Hello Linux folks,

I've run into a serious problem with the C runtime libraries on my linux Redhat Enterprise Server 3 box; I have experience with UNIX but am fairly new to Linux, and have some basic questions I need help with to fully understand what's happenning.

I downgraded to version 2.2.3-5 of glibc. (The reason being, I was following a recipe for installing Oracle 8 on Linux). Unfortunately, while doing this, I got a 'script error' message from rpm, and immediately after the OS was pretty hosed; doing an 'ls' command resulted in Floating Point Exception. I don't remember the exact format of the rpm error message, but is that scenario familiar to anyone here ? Also, I cannot recall if I used the --oldpackage flag when installing glibc-2.2.3-5; does anyone know if not doing so would have serious repurcussions ?

The kernel cannot load at boot time either; when I reboot I get a load of messages that look like this:

/bin/sh: relocation error: /lib/i686/libc.so.6: symbol _dl_catch_error,
version GLIBC_PRIVATE not defined in file ld-linux.so.2 with link time reference

INIT; LD "x" respawning too fast: disabled for 5 minutes

I've used the repair disk to look at /lib, and I think it may be possible to fix the problem there, but I don't know enough about the C runtime on RedHat to know what libraries to create links to. (Anyone know what a 'relocation error' is? My guess is it's something to do with loading libraries into the kernel. Also, what is "link time reference" ? My guess is that symbol is undefined in the ld-linux.so.2 lirary. Unfortunately, I don't have access to nm in repair mode.)

I'm thinking my best course of action now is to reinstall Linux and leave the parititions unchanged, but, does anyone know if and how I could fix this problem with a repair disk, and poking around /lib ?

Also, does rpm leave a log file anywhere ?

Thanks,
Colm.

"I downgraded to version 2.2.3-5 of glibc."

Every C program has to be compiled against the same version of glibc that you are running on your Linux system. If you downgrade glibc then you have to also downgrade to the corresponding gcc and compile every C program on your system against the new (downgraded) version of glibc.

"Also, I cannot recall if I used the --oldpackage flag when installing glibc-2.2.3-5; does anyone know if not doing so would have serious repurcussions ?"

I think that this means that instead of installing glibc-2.2.3-5 in parallel with your previous glibc you installed glibc-2.2.3-5 over top of your previous glibc. Probably Oracle 8 was compiled against glibc-2.2.3-5 and you should have installed glibc-2.2.3-5 in parallel with your version of glibc and then told Oracle 8 to run using glibc-2.2.3-5 instead of the glibc that came with your Red Hat install.

You will have to reinstall Red Hat to get out of this problem, then install glibc-2.2.3-5 in parallel with whatever glibc the Red Hat installer provides.

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Steve Stites

Hello,
How do you install in parallel a second version of the glibc? And how do you use it after?

Thank you for your help.