Question: I'm getting a segmentation fault
when starting the Oracle oratclsh process. What is a segmentation
fault, and how do I fix it? Is there a problem with my segments?
Answer: A segmentation fault (core dump) has
nothing to do with Oracle data segments. Instead, segmentation fault is sometimes
called a data fault, and a segmentation fault is like a S0C4 on a mainframe, an
Oracle program addressing RAM outside the memory fence. In Oracle, a
segmentation fault may be from an "invalid" RAM address, or RAM which has been
freed, and is addressed later. In either case, it may be a bug or an
SGA/PGA configuration issue.
An Oracle segmentation fault will generate a core dump, in
your CDUMP directory (usually $ORACLE_HOME/admin/$ORACLE_SID/cdump).
Because Oracle does not publish the internal DSECT's (Data Sections), mere
mortals cannot read the core dump, and the software owner (Oracle) should be
contacted.
For full details on the segmentation fault, gather the resulting core dump an
open a Service Request (SR) on MOSC.
