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I switched my postgres version from 9.2.24 to 9.6 because I need jsonb compatibility along with other recent features. I am running a vm on centos 7.

I decided to wipe all existing instances of postgres (which are almost empty since it is staging) and then installed 9.6. However, once I enter the postgres shell I received the following error when I type psql:

psql: symbol lookup error: psql: undefined symbol: PQsetErrorContextVisibility

I assume I need to change the path that psql is looking for so that it connects properly but I am not sure where to point it.

Note: ls reveals 2 directories and 1 file in postgres bash 9.6 data and initdb.log.

Brandon
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    try `export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/lib64/` – Vao Tsun Aug 16 '19 at 09:48
  • @VaoTsun, this was the solution for me. The libpq.so shared library was located in /usr/lib64. Adding this path to LD_LIBRARY_PATH and running ldconfig did the trick. – senfo Oct 09 '19 at 17:36
  • Isn't the location /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpq.so.5? (reference https://packages.debian.org/stretch/amd64/libpq5/filelist) – viggy28 May 27 '21 at 22:46
  • Hi @senfo and all could you please help me here https://stackoverflow.com/questions/76272014/error-initdb-failed-postgresql-update-from-13-6-to-15-3 – kumardippu May 17 '23 at 12:17

4 Answers4

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psql: symbol lookup error: psql: undefined symbol: PQsetErrorContextVisibility

That means your copy of psql is looking for a dynamic symbol in libpq.so which the version in your path does not have.

Do you have a custom compiled version of psql? And, if so, you'll have to build it against the newer libpq that 9.6 provides.

Evan Carroll
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Try

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:<your postgres lib directory>

For example

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/lib64/

(turning @vaotsun's comment into an answer)

interestedparty333
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Just faced this because of red hat SCL. I got away with the following.

ln -s /opt/rh/rh-postgresql96/root/usr/lib64/libpq.so.rh-postgresql96-5.9 /opt/rh/rh-postgresql96/root/usr/lib64/libpq.so.5

ln -s /opt/rh/rh-postgresql96/root/usr/lib64/libpq.so.5 /usr/lib/libpq.so.5

In wouldn't advise my worst enemy about using software coming from SCL repository in place of an external repo (see postgresql 96 on centos 7).

Giuseppe Urso
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Agree with @interestedparty333. You can find the exact missing lib and add the folder to LD_LIBRARY_PATH.

Example:

find ~+ -name libpq.so.5

It can give a result like below (~+ gives absolute path as a result of find):

/home/myuser/postgresql-12.9/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq.so.5

So you can add a folder (absolute path) to LD_LIBRARY_PATH like:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/home/myuser/postgresql-12.9/src/interfaces/libpq/

Now psql should work OK. In case you would need additional lib, find&add like above for every missing one.

wwk
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