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Informix Error -421

-421 Unknown service for execution of remote sqlexec.

Your application program is starting up and trying to make contact with a database server in a different computer. It uses information from the file /etc/services under the service entry sql, but this file was not found. Contact the person who installed IBM Informix NET on your system.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-421 is a more specific cause behind the same general remote-connection startup scenario as -420: the client needs an entry for the "sql" service in the system's /etc/services file to know which port to connect to, and that entry is missing.

  1. The /etc/services file is missing the "sql" service entry — the direct, only cause.
  2. An incomplete or improperly configured Informix NET installation, which normally would have added this entry as part of setup.
  3. A service entry present but misspelled or otherwise not matching what the client is looking for.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check /etc/services for a "sql" entry, per the official guidance.
  2. Contact the person who installed Informix NET on the system, per the official guidance, if the entry is missing or incorrect — this is typically a system-administration task rather than something an application developer can fix directly.
  3. Add or correct the "sql" service entry in /etc/services, matching the port Informix NET is actually configured to use, if authorized to make that change directly.
Examples
Checking for the sql service entry
grep -i "^sql" /etc/services
-- confirm an entry exists and matches what Informix NET expects
A typical service entry
sqlexec    1525/tcp
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check /etc/services for a "sql" entry.
  2. Compare the entry's port against what Informix NET is actually configured to listen on.
  3. Confirm the Informix NET installation is complete, if the entry is entirely missing.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -420 — "Cannot execute remote sqlexec." The broader sibling — this error narrows the general remote-connection failure down to a specific missing /etc/services entry.
  • -409 — "Sqlexec was not found or was not executable by the current user." The local counterpart of this same class of startup failure.

Check /etc/services for the missing "sql" entry first — this is a system-level configuration gap, usually best resolved by whoever installed Informix NET.