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POSTGRESQL BUG REPORT TEMPLATE
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Your name : Peter Stamfest
Your email address : peter(dot)stamfest(at)eunet(dot)at

System Configuration
---------------------
Architecture (example: Intel Pentium) : Intel Pentium 166

Operating System (example: Linux 2.0.26 ELF) : Linux 2.2.12 (RH 6.1)

PostgreSQL version (example: PostgreSQL-6.5.2): PostgreSQL-6.5.2

Compiler used (example: gcc 2.8.0) : precompiled/RH6.1
: -> egcs-2.91.66

Please enter a FULL description of your problem:
------------------------------------------------

Its simple:

# start over (as root)
root> /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql restart
Stopping postgresql service: [ OK ]
Checking postgresql installation: looks good!
Starting postgresql service:
root> su - peter
peter> createdb test
peter> psql test
Welcome to the POSTGRESQL interactive sql monitor:
Please read the file COPYRIGHT for copyright terms of POSTGRESQL
[PostgreSQL 6.5.2 on i686-pc-linux-gnu, compiled by gcc egcs-2.91.66]

type \? for help on slash commands
type \q to quit
type \g or terminate with semicolon to execute query
You are currently connected to the database: test

test=> create table one (a varchar(4096));
CREATE
test=> select a::varchar from one;
varchar
-------
(0 rows)

test=> insert into one (a) values ('peter');
INSERT 24393 1
test=> select a::varchar from one;
pqReadData() -- backend closed the channel unexpectedly.
This probably means the backend terminated abnormally
before or while processing the request.
We have lost the connection to the backend, so further processing is
impossible. Terminating.
peter> ^D
root> /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql status
postmaster (pid 4578) is running...
# reconnecting works, so postmaster does not die...

Please describe a way to repeat the problem. Please try to provide a
concise reproducible example, if at all possible:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

See above

If you know how this problem might be fixed, list the solution below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------

For me the whole typecasting business looks dubious, as things like the
following also do not work as I guess they should:

create view two as select cast(substr(a,2,4) as char(4)) as cust from one;