Obsolete bundled PostgreSql JDBC driver

[Jiri Pik]

According to https://confluence.atlassian.com/conf64/database-jdbc-drivers-936511496.html, the bundled driver is 9.4 while https://jdbc.postgresql.org/download.html recommends not using any other driver than 42.xxx.

1. What's the reason for this?

2. If I replace the JDBC driver myself, what version of JDBC should I use? JDBC 4.1?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It was the right version to use at the time 6.4 was built.

If you want the software to work, and be supported by Atlassian, you need to use the versions of the database, hardware and drivers that they state they support. 

If you replace the JDBC driver, erm, well, don't.  There is no good reason to do so, and the only significant effects are that you start having problems with the software for which you are not supported.

Short story - stop wasting your time looking at drivers.  Use the supported ones.

[Jiri Pik]

The reason I am looking into this is that once in a while, Confluence or JIRA have connection to database problems which look bogus - the database is up and running and there is no network problem, Reboot of the server usually solves them. 

So a hypothesis is that the drivers may be the cause ....

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Looking at the driver is a good idea, it makes sense.  But the Jira you have was written to support the specific version that is distributed with it. 

Changing the version might fix some things (unlikely, but possible), but that would only fix appserver-to-database issues.  It won't affect Jira-to-appserver issues, and could easily add loads more, as the application is expecting the existing driver.

To debug the problems you are having, you're going to need to look at the logs and the behaviour of the server and its services, not just pick out the database connector without evidence.

[Jiri Pik]

Thanks, Nic. You're absolutely right.

I thought Atlassian would read this forum and maybe update the drivers???

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

They do.   There are newer drivers in later versions of the software.

They do not back-port drivers (or other things) into older versions of the software, as that would require large amounts of testing and possibly development.  If you want to use newer drivers, upgrade.