Actuate iServer 7 connection to ORACLE 9i 64bit 9_2_0_1 on IBM AIX 5_1

Short Description

PROBLEM REPORTED :
Customer is using AIX 5.1 64-bit machine. They tried to connect against Oracle 9i 64-bit client/server. The report failed to run in Actuate environment with the following typical error:

Starting...
Generating rotp:/Reports/Benchmark.roi ...
Connecting...
Status No: 1 :
Basic Error: 1011
Module: db.bas
Line: 180
Database Error
20: Cannot load DLL: libacorcl90_share.a
Status No: 2 :
Could not find library: libacorcl90_share.a

Meanwhile, they're able to connect from Oracle client to Oracle server indepdendently of Actuate.

We have now Oracle 9.2 installed on AIX 5.1, 64bit running in 32bit mode. I installed Report Server 7 and run 'ldd' with libacorcl9_share.so. The test fail with the following error message:
[stress1-ibm:rberkovi]$ ldd /tmp_mnt/home/rberkovi/aix6sp1/AcServer/lib/libacorcl90_share.a
Could not load program /tmp_mnt/home/rberkovi/aix6sp1/AcServer/lib/libacorcl90_share.a:
Symbol resolution failed for /tmp_mnt/home/rberkovi/aix6sp1/AcServer/lib/libacorcl90_share.a because:
Symbol pw_post (number 269) is not exported from dependent
module /unix.
Symbol pw_wait (number 270) is not exported from dependent
module /unix.
Symbol pw_config (number 271) is not exported from dependent
module /unix.
Symbol aix_ora_pw_version3_required (number 272) is not exported from dependent
module /unix.
Examine .loader section symbols with the 'dump -Tv' command.

This is exactly the same error as another customer was getting. Customer contacted IBM in regards to this problem. Here is e-mail from the customer after speaking with IBM:
"I just got off the phone with IBM. Basically, the post-wait kernel is
incorporated into AIX v5.1. It is no longer a separate extension as was
shipped with Oracle 8i. Basically, the installation script (rootpre.sh)
knows not to install the extension on AIX 5.1. It is not compatible with
64-bit mode and there is only a 64-bit mode Oracle shipped for AIX 5L. The
Oracle 8i will install the 32-bit pw-syscall files but the OS needs to be
running in 32-bit mode. What I see in the ldd oracle output for actuate is
that the aix_ora_pw_version3 is not found by the actuate product. This is
oracle 8i specific. There would be no /etc/pw-syscall file because it is
integrated into the kernel. 

Solution:
Since Oracle 9.2 comes only in 64bit version, and with the post-wait integrated into the kernel, rootpre.sh does not get run for this version of Oracle. 9.2 will run with the kernel booted to either 32bit or 64bit (as long as the processor is 64bit).
32bit 8.1.7 does need the extension, and does need to have AIX booted to 32bit mode. Oracle 9.2 64bit does work with the kernel booted to 32bit mode alongside 32bit 8.1.7.

There is no kernel extension to be loaded for 9.2 (with kernel in either 32bit or 64bit mode) because, as it's been said, it has been integrated into the kernel.

For Oracle on AIX 5L, the function and performance benefits of the Oracle post-wait kernel extension are incorporated into the AIX kernel so it does not require the post-wait kernel extension to be loaded. The post-wait kernel extensions need to be loaded on earlier versions by running the rootpre.sh script.
However, the Oracle Universal Installer still prompts the user to establish whether rootpre.sh script have been run and this must be answered positively for the installation to continue. So why does rootpre.sh need to be run when installing Oracle on AIX 5L?
The reason for this is that the rootpre.sh script prepares the environment for the installation - it does not just load the post-wait driver. The Oracle Universal Installer requires the following on AIX systems
1. Async IO has to be configured.
2. Post/Wait Kernel extension should be installed.
3. Kernel Statistics extension should be installed

So even though the Post/Wait Kernel extension is already incorporated into the
AIX 5L Kernel, Oracle still needs the rootpre.sh script to be run

Follow the steps below to install Oracle 9.2 client on AIX 5L:
1. Boot AIX 5L machine to 32bit kernel.
2. Uninstall existing Oracle 9.2 client.
3. Run rootpre.sh script, which located on Oracle 8.1.7 32-bit client CD.
4. Install Oracle 8.1.7 32-bit client (if required).
5. Install 9.2.0.x (must be media for AIX 5L).