When an Informix-backed application slows down, hangs, or returns the wrong answer, the standard tools tell you only part of the story. The server log says a query ran. The application log says it asked for something. Neither says what the database actually received, in what order, or how long each step took. Operators end up guessing, and senior engineers spend hours bridging the gap.
Oninit® Snooper sits invisibly between the Informix client and the Informix server and writes down, in plain text, every single thing the two of them say to each other — with microsecond timing on every exchange.
| Question you ask today | What the snoop shows |
|---|---|
| Why is this query slow? | The exact SQL the server received and the wall-clock μs it took to respond. |
| Where in the response did it stall? | Per-PFPDU gap-since-previous-event — the “server paused mid-fetch” line jumps out of the log. |
| Did the application send what it thinks it sent? | Every PREPARE, BIND, EXECUTE, and FETCH on the wire, in order, decoded. |
| Is it the network, the database, or the app? | Round-trip latency on the closing event of every exchange — one awk command finds the slow ones. |
A single statically linked, stripped binary of roughly one megabyte. That's the entire deployment. No package, no dependencies, no shared libraries. Drop it on a host, mark it executable, point it at the Informix server, and start reading the conversation.
The snoop never modifies bytes in either direction, never injects PFPDUs, and never blocks the forwarder on its own work. Bytes leave the wire before any decoding happens. The forward path adds one TCP hop and sub-millisecond decode overhead per protocol record — well below the noise floor of any real workload.
DBAs who need to see the server's view of an incident in seconds, not hours. Solution architects who need an observability layer for Informix that doesn't require server-side instrumentation. Engineering managers who want their team to triage in-house instead of paying for emergency consulting on every slow query.
Try it on a non-production instance this week. Email support@oninit.com or call +1 913 732 8892 (US) / +44 20 8133 7529 (UK) to arrange a copy and a short walkthrough.
If you really understand what Snooper does, you realize it fundamentally changes how Informix applications can be deployed.
It allows existing Informix applications to run against any database without modification. By decoupling legacy systems from their original data layer, it removes the need for costly rewrites and enables safe, phased modernization. Organizations can preserve proven application logic while moving data and infrastructure forward—reducing risk, cost, and disruption.
To discuss how Oninit ® can assist please call on +1-913-732-8892 or alternatively just send an email specifying your requirements.
You get all this for free.. think about what you get if you pay us