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Informix Error -516: System error - temporary output file not created yet.

Cause and resolution

System error - temporary output file not created yet.

This internal error indicates a problem in the communication between the database server and the library functions that call it. Check that your program is at the same software level as the database server in use. If the error recurs, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-516 is flagged by the official text as an internal communication-protocol error between the client library and the database server, not something an application triggers through ordinary SQL misuse.

  1. A version mismatch between the client library (ESQL/C, CSDK/ODBC/JDBC) and the database server, per the official guidance's suggested check — the client and server disagreeing about protocol-level assumptions.
  2. A client library upgraded or downgraded independently of the server (or vice versa), producing a software-level combination the official text describes as needing to be checked for matching levels.
  3. A corrupted or interrupted client/server communication session, which the official text's framing as an internal error implies is possible without a documented application-level trigger.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check that the client program and database server are at compatible software levels, per the official guidance — mismatched client-library and server versions are the one concrete check the official text offers.
  2. If this recurs, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support, per the official guidance — there is no documented general application-level fix beyond the version-compatibility check.
  3. Capture the exact client driver version, server version, and the statement/operation in progress when the error occurred, to support an escalation if it recurs.
Examples
Checking version compatibility
$ onstat -           # server version, in the header line
$ esql -V            # ESQL/C client library version, if that's the client in use

Compare the two against IBM's documented compatibility matrix for the client driver in use.

Diagnostic Checks
  1. Confirm client and server version compatibility as the first and primary check, per the official guidance.
  2. Log full circumstances (client driver, server version, operation in progress) for escalation if the error recurs after confirming version compatibility.
Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -516 in this set yet.

An internal protocol-level error, not something ordinary SQL usage triggers — start with a client/server version compatibility check before escalating to IBM Informix Technical Support.