Informix Error -21400: brand: Invalid serial number and/or key.

Reasons / Common Causes

-21400 fires when the serial number and/or key entered during installation ("branding") don't validate — per the official guidance.

1. A serial number or key that doesn't correspond to the one on the keycard, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Check that the serial number and key match the keycard, per the official guidance.
2. Restart installation, per the official guidance.
3. If the problem persists, contact IBM Informix Technical Support for verification of the serial number and key, per the official guidance.

Examples

N/A

No specific triggering statement is documented beyond entering a mismatched serial number/key.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Compare the entered serial number and key against the keycard, character by character, and restart installation if they don't match.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -21403 — "brand: file already branded." A related branding-process error, on a file already carrying serial/key data rather than the data itself being invalid.
• -21405 — "brand: Serial number is wrong length in file." A related serial-number validity error, on stored length rather than entered-value mismatch.

The installer's serial number and/or key didn't validate against the keycard — re-enter them carefully, or contact IBM Informix Technical Support.