I have an Interbase Server running on a Windows ME PC and I would
like to access it from a Win 95 work station on the network.

I installed the Interbase Client and the IBConsole at the work
station. My Delphi application will not connect properly so I am
trying simply to verify the connection using IBConsole's "Diagnose
Connection..." Server Menu option.

First I must choose between "Local Server" and "Remote Server". I
think I want "Local Server" because the server is on the LAN. Or do
I want "Remote Server" because the server is not installed on this PC?

Anyway, when I try "Local Server" I must then supply a path to the
database. I can use the browse button to supply a path such
as "\\Gateway desktop\c\MyPath\MyData.gdb" or I can try to modify
this path to match Lester's (Helen's) previous message syntax such
as "Gateway desktop:C:\MyPath\MyData.gdb".

In either event, after supplying the username/password, I receive the
error message "Network Access is Denied".

I've tried downloading the documentation set but the Op Guide's
troubleshooting section doesn't address this error. It does discuss
IBConsole's "Diagnose Connection..." option but not in a way that
helps me to understand the problem. (BTW, I have full access to the
server PC outside of Interbase and this diagnostic utility.)

I've also tried the "Remote Server" option but I don't think this is
right. This option attempts to dial out rather than use the LAN
connection. I've also played with the associated HOSTS file but I
don't know how to reference the local "Gateway desktop" PC in terms
of an IP address. (This all seems wrong anyway. I suspect that on a
LAN I should be using the "Local Server" option.) In any event,
modifying the HOSTS file using a suggested IP address from Lester's
previous message didn't work. In fact the error message "The
specified name was not found in the HOSTS file..." seems to be wrong
because the specified name "Gateway desktop" was very definitely in
the HOSTS file.

Somehow I think I'm making things much more complicated that they
really are. Isn't there an easy way to access an Interbase database
across a simple LAN connection?

Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong?

Thanks!

- Dale F.