From @ntyni

On a minimal Ubuntu natty installation with the libgdbm-dev package
installed, 5.14.0-RC2 configured with "./Configure -des -Dusethreads"
gives

Failed 5 tests out of 2030, 99.75% okay.
  ../cpan/Memoize/t/errors.t
  ../dist/threads/t/free2.t
  ../ext/ODBM_File/t/odbm.t
  ../lib/DBM_Filter/t/01error.t
  op/threads.t

The last is [perl #90006], the rest are all due to an ODBM_File linkage
problem​:

../cpan/Memoize/t/errors.t ..... 1/11 ../../t/perl​: symbol lookup error​: ../../lib/auto/ODBM_File/ODBM_File.so​: undefined symbol​: dbminit
../cpan/Memoize/t/errors.t ..... Dubious, test returned 127 (wstat 32512, 0x7f00)
Failed 5/11 subtests
../dist/threads/t/free2.t ...... ok
../ext/ODBM_File/t/odbm.t ...... 1/? ../../t/perl​: symbol lookup error​: ../../lib/auto/ODBM_File/ODBM_File.so​: undefined symbol​: dbminit
../ext/ODBM_File/t/odbm.t ...... Dubious, test returned 127 (wstat 32512, 0x7f00)
All 2 subtests passed
../lib/DBM_Filter/t/01error.t .. 1/21 ./perl​: symbol lookup error​: ../lib/auto/ODBM_File/ODBM_File.so​: undefined symbol​: dbminit
../lib/DBM_Filter/t/01error.t .. Dubious, test returned 127 (wstat 32512, 0x7f00)

The problem is that -lgdbm_compat is needed for dbminit, but
ext/ODBM_File/hints/linux.pl checks hardcoded library paths for the
existence of libgdbm_compat.so​:

  # uses GDBM dbm compatibility feature - at least on SuSE 8.0
  $self->{LIBS} = ['-lgdbm'];
 
  # Debian/Ubuntu have /usr/lib/libgdbm_compat.so.3* but not this file,
  # so linking may fail
  if (-e '/usr/lib/libgdbm_compat.so' or -e '/usr/lib64/libgdbm_compat.so') {
  $self->{LIBS}->[0] .= ' -lgdbm_compat';
  }

The check fails and gdbm_compat is left out because Ubuntu has switched to
a 'multiarch' library setup, see <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MultiarchSpec>
for details.

The file has migrated to /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgdbm_compat.so,
with the third component depending on the architecture.

I see the comment about Debian/Ubuntu traces back to
http​://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl5.porters/2007/11/msg130520.html
which was a weird issue where a Debian system had libgdbm.so but not
libgdbm_compat.so.

I checked the Debian 3.0 and 3.1 libgdbm-dev packages from that time,
but couldn't find any trace of the issue. I expect (but haven't verified)
that just about everybody needs libgdbm_compat.so nowadays.

Quoting Andy Dougherty in the 2007 thread​:

Ideally, for each *dbm* that Configure thinks it has found, Configure
should try to compile, link, and run a small program that actually uses
that database. Currently, we're just playing catch-up as different
vendors find different (sensible, but incompatible) ways of repackaging
everything.

No, don't worry, I'm not proposing *doing* anything right now! Your '-e'
hack should cover it for a while.

"For a while" seems to have been 3,5 years in this case...

For now, Ubuntu is disabling the check in their 5.12 packages and
linking unconditionally against gdbm_compat.
--
Niko Tyni ntyni@​debian.org

From @vovkasm

I would recommend using the attached file ext/ODBM_File/hints/linux.pl

With it, all test passes on my Ubuntu natty.

~/perl5/perlbrew/build/perl-5.14.0-RC2$ ldd lib/auto/ODBM_File/ODBM_File.so
  linux-vdso.so.1 => (0x00007fff9abff000)
  libgdbm.so.3 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgdbm.so.3 (0x00007fc2a7854000)
  libgdbm_compat.so.3 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgdbm_compat.so.3 (0x00007fc2a7651000)
  libc.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 (0x00007fc2a7290000)
  /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007fc2a7c61000)

From @vovkasm

linux.pl

From [Unknown Contact. See original ticket]

I would recommend using the attached file ext/ODBM_File/hints/linux.pl

With it, all test passes on my Ubuntu natty.

~/perl5/perlbrew/build/perl-5.14.0-RC2$ ldd lib/auto/ODBM_File/ODBM_File.so
  linux-vdso.so.1 => (0x00007fff9abff000)
  libgdbm.so.3 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgdbm.so.3 (0x00007fc2a7854000)
  libgdbm_compat.so.3 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgdbm_compat.so.3 (0x00007fc2a7651000)
  libc.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 (0x00007fc2a7290000)
  /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007fc2a7c61000)

From @obra

Thanks. Tested that this works locally on natty with libgdbm-dev
installed. I've pushed this to jesse/5.14.1-gdbm_multiarch_compat for
application to blead after 5.14.0 goes out.

On Mon 9.May'11 at 3​:47​:58 -0700, Vladimir Timofeev via RT wrote​:

I would recommend using the attached file ext/ODBM_File/hints/linux.pl

With it, all test passes on my Ubuntu natty.

~/perl5/perlbrew/build/perl-5.14.0-RC2$ ldd lib/auto/ODBM_File/ODBM_File.so
linux-vdso.so.1 => (0x00007fff9abff000)
libgdbm.so.3 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgdbm.so.3 (0x00007fc2a7854000)
libgdbm_compat.so.3 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgdbm_compat.so.3 (0x00007fc2a7651000)
libc.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 (0x00007fc2a7290000)
/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007fc2a7c61000)

From @cpansprout

On Tue May 10 06​:27​:06 2011, jesse wrote​:

Thanks. Tested that this works locally on natty with libgdbm-dev
installed. I've pushed this to jesse/5.14.1-gdbm_multiarch_compat for
application to blead after 5.14.0 goes out.

It hath now been applied as 3c998e0.

@cpansprout - Status changed from 'new' to 'resolved'