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Informix Error -216

-216 Cannot remove index.

The database server cannot completely drop an index. Check the accompanying ISAM error code for more information. Problems with operating-system file permissions, read-only files, or hardware might cause this error.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-216 is the index-specific sibling of -214 — the database server couldn't completely drop an index, for the same general class of OS-level reasons: permissions, read-only files, or hardware. The accompanying ISAM error code carries the specific detail.

  1. OS-level file permissions preventing removal of the index's underlying storage.
  2. A read-only file blocking deletion regardless of the database's own intent.
  3. Hardware issues — a failing disk or filesystem problem preventing the drop from completing.
  4. Filesystem-level issues, similar to other storage-layer causes elsewhere in this catalogue.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check the accompanying ISAM error code for the specific underlying cause, per the official guidance.
  2. Check OS-level file permissions on the index's underlying storage and correct them if wrong.
  3. Check whether the relevant file is marked read-only and clear that attribute if so.
  4. Check hardware and filesystem health if permissions aren't the issue.
  5. Confirm whether this leaves an inconsistent state — the catalog reflecting the index as dropped while its underlying storage still exists — and consult the accompanying ISAM code for the specific remediation needed.
Examples
Checking the basics
ls -la /informix/dbspace/cust_email_uq.idx
-- confirm permissions and read-only status on the index's storage

Follow the same investigation as -214 — this is functionally the same failure mode, applied to an index's storage rather than a table's data file.

Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check the accompanying ISAM error code for the specific underlying cause.
  2. Check file permissions and ownership at the OS level for the affected index's storage.
  3. Check filesystem and hardware health.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -214 — "Cannot remove file for table table-name." The direct structural sibling — same class of cause, applied to a table's data file rather than an index.
  • -215 — "Cannot open file for table table-name." The open-time counterpart in the same general OS-level file-access family.

Check the accompanying ISAM error code and OS-level file permissions first — this is almost always an infrastructure issue, not a SQL or schema problem.