ClangAstDumper linked against too recent GLIBC/GLIBCXX, causing compatibility issues on older Linux systems

[lm-sousa]

Problem

The ClangAstDumper component is currently being linked against versions of GLIBC and GLIBCXX that are too recent for some older, but still supported, Linux distributions. This results in the binary failing to run on these systems due to missing symbol versions.

Note: These GLIBC/GLIBCXX compatibility problems originate from the version of libstdc++ used or included in the distribution that is being used to compile the tool. The choice of build environment directly affects which versions are required at runtime on target systems.

Impact

• Users on older Linux systems encounter runtime errors when attempting to use ClangAstDumper.
• This affects compatibility and limits the usability of the tool in supported environments.

Suggested Solution

• Investigate and adjust the build process for ClangAstDumper to ensure linking against older, more widely supported versions of GLIBC and GLIBCXX.
• Consider using build containers or environment variables to target compatibility with older distributions.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Build ClangAstDumper on a modern Linux system.
2. Attempt to run the resulting binary on an older, supported Linux LTS distribution (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04).
3. Observe runtime errors related to GLIBC/GLIBCXX version incompatibility.

Additional Notes

• Please provide feedback if there are recommended best practices for maintaining backward compatibility in C++ toolchains.
• Reference: GNU C Library Backward Compatibility