Oninit
Talk to an expert →

Informix Error -4201: Write error. Check available disk space and ulimit.

Cause and resolution

Write error. Check available disk space and ulimit.

The compiler failed to write some information to the output file, but the cause of the error was not reliably determined. This usually means that the ulimit was exceeded, but possibly the error was detected too late for the auxiliary information to be accurate, or other errors have occurred since.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4201 fires when the compiler fails to write output but the exact cause isn't reliably determined — per the official guidance, this usually means the ulimit was exceeded, though the detection may have come too late for the diagnostic to be fully accurate, or other errors may have occurred since.

  1. The process's ulimit (file size limit) was exceeded, per the official guidance — the most likely named cause.
  2. Disk space exhaustion or another write failure, per the official guidance — an alternative possibility.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check available disk space, per the official guidance.
  2. Check the process's ulimit settings, per the official guidance.
Examples
Checking ulimit and disk space
ulimit -f
df -h .
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check the ulimit -f (file size) setting and available disk space, and adjust or free up space as needed.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -4200 — "Write error -- out of disk space." A related write-failure error, about confirmed disk exhaustion rather than an undetermined cause.

A write error occurred with an undetermined cause — check ulimit -f and available disk space.