LD_ASSUME_KERNEL in RHEL5/OEL5

Question

Im running into this error:
/u01/app/oracle/jre/1.1.8/bin/../lib/i686/native_threads/libzip.so: symbol errno, version GLIBC_2.0 not defined in file libc.so.6 with link time reference (libzip.so)
Unable to initialize threads: cannot find class java/lang/Thread
Could not create Java VM
When trying to start 11.5.10 after upgrading to OEL5.
The problem is well known and the solution has always been to set LD_ASSUME_KERNEL to an appropriate value. Metalink 377217.1 suggests it be set to 2.4.19 for versions up to OEL4 but not set for OEL5. And, indeed, if you do set it in OEL5, nothing works - basic commands such as ls and cat fail with missing library errors.
So what is the recommended way of dealing with the error in OEL5? As 377217.1 points out you can no longer set LD_ASSUME_KERNEL, but it doesn't offer an alternative solution to the problem which hasn't gone away in OEL5
Thanks for any thoughts anyone can offer.

Answer 1

Make sure LD_ASSUME_KERNEL does not get set in your environment or fix it during installation before it is executed as follows:
1) Setup the environment as you would for running Applications on RH 4 or SLES9
I.E. follow Oracle Applications Installation Update Notes, Release 11i (11.5.10.2)
http://metalink.oracle.com/metalink/plsql/ml2_documents.showDocument?p_database_id=NOT&p_id=316806.1
2) Remove any LD_ASSUME_KERNEL references in O/S /etc/profile.d files. While in oracle and applmgr .profile, add the following:
3) Comment out LD_ASSUME_KERNEL entries in $ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/bin/adgetlnxver.sh and $AD_TOP/bin/adgetlnxver.sh
if [ ${setflag}x = "x" -a $os = "Suse" ]; then
# LD_ASSUME_KERNEL="2.4.21"
# export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL
os="Suse"
fi
if [ ${setflag}x = "x" -a $os = "RH" ]; then
# LD_ASSUME_KERNEL="2.4.19"
# export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL
os = "RH"
fi
If doing a rapid install, the database startup will fail and rapidwiz will prompt to ignore or retry. At this point, edit $ORACLE_HOME/appsutil/bin/adgetlnxver.sh as shown above and click on retry. It will then run to the autoconfig step at the end and error out. Just hit cancel, edit $AD_TOP/bin/adgetlnxver.sh as shown above.
3) In order to relink cplex library executables (MSC, MSO, MSR, MST, WIP, etc), edit $AD_TOP/bin/adrelinknew.sh and add the following LD option (-Wl,--noinhibit-exec) in the LINUX section:
LINUX)
LDFLAGS='-s -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib/stubs -ldl'
DEBUG_LDFLAGS='-g -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib/stubs -ldl'
exe_line='ELF .*executable'
SHRLIB_LD='gcc'
LD='gcc'
SHRLIB_LDFLAGS='-L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib/stubs -shared'
if test -f "/etc/redhat-release"; then
CPP_LIBS='/usr/lib/libstdc++-2-libc6.1-1-2.9.0.so'
elif test -f "/etc/SuSE-release"; then
CPP_LIBS='/usr/lib/libstdc++.so.2.9'
else
CPP_LIBS=''
fi
CPP='g++'
CPP_LDFLAGS='-s -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib/stubs
set CPP_LDFLAGS='-s -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib/stubs
to CPP_LDFLAGS='-s -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib -L$(ORACLE_HOME)/lib/stubs -Wl,--noinhibit-exec'
After this chance, you can apply any MRP, ASCP patch and all executables will relink correctly. You can also use adadmin to relink all executables and it completes without error.
This should work for 11.5.10/11.5.10.2/R12. There is no way to get the 11.5.9 1.1.8 java to run on kernels greater than 2.6.16.