Informix Error -7204: LANG or LC_COLLATE environment variable is invalid.

Cause and resolution

LANG or LC_COLLATE environment variable is invalid.

Either the LANG or the LC_COLLATE environment variable setting is invalid. Set either or both variables to the values that your system supports.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-7204 fires when LANG or LC_COLLATE is set to a value the system doesn't support — per the official guidance.

An invalid LANG setting, per the official guidance — the first named cause.
An invalid LC_COLLATE setting, per the official guidance — the second named cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Set LANG and/or LC_COLLATE to values your system supports, per the official guidance.

Examples

Checking supported locales

$ locale -a

Diagnostic Checks

Check the current LANG/LC_COLLATE values against the system's supported locale list (locale -a), and correct any unsupported value.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-7203 — "DBNLS is not set or LC_COLLATE must be category-value." A related LC_COLLATE error, about the NLS-specific category-value requirement rather than the variable being an unsupported locale entirely.
-7206 — "LANG or LC_CTYPE environment variable is invalid." The same class of error, for LC_CTYPE rather than LC_COLLATE.

LANG or LC_COLLATE is set to a value the system doesn't support — check against locale -a and correct it.