Testing if remote informix database is available

I am (should be) connected from a SunSolaris to a remote informix database (on a remote server). When I call the database from inside a program it waits (forever) for response. 1.) Is there a way of detecting if this is an error of the server machine or the database engine itself ? 2.) Is it possible to telnet to the remote server system and to access or test if the database is ready and available ? Thank you Herbert Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

herbkauf@gmx.ch wrote: > I am (should be) connected from a SunSolaris to a remote > informix database (on a remote server). > When I call the database from inside a program > it waits (forever) for response. > > 1.) Is there a way of detecting if this is an error of the > server machine or the database engine itself ? It should not actually wait forever, but when the connection won't work, it sure feels like it waits forever. Assuming it does actually terminate, you should get an error indicating that it was unable to contact the remote server. However, it is slow. I don't know of a sensible way of changing the default timeout -- I'm not sure it is even an Informix timeout rather than an o/s controlled timeout. > 2.) Is it possible to telnet to the remote server system and > to access or test if the database is ready and available ? Well, yes, but when do you do it? When it has already taken an aeon to connect? Do you try it unconditionally before trying the connect? Even if you do it, there are problems with specifying the password and the like. Or, if you use rlogin instead of telnet, you have problems setting the environment and running a suitable test (such as onstat -p). -- Jonathan Leffler (jleffler@informix.com, jleffler@earthlink.net) Guardian of DBD::Informix v1.00.PC1 -- see http://www.perl.com/CPAN #include <disclaimer.h>