This section summarizes the code-set conversion that the database server performs. For more general information about code-set conversion, see Performing Code-Set Conversion.
An Informix database server automatically performs code-set conversion between the code sets of the server-processing locale and the server locale when the following conditions are true:
For a list of files for which Informix database servers perform code-set conversion, see GLS Support by Informix Database Servers. For information on GLS code-set conversion files, see Code-Set-Conversion Files.
Once the database server creates the operating-system file, it has generated a filename and written file contents in the code set of the server locale (the server code set). Any IBM Informix product or client application that needs to access this file must have a server-processing locale that supports this same server code set. You must ensure that the appropriate CLIENT_LOCALE, DB_LOCALE, and SERVER_LOCALE environment variables are set so that the server-processing locale supports a code set with these non-ASCII characters. For more information about the server-processing locale, see Determining the Server-Processing Locale.
The database server checks the validity of a filename with respect to the server-processing locale before it references the filename.
Extended Parallel Server rejects any filename that includes any character that is not ASCII alphanumeric 7-bit.