PH15281: PH8346 PostgreSQL Large Object API blocked

19.0.0.8: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 19.0.0.8
19.0.0.9: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 19.0.0.9
19.0.0.10: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 19.0.0.10
19.0.0.11: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 19.0.0.11
19.0.0.12: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 19.0.0.12
20.0.0.1: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 20.0.0.1
20.0.0.2: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 20.0.0.2
20.0.0.3: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 20.0.0.3
20.0.0.4: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 20.0.0.4
20.0.0.5: WebSphere Application Server Liberty 20.0.0.5

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• Sorry, recreated from 266031 due to some catch-22 in trying
  to change from F to D type vs. RTC flow and agents.
  
  Link to OL issue:
  https://github.com/OpenLiberty/open-liberty/issues/8346
  
  Summary:
  When Liberty supports new JDBC drivers, or newer versions of
  existing JDBC drivers, we always investigate the
  vendor-specific API of the JDBC driver to ensure that we are
  blocking any operations that allow direct access to the
  underling JDBC objects, because it allows the application to
  mutate the state of the JDBC objects beyond the knowledge of
  Liberty's JDBC integration layer and can lead to data
  integrity issues.
  During my investigation of the PostgreSQL JDBC driver I
  identified the above 3 operations which may cause data
  integrity issues and blocked them. The difference here is
  that typically we do this investigation before many user
  applications have time to adopt the JDBC driver, but in this
  case PostgreSQL is used by many applications and we were
  just now getting around to doing a proper
  investigation/support procedure for it.
  I misunderstood this process a bit, and thought my team had
  blanket approval to block JDBC operations that we deemed to
  be a data integrity risk, since this is a procedure my team
  does on a fairly regular basis. However, this is not the
  case and I should have raised these JDBC operations to the
  POC via my architect (Fred Rowe) before I blocked them.
  

Local fix

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED:  Users of IBM WebSphere Application Server   *
  *                  Liberty that use a PostgreSQL database      *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: Liberty Blocks all Large Object API     *
  *                      functions for Postgres                  *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
  ****************************************************************
  The Postgres JDBC Driver allows for accessing the LargeObjectAPI
  calls to deal with storing large files with the oid type in
  Postgres.
  
  As of Websphere Liberty 19.0.0.7 these apis have been blocked
  for use by Websphere.
  
  Attempting to use them results in errors such as:
  
  java.sql.SQLFeatureNotSupportedException: DSRA9130E: Operation
  is not permitted by the application server: getLargeObjectAPI
      at
  com.ibm.ws.rsadapter.jdbc.WSJdbcWrapper.invoke(WSJdbcWrapper.jav
  a:224)
      at
  com.ibm.ws.rsadapter.jdbc.WSJdbcConnection.invoke(WSJdbcConnecti
  on.java:4124)
  
  In Liberty 19.0.0.5 the following PostgreSQL methods were
  blocked because they may result in connection integrity issues
  when interoperating with the Liberty connection pool:
    - org.postgresql.PGConnection.getLargeObjectAPI()
    - org.postgresql.PGConnection.getFastPathAPI()
    - org.postgresql.PGConnection.setAutoSave(AutoSave)
  

Problem conclusion

• Several PostgreSQL-specific APIs were blocked in 19.0.0.5
  because they may result in connection integrity issues when
  interoperating with the Liberty connection pool.
  
  In Liberty 19.0.0.8 code was added to Liberty to properly
  interoperate with the blocked APIs, and then the API blockage
  was lifted.
  
  The fix for this APAR is currently targeted for inclusion in fix
  pack 19.0.0.8.  Please refer to the Recommended Updates page for
  delivery information:
  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg27004980
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

• Fixed component name

  WAS LIBERTY COR

• Fixed component ID

  5725L2900

Applicable component levels

• RCD0 PSY

     UP