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Informix Error -32164: Error creating session shared memory.

Cause and resolution

Error creating session shared memory.

This message indicates an internal error. Check the operating-system error message. If the cause of the error is the size of the shared memory, you or your DBSA might have set a high value for SM_ROWSIZE or SM_TOTALROWS in the session configuration file.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-32164 fires when the server can't create session shared memory — per the official guidance, reported as an internal error.

  1. An operating-system-level failure creating the shared-memory segment, per the official guidance — check the OS error message.
  2. SM_ROWSIZE/SM_TOTALROWS set too high in the session configuration file, per the official guidance — a likely cause if the shared-memory size is the issue.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check the operating-system error message for the specific failure, per the official guidance.
  2. Review SM_ROWSIZE/SM_TOTALROWS in the session configuration file, per the official guidance, and lower them if set unnecessarily high.
Examples
N/A

No specific triggering statement is documented beyond a failed shared-memory creation.

Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check the OS-level error accompanying this message, and review SM_ROWSIZE/SM_TOTALROWS in the session configuration file.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -32165 — "Error attaching to session shared memory." A related session shared-memory error, on attaching to existing shared memory rather than creating it.

Session shared memory couldn't be created — check the OS error and SM_ROWSIZE/SM_TOTALROWS settings.