Attempting to insert a value of 'now' into a datetime type

results in a bogus datetime value under AlphaLinux.  (Note that
the link to submit a port-specific bug on your website is broken)

-Test Case:
----------
testdb=> create table dttest (dt datetime);
testdb=> insert into dttest values ('now');

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Solution:
---------
The basic problem is the typedefs of AbsoluteTime and RelativeTime,
which are both 'int32'.  These types appear to be used synonymously
with the 'time_t' type, which on AlphaLinux is typedef'd as a 'long
int', which is 64-bits (not 32).  The solution included here fixes
the datetime type (it now passes the regression test), but does not
pass the absolute and relative time regression tests.  Presumably, a
more thorough investigation of how these types are used is warranted.
The included patch is from the v6.3.2 source, but can be applied to
the v6.4.2 source.  Please note that there is also a RedHat-specific
patch distributed with the PostgreSQL source package from RedHat
that was applied first.

Rich Edwards

Author: bmomjian

src/backend/utils/adt/date.c

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/utils/adt/date.c,v 1.30 1999/02/21 03:49:27 scrappy Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/utils/adt/date.c,v 1.31 1999/03/14 16:44:01 momjian Exp $
  *
  * NOTES
  *	 This code is actually (almost) unused.
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ static int	sec_tab[] = {
  * Function prototypes -- internal to this file only
  */
 
-static void reltime2tm(int32 time, struct tm * tm);
+static void reltime2tm(RelativeTime time, struct tm * tm);
 
 #ifdef NOT_USED
 static int	correct_unit(char *unit, int *unptr);
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ reltimein(char *str)
  *		reltimeout		- converts the internal format to a reltime string
  */
 char *
-reltimeout(int32 time)
+reltimeout(RelativeTime time)
 {
 	char	   *result;
 	struct tm	tt,
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ do { \
 } while(0)
 
 static void
-reltime2tm(int32 time, struct tm * tm)
+reltime2tm(RelativeTime time, struct tm * tm)
 {
 	TMODULO(time, tm->tm_year, 31536000);
 	TMODULO(time, tm->tm_mon, 2592000);

src/include/utils/builtins.h

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
  *
- * $Id: builtins.h,v 1.75 1999/03/14 05:09:05 momjian Exp $
+ * $Id: builtins.h,v 1.76 1999/03/14 16:44:01 momjian Exp $
  *
  * NOTES
  *	  This should normally only be included by fmgr.h.
@@ -195,8 +195,8 @@ extern int32 pqtest(struct varlena * vlena);
 /* arrayfuncs.c */
 
 /* date.c */
-extern int32 reltimein(char *timestring);
-extern char *reltimeout(int32 timevalue);
+extern RelativeTime reltimein(char *timestring);
+extern char *reltimeout(RelativeTime timevalue);
 extern TimeInterval tintervalin(char *intervalstr);
 extern char *tintervalout(TimeInterval interval);
 extern RelativeTime timespan_reltime(TimeSpan *timespan);

src/include/utils/nabstime.h

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
  *
- * $Id: nabstime.h,v 1.18 1999/02/13 23:22:25 momjian Exp $
+ * $Id: nabstime.h,v 1.19 1999/03/14 16:44:02 momjian Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -23,8 +23,13 @@
  *
  * ----------------------------------------------------------------
  */
-typedef int32 AbsoluteTime;
-typedef int32 RelativeTime;
+/* The original typedefs are bogus - they assume that the system's 'time_t'
+ * type is of size 32-bits.  Under AlphaLinux, time_t is a long int, which
+ * is 64-bits.  Therefore, typedef these both as simply 'time_t', and let
+ * the OS define what the size really is. -- RME 3/5/99
+ */
+typedef time_t AbsoluteTime;
+typedef time_t RelativeTime;
 
 typedef struct
 {