest SAP Notes and documentation for accurate and up-to-date information.

Hope this was helpful! Let me know if you wonder anything.

Warm Regards,

Nabeel Patel