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Informix Error -1254: Unable to connect to remote host.

Cause and resolution

Unable to connect to remote host.

The program is attempting to open a database that a database server in another system manages, but it could not open a network connection to the other system. Check the site name that the DATABASE or CREATE DATABASE statement specifies. If it is as you intended, look for other error messages from the networking component or the operating system. Contact the operator of the other system to verify that it is active and accepting network connections.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-1254 fires when a DATABASE/CREATE DATABASE statement targets a database managed by a database server on another system, but the network connection to that system couldn't be opened — per the official guidance, this can be a site-name problem, a networking-component issue, or the remote system itself not being reachable.

  1. The site name in the DATABASE/CREATE DATABASE statement being wrong or outdated, per the official guidance — the first, named check.
  2. A networking-component or OS-level problem preventing the connection, per the official guidance's pointer to other accompanying error messages.
  3. The remote system not active or not accepting network connections, per the official guidance — a problem on the remote side entirely.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check the site name specified in the DATABASE/CREATE DATABASE statement, per the official guidance, confirming it's correct.
  2. Look for other error messages from the networking component or the operating system, per the official guidance, for more specific detail.
  3. Contact the operator of the other system, per the official guidance, to verify it's active and accepting network connections.
Examples
Checking the site name
DATABASE stores7@wrong_server_name;
-- -1254: wrong_server_name isn't reachable, or doesn't correctly identify the remote system
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Verify the site name against sqlhosts and the network configuration.
  2. Check for accompanying networking/OS error messages.
  3. Confirm with the remote system's operator that it's up and accepting connections.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -1250 — "Unable to create pipes." A related connection-initialization error, about a local OS-facility failure rather than a remote network connection.

Couldn't connect to the remote system — verify the site name, check for networking/OS errors, and confirm the remote system is up.