At 11:12 AM 04-11-02 +0000, you wrote:

>select count(*) from external_table
>
>raises an error
>
> COUNT
>============
>Statement failed, SQLCODE = -902
>
>I/O error for file "/tmp/external_table"
>-Error while trying to open file
>-Invalid argument
>
>Is this an known bug?

Yes, it's a known problem with FirebirdSS-1.0.0.796-0.64IO on some
combinations of Linux kernel version and filesystem format. The OS is
being asked to address physical space that is past the end of file. It's
currently being resolved for a forthcoming 1.1 update release. That may or
may not solve your problem, though, since it might be that your kernel
version is too low to support 64-bit i/o. In the meantime, use the 32-bit
i/o version and hedge your bets on 2 Gb max file size.

heLen