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Informix Error -4542

Cause and resolution

Attempt to upgrade the design database failed.

The Application Builder attempted to upgrade an older style database from IBM Informix 4GL to a new style that uses NewEra failed. This process involves creating a series of new tables and modifying and moving the data.

The error might occur because of lack of permissions. The owner of the database should perform the upgrade.

The error could be due to a full disk. The upgrade does not erase old information until it has been written and verified, and then only if requested. The amount of free space that an upgrade requires is approximately equal to the amount that the older database uses.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4542 fires when the Application Builder's attempt to upgrade an older-style database (from IBM Informix 4GL to a new style using NewEra) fails — per the official guidance, this process creates a series of new tables and modifies/moves data, and can fail for a couple of named reasons.

  1. Lack of permissions — per the official guidance, the owner of the database should perform the upgrade.
  2. A full disk — per the official guidance, the upgrade needs approximately as much free space as the older database already uses, since it doesn't erase old information until the new data is written and verified (and only then if requested).
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Have the database owner perform the upgrade, per the official guidance, if permissions are the suspected cause.
  2. Free enough disk space to hold a second copy of the database's data, per the official guidance — roughly equal to the existing database's size — if a full disk is the suspected cause.
Examples
Checking free space before an upgrade
$ df -h /path/to/dbspace
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Confirm the upgrade is being run by the database owner.
  2. Confirm there's enough free disk space, roughly equal to the size of the database being upgraded.
Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -4542 in this set yet.

The design-database upgrade (4GL to NewEra style) failed — check that the database owner is running it, and that there's enough free disk space.