Informix Error -643

Reasons / Common Causes

-643 fires when the volume argument in a RESERVE/RELEASE statement isn't an INTEGER/ SMALLINT — per the official guidance, the volume argument specifically must be one of these two numeric types (unlike the family name argument, which must be a character string per -642).

1. A non-numeric value (or a quoted string) passed as the volume argument, per the official guidance — mistaking the volume's type requirement for the family name's (character-string) requirement.
2. A host/procedural variable of the wrong type passed for the volume argument, similar in nature to -642's variable-type issue but for the opposite (numeric, not string) requirement.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Supply an INTEGER/SMALLINT value for the volume argument, per the official guidance.
2. Confirm a host/procedural variable used for the volume argument is numerically typed (INTEGER/SMALLINT), if a variable was used instead of a literal.
3. Don't quote the volume argument — unlike the family name, it's a number, not a character-string literal.

Examples

The disallowed attempt

RESERVE family 'optical_family1' volume '3';
-- -643: volume must be INTEGER/SMALLINT, not a quoted string

Corrected

RESERVE family 'optical_family1' volume 3;

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check the volume argument's type — it must be INTEGER/SMALLINT, not a character string, the opposite requirement from the family-name argument.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -641 — "Cannot reserve/release family on non-optical media." A related RESERVE/RELEASE error, about what the family name refers to.
• -642 — "Family name must be a character string." The mirror-image type requirement, for the family-name argument rather than the volume argument.

The opposite type requirement from -642 — volume must be numeric, not a quoted string.