Thread: crash: SET DateStyle TO DEFAULT

In the current CVS:

test=# SET DateStyle TO DEFAULT;
pqReadData() -- backend closed the channel unexpectedly.       This probably means the backend terminated abnormally
  before or while processing the request.
 
The connection to the server was lost. Attempting reset: Failed.
!#

in log:

[..cut..]
DEBUG:  ProcessUtility: SET DateStyle TO DEFAULT;
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: reaping dead processes...
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: CleanupProc: pid 30063 exited with
status 1
Server process (pid 30063) exited with status 11 at Fri Sep 22 14:35:17 2000
Terminating any active server processes...
                    Karel

PS. Sorry of this brief info, but I haven't time for detail    exploration now :-(

Karel Zak <zakkr@zf.jcu.cz> writes:
>  In the current CVS:
> test=# SET DateStyle TO DEFAULT;
> pqReadData() -- backend closed the channel unexpectedly.

Confirmed here.  It looks like SetPGVariable() has failed to account
for the possibility that its "value" argument will be NULL.

This bug has evidently been in there for a while, which indicates
that we don't have any regression tests that exercise SET var TO
DEFAULT.  Probably time to add one --- I see from the CVS log that
I was burnt on this same point back in February, and now Peter has
re-introduced the problem.
        regards, tom lane