Quick Guide to Interbase
Introduction
FireBird Interbase Setup
Server
FireBird comes in two versions: Classic (programs have direct access to the
database files) and Super (indirect access through a process); Only the Super
version is available for Windows.
Client
All it takes is an Java Connectivity Kit?
Borland Interbase Setup
Common files
The following three files are common when installing the server and the client
packages:*
- GDS32.DLL: Interface library used by client applications
- INTERBASE.MSG: Required by GDS32.DLL; Contains the text used in the
InterBase client and server error messages; The version of INTERBASE.MSG
and GDS32.DLL must match
- MSVCRT.DLL: Microsoft C Runtime Library DLL; InterBase requires version
5.00.7303 or later of this DLL, and note that the Microsoft installer might
overwrite more recent versions of this DLL with an older version, which
could break other apps
Server
- IBSERVER.EXE: The main InterBase Server executable; Lives in %INTERBASE%\bin
- IBCONFIG: Contains server configuration information; Lives in %INTERBASE%
- ISC4.GDB: The security database; Located in %INTERBASE%
- ISC4.GBK: Backup of the security database
To start the Interbase server, simply run IBSERVER.EXE. If using NT/W2K,
you can install the Interbase server application to run as a service, using
the following instruction: "instsvc install "%INTERBASE%" -auto"
(avoid using pathnames that contain spaces.)
Client
If the server is located on a remote host, you must add an entry in the "services"
file (on NT: C:\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc\services; on 98: C:\WINDOWS\SERVICES)
so the Interbase client knows which TCP port to connect to:
- gds_db 3050/tcp # InterBase
Add-ons
- IBConsole: Allows you to configure and maintain an InterBase Server,
create and administer databases, execute interactive SQL statements, manage
users, and administer security; Replaces the Server Manager, Communications
Diagnostics Tool and InterBase Windows ISQL utilities found in earlier versions
of InterBase; To install, copye IBConsole.exe, IBConsole.cnt, and IBConsole.hlp
in the %INTERBASE%\bin folder
- Help files:ib32.hlp (Master InterBase help file), ibgloss.hlp (InterBase
glossary & definitions help file), sqlref.hlp (InterBase SQL Reference
help file), perform.hlp (Performance Guidelines help file)
- Interbase Guardian: Process that can be run to monitor the Interbase
server, which wil be restarted automatically by Guardian if it terminates
abnormally; Can be installed as an NT service, but more work is required
since this cannot be done through the instsvc program (See page 16 of the
InterBase 5.5 Embedded Installation Guide for an example of how to
create the Guardian service); When running both the Interbase server and
Guardian as NT services, set the former to start manually, and the latter
to start automatically; To install Guardian, just copy ibguard.exe in %INTERBASE%\bin
.
Other files
- %INTERBASE%\bin\ib_util.dll: InterBase utility dynamic library
- %INTERBASE%\bin\gdsintl.dll: International character sets and collation
information
- %INTERBASE%\udf\ib_udf.dll: InterBase standard UDF dynamic library
- %SYSTEM32%\ibmgr.cpl: InterBase Server ManagerControl Panel Applet
- %INTERBASE%\bin\gbak.exe: Backup utility
- %INTERBASE%\bin\gfix.exe: Database configuration utility
- %INTERBASE%\bin\gsec.exe: Security database utility
- %INTERBASE%\bin\gstat.exe: Database analysis utility
- %INTERBASE%\bin\isql.exe: Interactive SQL utility
- %INTERBASE%\bin\iblockpr.exe: Lock table analysis utility
Q&A
When creating an ODBC connection to FB, Database lets me choose a .GDB file
Does it mean that access to FireBird database does not use sockets but rather
direct access to the filesystem? If so, what about performance over WAN links?
Any ODBC driver to connect to an Interbase server?
Two free and open source ODBC drivers are available: the XTG driver and the
ODBC/JDBC driver, also known as the Starkey driver. These two drivers
can connect to both FireBird Interbase and the standard Interbase.
What are the different modules used for?
- InterBase 6: Server process?
- InterClient: Client application to connect to an Interbase server process
- IB Console: Utility to manage an Interbase setup
- IB Tools: ?
- IBX (InterBase Express): Set of Delphi/CBuilder components that can
be used to access InterBase natively (i.e. no BDE)
What is BDE?
Borland Database Engine. Middleware to connec to a DBMS. Was it used previously to connect to a remote Interbase
server, and is now replaced by the Interbase client? A lighter alternative for
Delphi programmes is IBX (Interbase Express.)
From http://www.cvalde.com/document/glossary.htm#BDE:
It stands for Borland Database Engine. Originally designed as the engine
to deal with both Dbase and Paradox, it was extended to serve as middleware
to remote connectivity with relational databases through a set of libraries
known as Borland SQL Links. Given that, BDE supports both record-oriented commands
and SQL syntax. The name BDE is used to refer to the package that consists of
the core technology (that includes the IDAPI Infrastructure and the common Query
engine) plus the three IDAPI drivers/engines (for Paradox, dBASE and Text formats)
plus the ODBC Socket that makes any ODBC driver into an IDAPI driver for BDE
applications. It's important to say that because BDE connects to several engines
through SQL Links, it cannot recognize or take advantage of every feature in
each specific relational engine, so the support for some IB features is limited
or it doesn't exist. Also, BDE cannot take advantage of IB version 6, because
it has not been updated yet in January 2001.
What do I need to let my application connect to a remote Interbase server?
Interbase client? ODBC? BDE?
Note that the ODBC driver that shipped with InterBase 5.x is free, but does
not support the new features in InterBase 6.
What is FireBird?
An actively developed version of Borland's Interbase. The reason for the
project is that Borland didn't contribute much to the project since it was open-sourced.
What's the difference between "Classic" and "SuperServer"
FireBird architectures?
What's the difference between the commercial version and the open-source
version of Borland Interbase?
Extra features, I assume?
What is InterClient and InterServer?
Yet another client component to connect to FireBird?
I'm getting confused on how to connect to a FireBird server
- InterBase OLE DB Provider: Here.
OLE DB is a modern Microsoft standard for access to the data. As against
ODBC - the previous technology, OLE DB gives new, the object-oriented interface
of work with information. Created on the basis of this technology IBProvider
provides an effective work with InterBase databases from the programs created
on Visual Basic, Delphi, C++Builder, Visual C++, MS Office.
- ODBC: here
- IBX
- Java
- More packages here
Resources