Helen,

Thank you very much! Very helpful information.


--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, Helen Borrie <helebor@t...>
wrote:

> At 08:20 PM 10/09/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> >I used the Firebird-1.5.0.3744-RC4-Win32.exe install. I don't remember
> >a choice. Was there one?
>
> Yes. At about the third page of the installer, there is a drop-down

box

> where you choose what kind of install you want. The client-only

option is

> "Minimum client install - no tools".
>
>
> >So my application connects to the Firebird client software which then
> >connects to the Firebird Server software, which then connects to

the data?

>
> That's exactly right. Your client application has to know where on the
> server the database file is located, and pass that information to the
> client. So, if you don't have DHCP running, you need an entry in

the HOSTS

> file of the client, so that it can find the host server.
>
> A simple example: I have Firebird Classic server running on my

notebook,

> under Linux. The IP address of the notebook is 10.12.13.5 and its
> broadcast name is "mini". So, in the HOSTS file on the client, I

include

> this entry:
>
> 10.12.13.5 mini #Firebird Classic Linux server
>
> I have a lot of database files on the server, in a filesystem named

"data",

> including one called ffoundation.fdb. My application can connect to

this

> database by passing this connection string to the client:
>
> mini:/data/ffoundation.fdb
>
> I also have a Firebird server running on another machine in Win2k. Its
> network name is duck and its IP address is 10.12.13.2. In my HOSTS

file, I

> have an entry for it:
> 10.12.13.2 duck # Firebird SS Win2K server
>
> My databases are on drive D, in a folder named data. To connect to a
> database there named documentation.fdb, as a TCP/IP client, I can

use this

> connection string:
>
> duck:D:\data\documentation.fdb
>
> That's fine - but in 1.5 I can use database aliases, which has a lot of
> benefits. In particular, it means I can soft-code the database path

into

> my application without knowing where the database file actually lives.
>
> In aliases.conf, on the servers, I have these entries:
>
> On the Linux server:
> ff = /data/ffoundation.fdb
>
> On the Win2K server:
> doc = D:\data\documentation.fdb
>
> Now, this means that my applications, tools, etc. just connect to the
> alias, without being concerned whether the database file is on the

Linux or

> the Win2K server. With 1.5, my connection strings actually look

like this:

>
> mini:ff
> duck:doc
>
> Now, if I decide to move ffoundation.fdb onto the win2k server and
> documentation.fdb onto the Linux server, I do that and alter the
> aliases.conf files accordingly:
>
> On the Linux server:
> doc = /data/documentation.fdb
>
> On the Windows server:
> ff = D:\data\ffoundation.fdb
>
> My applications don't have to change anything.
>
> More than you asked for, I know - but it might save us from six more
> questions to get your client connected. <g>
>
> Helen