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Informix Error -334

-334 Cannot create audit trail.

Some problem prevents the database server from initializing the audit-trail file. Check that you specified a complete, correct pathname for the file. Look for operating-system error messages that might give more information. Common problems include a lack of disk space and file-permission problems.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-334 fires when START AUDIT can't initialize the audit-trail file — an infrastructure-level failure rather than an auditing-configuration mistake. The most common underlying causes are an incomplete/incorrect pathname, insufficient disk space, or file permission problems.

  1. An incomplete or incorrect pathname given for the audit-trail file — similar in kind to -325's full-path requirement for log files.
  2. Insufficient disk space on the filesystem where the audit-trail file would be created.
  3. File permission issues preventing the server process from creating the file at the specified location.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Verify the complete and correct pathname for the audit-trail file, per the official guidance, including that it's a full path.
  2. Check operating-system error messages around the same time for more specific detail on what actually failed.
  3. Check available disk space on the target filesystem.
  4. Check filesystem-level permissions for the Informix server process at the target location.
Examples
Verifying the pathname before retrying
START AUDIT USING '/informix/audit/audit_trail_1';
-- -334: check the path is complete, disk space is available,
-- and permissions are correct at that location
Checking disk space and permissions
df -h /informix/audit/
ls -ld /informix/audit/
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Confirm the pathname given to START AUDIT is complete and correct.
  2. Check operating-system error messages logged around the same time.
  3. Check disk space and permissions at the target location.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -333 — "The audit trail file already exists with a different name." Another audit-trail setup failure, though about a naming conflict rather than an infrastructure-level creation failure.
  • -325 — "Filename must be specified with a full path name." A related pathname-completeness requirement, applied to transaction log files instead of the audit trail.

Check the pathname, disk space, and permissions in that order — the official guidance treats these as the three usual suspects behind this failure.