Thanks for the detailed answer Artur.
I know that I can use an existing installation of Firebird but I don't
want to, your solution will be the "desperate" case. You know, the
install steps must be next->next->next->... ;)

Now seriously, I don't know why it isn't possible (and why it wasn't
done from the start) to install how many servers/client libraries I
want. I mean a server could be a bunch of files in a folder, one file
being the daemon executable which will start to listen on a standard
or specified port. The client app will connect to the server and if
the server/client doesn't understand the protocol then the connection
is closed with an error message on the client side.
Is this a way too simplified view? :) Someone enlighten me.

Sorin

--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, "Artur Anjos" <artur@a...> wrote:
> Soso,
>
> As I understand, we already have what you want. :-)
>
> > > > The database will be used by my application only so I want to
install
> > > > it in such a way that it will not affect any existing
> > > > Interbase/Firebird installation. Is it possible to do this?
>
> If you want to use a Firebird server, your application should be
prepared to
> use one. When you use a SQL Server, you can't expect that the server is
> there just for you. The server is there to serve your requests.
Nothing to
> be affected - you just use the server. If your client has already a
Firebird
> version in use, it's because he need's it. If he don't have none, don't
> expect that you 'own' the server just because you went there first. :-)
>
> So, if your client:
>
> - Don't have any of this servers (Interbase/Firebird):
> Just install Firebird. It's easy to detect if Firebird or Interbase are
> installed on the server or not. You can get this info using Google
for sure.
> So, your application just needs to ask SYSDBA password to create the
> appropriate users, or you just let your client DBA do it for you. Usual
> procedural in a Database Server. You should provide your client the
SYSDBA
> password.
>
> - If your client has Interbase installed:
> Just use Firebird 1.5, and do the necessary changes in firebird.conf to
> allow them to work togheter (read the Release Notes to achive this -
very
> simple);
>
> - If your client has Firebird 1.0, just use it.
> If you want to use Firebird 1.5, use the same approach that for
Interbase.
>
> - If your client has Firebird 1.5, just use it.
>
> Finnaly,
>
> - If you don't need to use a server installation, because your
application
> targets a non multi-user environement, just use Firebird 1.5 Embedded.
>
> That's all.
>
> Artur