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Informix Error -457

-457 Database server terminated unexpectedly.

The database server process or thread with which your application program was working has terminated. The DBA might have shut the system down. The next most likely cause is an internal error. Look for operating-system messages that might give more information. If the error recurs, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support.

Check the ISAM error code that is returned with this error. If it is -129, the database server has not terminated but simply reached a limit on the number of concurrent user sessions (see the explanation of error -129).

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-457 signals that the database server process/thread the application was connected to has stopped running — a serious condition, but with one important, easily-missed exception noted in the official guidance.

  1. A DBA-initiated shutdown of the server instance while the application was still connected.
  2. An internal server error causing an unexpected crash or termination.
  3. Hardware or OS-level failure on the host running the server.
  4. A concurrent-user session limit reached — despite the alarming message text, if the accompanying ISAM error code is -129, the server hasn't actually terminated at all; it has simply hit its configured concurrent-session limit and refused a new connection.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check the accompanying ISAM error code first, per the official guidance — if it's -129, this is a session-limit condition, not a real server termination, and the fix is to reduce concurrent connections or raise the server's session limit configuration.
  2. Check for operating-system messages around the time of the failure, per the official guidance, for genuine crash/termination scenarios.
  3. Check whether a DBA-initiated shutdown occurred at that time.
  4. If the problem persists and isn't the -129 session-limit case, document all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support, per the official guidance.
Examples
Distinguishing a session-limit condition from a real crash
-- Check the accompanying ISAM error code first:
-- if -129, this is NOT a real server termination — it's a
-- concurrent-session limit being hit. Address that instead
-- of investigating a crash.
Checking OS-level messages for a genuine crash
dmesg | tail -100
-- or review the online log for crash-related messages around
-- the same timestamp
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Read the accompanying ISAM error code — -129 specifically means this is a session-limit condition, not a genuine termination.
  2. Check OS-level messages and the online log for genuine crash/termination evidence.
  3. Check for a DBA-initiated shutdown at the relevant time.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -425 — "Database is currently opened by another user." A related but much less severe concurrent-access condition, useful as a contrast to this potentially serious server-level error.

Check the accompanying ISAM error code first — if it's -129, the alarming message text is misleading, and the actual issue is simply a concurrent-session limit, not a real server crash.