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Informix Error -55252: bind( ) using service 'service-name' failed.

Cause and resolution

bind( ) using service 'service-name' failed.

Service-name resolution follows this precedence:

1. NIS services map when NIS (Network Information Service) is running.

2. File /etc/services on the local computer.

The possible causes of this error are as follows:

* The specified TCP address is already in use.

The port number intended for use by the onprobe server must be unique. Use the 'netstat -a' command to verify that other applications (including an already running onprobe) are not using the specified service (port number).

Or, if you terminated the onprobe server while an oncockpit client was connected, you might have to wait several minutes before the TCP address is released.

* The port number that is defined for this service is in the system reserved range (0 to 1023).

* System buffer space is unavailable.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-55252 fires when bind() fails for the onprobe server's service — per the official guidance, several possible causes are named, after the service name itself resolves via the documented NIS//etc/services precedence.

  1. The specified TCP address/port already in use, per the official guidance — most often another instance (possibly an already-running onprobe) already bound to that port, checked via netstat -a.
  2. A recently terminated onprobe server's port not yet released, per the official guidance, if an oncockpit client was still connected at termination — this can take several minutes to clear.
  3. The service's port number falling in the system reserved range (0–1023), per the official guidance.
  4. System buffer space being unavailable, per the official guidance.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Check netstat -a for an existing listener on the port, per the official guidance — including an already-running onprobe.
  2. If onprobe was just terminated while oncockpit was connected, wait several minutes for the TCP address to be released, per the official guidance, before retrying.
  3. Confirm the service's port isn't in the reserved range (0–1023), per the official guidance.
  4. Check for available system buffer space, per the official guidance, if the above don't explain it.
Examples
Checking for a port already in use
$ netstat -a | grep <port-number>

Per the official guidance, this is the documented first check — including for an already-running onprobe instance.

Diagnostic Checks
  1. Run netstat -a to check whether the port is already bound.
  2. If onprobe/oncockpit was recently terminated, allow time for TCP address release before retrying.
  3. Confirm the port isn't in the 0–1023 reserved range.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -55250 — "socket() failed." An earlier step in the same connection chain.
  • -55251 — "Could not translate service name... getservbyname() failed." The step before this one, resolving the service name bind() then uses.
  • -55274 — "Could not translate host name... gethostbyname() failed." A related resolution failure, for host names.
  • -55276 — "connect() to host... using service... failed." The final step in the same chain.

bind() failed on the resolved service's port — check for an existing listener with netstat -a first, including a not-yet-released port from a recently terminated onprobe.