[egenix-users] Help! - mxODBCZopeDA 1.0.9 breaks my Zope 2.8.1

[Daniel W. Adair]

Hi there!

After migrating from Zope 2.7.0 to 2.8.1, my mxODBCZopeDA connections 
don't work anymore!

System before migration:
- Debian Sarge
- Python 2.3.3
- Zope 2.7.0
- iODBC
- mxODBC, mxODBCZopeDA 1.0.8 (licensed)
(btw, the connection is to an Informix database)

Migration:
- Zope 2.8.1 needs Python >=2.3.5 so installed Python 2.3.5 with apt-get
- Built Zope 2.8.1 from source using Python 2.3.5
- copied directory "mx" over to new Python and "mxODBCZopeDA" over to 
new Zope
- Debian Sarge ships the UCS4-build of Python 2.3.5 (copying of "mx" in 
the previous step showed an error message), so I installed 
mxODBC(ZopeDA) 1.0.9, as it says on the website.
- Everything else unchanged.
- Started Zope, reindexed catalog instances (see Zope 2.8.1/CHANGES), 
everything seemed to be fine. No errors in event.log.

Issues:
Let me mention that everything else works fine, it's just the mxODBC 
connections that are broken.
After experiencing below problems, I deleted all mxODBC database 
connection objects and restarted Zope.
It has no problems at all without these objects! But as soon as I add one...

I can reproduce the following, as often as I like, from scratch:
- Go to ZMI, add "eGenix mxODBC Database Connection" object to a folder:
 Set id "Test", set title, set (proper) connection string, tick "open", 
leave rest as default, click "Create Connection"
- Object is created without problems. Connection is open, "Test" tab 
works fine.
- Restart Zope (!)
- Go back to ZMI folder where connection object was added
- First indication: The title of the connection object now reads "eGenix 
mxODBC Database Connection" instead of the given title.
- Click on the connection object in the ZMI brings:
------------------------------
Traceback (innermost last):
 Module ZPublisher.Publish, line 113, in publish
 Module ZPublisher.mapply, line 88, in mapply
 Module ZPublisher.Publish, line 40, in call_object
 Module Shared.DC.Scripts.Bindings, line 311, in __call__
 Module Shared.DC.Scripts.Bindings, line 348, in _bindAndExec
 Module App.special_dtml, line 175, in _exec
 Module DocumentTemplate.DT_Util, line 196, in eval
  - __traceback_info__: options
 Module <string>, line 0, in ?
AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'get'
------------------------------
- I manually entered "manage_UndoForm" and can confirm that the above 
error comes on both "Status" and "Properties" tab. Seems like "options" 
isn't set.
- When I create a script which takes the connection object and prints 
its "title_or_id()", I get "eGenix mxODBC Database Connection (<font 
color=red> not connected</font>)". If I make it print 
str(connection.options), I get "None" --- just like the management 
screens seem to think.
- The connection is not open, ZSQL Methods don't find it, and if I now 
add a _new_ connection object to the same folder, it has the same 
problem straight away!
- If I add a new _folder_ and then a new connection inside that folder, 
I can access it. After a Zope restart, those connections are broken, too.
- Please don't forget: All other objects are fine. If I delete the 
connections and restart Zope, everything (else) is fine.
- The first time I started Zope after the upgrade I got
------------------------------
2005-08-16T13:33:02 ERROR ZODB.Connection Couldn't load state for None
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "/opt/Zope-2.8.1/lib/python/ZODB/Connection.py", line 704, in setstate
   self._setstate(obj)
 File "/opt/Zope-2.8.1/lib/python/ZODB/Connection.py", line 742, in 
_setstate
   p, serial = self._storage.load(obj._p_oid, self._version)
 File "/opt/Zope-2.8.1/lib/python/ZODB/FileStorage/FileStorage.py", line 
548, in load
   pos = self._lookup_pos(oid)
 File "/opt/Zope-2.8.1/lib/python/ZODB/FileStorage/FileStorage.py", line 
516, in _lookup_pos
   raise TypeError("invalid oid %r" % (oid,))
TypeError: invalid oid None
------------------------------
when trying to access the (BTree)folder which contained the connection 
object. This problem is gone since I deleted the connection objects.


Altogether I have two connection objects in two different locations 
using the same connection string.
Zope restarts are needed sometimes.
For some reason still unknown to me, Zope starts hanging and I have to 
manually kill it (Note: this doesn't happen and is not necessary when 
the mxODBC connection objects are gone).
But restarting breaks my objects, so I'm back to being screwed.

Has anyone have similar experiences?
Where can I look for a solution?

It seems to me like something that needs to be persistently stored in 
the ZODB isn't...
Was mxODBCZopeDA thoroughly tested with Zope 2.8.1 and the new ZODB version?

This is for a client, and they need to use the database connection every 
day (including today :-().
Please help.

Cheers,

-- 
Danny W. Adair
Software Developer
Asterisk Ltd
New Zealand

Talk:       +64 9 302 1777
Fax:        +64 9 302 1772
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