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Informix Error -420

-420 Cannot execute remote sqlexec.

Your application program is starting up and trying to make contact with the database server process in another computer. It does this using the contents of the SQLHOST environment variable. Check the SQLHOST variable, and verify that the IBM Informix NET or Informix STAR service has been started in the other computer.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-420 is the remote-connection counterpart of -409: at application startup, the client is attempting to contact a database server on another host (via SQLHOST), and the remote sqlexec process can't be started/reached.

  1. SQLHOST misconfigured, pointing to the wrong hostname or an unreachable machine.
  2. IBM Informix NET or Informix STAR service not running on the remote machine — the networking/distributed-processing component needed to service the connection.
  3. Network connectivity issues between the client and the remote server host.
  4. The remote server itself down or the specific database instance not started.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Verify the SQLHOST environment variable's configuration, per the official guidance, and confirm it points to the correct, reachable host.
  2. Confirm Informix NET or Informix STAR service is running on the remote computer, per the official guidance — this is the specific service needed to service remote connections.
  3. Check basic network connectivity to the remote host if the service is confirmed running but the connection still fails.
  4. Check whether the remote database server instance itself is up.
Examples
Checking SQLHOST configuration
echo $SQLHOST
-- confirm this points to the correct, reachable remote host
Checking whether the remote networking service is running
-- On the remote host, confirm Informix NET / Informix STAR
-- service is actually running before assuming a client-side
-- configuration problem.
onstat -
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check SQLHOST's value for correctness.
  2. Check whether Informix NET/STAR is running on the remote host.
  3. Check basic network reachability to the remote host.
  4. Check whether the remote database server instance is up.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -409 — "Sqlexec was not found or was not executable by the current user." The local counterpart of this same class of startup failure — this error is specifically about the remote case.
  • -342 — "Remote host cannot execute statement." A related remote-server error, though about version/feature support on an already-established connection rather than failing to connect at all.

Check SQLHOST configuration and confirm the Informix NET/STAR service is actually running on the remote host — this is a connection-establishment failure, not a statement-level problem.