Informix Error -825: Program not found.

Reasons / Common Causes

-825 fires when a supporting executable file the server needs can't be located in $INFORMIXDIR — per the official guidance, the same family of missing-installed-component errors as -553/-558/-724/-725, here for an unnamed generic executable rather than one specific tool.

1. INFORMIXDIR set incorrectly, per the official guidance's implied first check.
2. An incomplete or corrupted Informix installation, missing the specific executable the current operation needed.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Consult the person who installed the IBM Informix software, per the official guidance — the documented resolution path, since this reflects an installation-level problem.
2. Check INFORMIXDIR as a first troubleshooting step, the same pattern as -553/-558:

   echo "$INFORMIXDIR"
   ls "$INFORMIXDIR/bin/"
   

Examples

Checking the installation path

$ echo "$INFORMIXDIR"
$ ls "$INFORMIXDIR/bin/"

Review the directory listing against the specific operation that triggered -825, to identify which expected executable is missing.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Confirm INFORMIXDIR points at the intended installation.
2. Identify which specific operation triggered the error, to narrow down which executable is missing.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -553 — "Mkdbsdir not found in $INFORMIXDIR/bin." Same family, naming a specific missing executable.
• -558 — "Changrp not found in $INFORMIXDIR/bin." Same family.
• -724 — "System initialization file $INFORMIXDIR/cnv50t60.sql is missing." Same family, for a SQL script rather than an executable.
• -725 — "Error occurred while reading system initialization file." Same family, at the read-failure stage.

Same installation-integrity pattern as -553/-558/-724/-725 — check INFORMIXDIR and consult whoever installed the software.