netcdf: segmentation fault when creating a file in a non-existing directory

[rouault]

This is a regression due to the update to 4.9.0 done in #11879. Previous 4.8.1-4 package errors out cleanly. Issue found on the GDAL autotest continuous integration (cf OSGeo/gdal#5970)

$ nccopy --version
[...]
netCDF library version 4.9.0 of Jun 21 2022 18:22:22 $
$ nccopy byte_no_cf.nc "\non_existing_path\out.nc"
Error:NCpathcvt: stat=-36 (NetCDF: Invalid argument)
Segmentation fault

where byte_no_cf.nc is in the attached zip (but true for any netCDF file).
byte_no_cf.nc.zip

vs

$ nccopy --version
[...]
netCDF library version 4.8.1 of Apr  2 2022 18:28:59 $
$ nccopy byte_no_cf.nc "\non_existing_path\out.nc"
No such file or directory
Location: file ; line 2016

[Biswa96]

@mjwoods Would you like to provide any information about this issue?

[mmuetzel]

Is hopefully fixed with PR #11920.
@rouault: Could you please check with the build artifacts from that PR (when they are ready) whether that resolves the error for you?
Should be available here (if building is successful):
https://github.com/msys2/MINGW-packages/actions/runs/2550818176

[rouault]

Could you please check with the build artifacts from that PR (when they are ready) whether that resolves the error for you?

Thanks for prompt action. I confirm that mingw-w64-x86_64-netcdf-4.9.0-2-any.pkg.tar.zst fixes the issue. I assume you're going to forward upstream the patch ?

Another "issue" I found is that upstream netCDF changed again their mind about filename encoding. In netCDF 4.8, filenames were expected to be in UTF-8 (previously was in current ANSI code page). And now with 4.9 they switched back to expected them to be in the current ANSI code page (a side effect or intended consequence of Unidata/netcdf-c#2277 I cannot really say). Sigh... But I'll take it as a "feature" which I've adopted my software to, and I hope they won't change again their mind in 4.10...

[mmuetzel]

Tried to upstream the change. But they seem to have elaborate requirements for contributions. If you already went through that process, feel free to submit a PR to them.

[rouault]

Tried to upstream the change. But they seem to have elaborate requirements for contributions. If you already went through that process, feel free to submit a PR to them.

I've already submited PRs, but don't recall the CLA thing was in place (or maybe I just don't remember). Looking quickly, it seems it is just a matter of clicking on a few buttons to accept the CLA. I could do it if that's not practical for you

[mmuetzel]

Yes, please do. Those pages don't want to load correctly for me. (And I don't understand why they want to collect my address, phone number, ...)

[rouault]

Yes, please do.

hum, I guess I need you to transfer copyright of your contribution to me so I have the legal right to contribute it under the CLA. Just a comment here will do for me :-)

[mmuetzel]

I thought I already gave the permission with the comments here. But to be completely explicit with no room of doubt:
I don't claim any ownership on that one-liner modifying the code of netcdf.