Informix Error -4821: The file file_name cannot be created or opened. Accompanying OS message : OS_Message.

Reasons / Common Causes

-4821 fires when a file I/O Open (or similar) operation fails to create/open a named file — per the official guidance.

1. Insufficient permission to create files in the target directory, per the official guidance — the first named cause.
2. A full disk, per the official guidance — the second named cause.
3. A limit reached on the number of open files, per the official guidance — the third named cause.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Check that the account has permission to create files in the target directory, per the official guidance.
2. Look for the accompanying operating-system error message, per the official guidance, for the specific cause.
3. Free disk space, or close unused open files, as the diagnosis indicates.

Examples

Checking permission and free space

$ ls -ld /path/to/target/dir
$ df -h /path/to/target/dir

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check the accompanying OS message, permissions on the target directory, available disk space, and the process's open-file count.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -4822 — "The file file_name cannot be closed." A related file I/O failure, about closing rather than creating/opening.
• -4823 — "The file associated with the file descriptor may not be opened." A related file I/O failure, about an invalid/stale descriptor rather than the open itself failing.
• -4824 — "The file "%s" cannot be read." A related file I/O failure, about reading rather than opening.
• -4826 — "The file file_name cannot be written." A related file I/O failure, about writing rather than opening.

A file couldn't be created or opened — check permissions, disk space, and the open-file limit, using the accompanying OS message for the specific cause.