Informix Error -724: System initialization file $INFORMIXDIR/cnv50t60.sql is missing.

Reasons / Common Causes

-724 fires during a database-version conversion (from Version 5.0 to 6.0, per the script's name) when the server can't find the cnv50t60.sql conversion script it needs — the same family of missing-installed-file error as -553/-558, for a SQL script rather than an executable.

1. INFORMIXDIR set incorrectly, per the official guidance's implied first check — pointing at the wrong installation.
2. An incomplete or corrupted Informix installation, missing cnv50t60.sql even though INFORMIXDIR itself is set correctly.
3. The file present but not readable by the server's OS user.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Check that $INFORMIXDIR/cnv50t60.sql is in place and readable, per the official guidance:

   ls -l "$INFORMIXDIR/cnv50t60.sql"
   

2. If it's present and readable but the system still fails, reinstall the system, per the official guidance — this points to a deeper installation problem beyond just this one file.

Examples

Checking the file

$ echo "$INFORMIXDIR"
$ ls -l "$INFORMIXDIR/cnv50t60.sql"
ls: /opt/informix/cnv50t60.sql: No such file or directory

Confirms the file is genuinely missing under the currently configured INFORMIXDIR.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Verify INFORMIXDIR points at the intended installation.
2. Confirm cnv50t60.sql exists and is readable under that directory.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -725 — "Error occurred while reading system initialization file." A related error, about a read failure on the same file once it's confirmed present, rather than the file being missing.
• -553 — "Mkdbsdir not found in $INFORMIXDIR/bin." Same family of missing-installed-file errors, for an executable rather than a SQL script.
• -558 — "Changrp not found in $INFORMIXDIR/bin." Same family.

Same installation-integrity check as -553/-558, for cnv50t60.sql specifically — verify INFORMIXDIR and the file's presence/readability.