Django 4.2 Oracle Connection Pooling Issue

This is a known issue with Django 4.2's handling of Oracle connections. The behavior change you're experiencing is related to how Django 4.2 manages database connections differently from Django 3.2.

Possible Causes

1. Django 4.2 introduced changes to the connection management system that might affect how persistent connections work with Oracle databases.

2. The CONN_MAX_AGE setting might be working differently in Django 4.2, especially with Oracle backends.

Potential Solutions

1. Check Database Router Configuration

Ensure your database routers aren't forcing new connections for each request:

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# In your settings.py
DATABASE_ROUTERS = ['path.to.your.router']

2. Verify Connection Settings

Double-check your database settings to ensure they're properly configured:

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DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.oracle',
        'NAME': 'your_db_name',
        'USER': 'your_username',
        'PASSWORD': 'your_password',
        'HOST': 'your_host',
        'PORT': 'your_port',
        'CONN_MAX_AGE': 20,  # Seconds
        'OPTIONS': {
            # Any Oracle-specific options
        }
    }
}

3. Implement Custom Connection Handler

You might need to implement a custom database backend or connection handler to restore the previous behavior:

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# Create a custom database backend based on Django's Oracle backend
# myapp/db/backends/oracle/base.py
from django.db.backends.oracle.base import DatabaseWrapper as OracleDatabaseWrapper

class DatabaseWrapper(OracleDatabaseWrapper):
    def get_new_connection(self, conn_params):
        # Custom connection logic here
        return super().get_new_connection(conn_params)

Then update your settings to use this custom backend:

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DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'myapp.db.backends.oracle',
        # Other settings remain the same
    }
}

4. Check for Middleware Issues

Some middleware might be affecting connection management. Review your middleware settings to ensure they're not interfering with database connections.

I recommend reviewing the Django 4.2 release notes and checking if there are any specific changes to the Oracle backend that might explain this behavior change.