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Informix Error -1801

-1801 Multiple-server transaction not supported.

You are attempting to span multiple connections within a single transaction. You can switch to a different connection while a transaction is active if you use the WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION clause when you establish the connection.

This error message can occur when you try to switch connections as follows:

* If the current connection is to a Version 6.0 or later database server, you did not specify the WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION clause when you established the connection, and there is an active transaction in the current connection.

* If the current connection is to a Version 5.0 database server, you did not specify the WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION clause when you established the connection, and a database is currently open on this connection.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-1801 fires when a transaction attempts to span multiple connections without the transaction mode supporting it — per the official guidance, this happens either on a Version 6.0+ server without the WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION clause when an active transaction exists, or on a Version 5.0 server without that clause when a database is open on that connection.

  1. Switching connections mid-transaction without WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION, per the official guidance's Version 6.0+ case.
  2. Switching connections with a database already open, without WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION, per the official guidance's Version 5.0 case.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Use the WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION clause when establishing the connection, per the official guidance, if switching connections during an active transaction is genuinely needed.
Examples
Establishing a connection with concurrent-transaction support
CONNECT TO 'stores7@server_b' AS conn_b WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION;
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check whether the connection was established with WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION, if switching connections mid-transaction is intended.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -1800 — "Invalid transaction state." A related transaction-state error, about disconnecting with an open transaction rather than spanning connections.

Spanning a transaction across connections requires WITH CONCURRENT TRANSACTION at connect time.