This seems to be the problem...

...

> There are no clients all work
> is done in a single process on the server machine.

Sounds like one of:
Your code is blocking somewhere, and new threads can't get to resources
You're using Windows on an SMP box, and you're caught by the 'Single
Process Shuffle' between processors.

> We need to know how we can optimise the hardware with firebird,
> without a trial and error approach which would cost heaps of
> money and time to decipher how to build a machine that can
> take firebird to its maximum potential

Any Enterprise RDBMS will run like a dog if you ask it to...including
Firebird.

Nige.

Nigel Weeks
Tech Support & Systems Developer
nweeks@...
www.examiner.com.au
71 - 75 Paterson Street
Launceston
Tasmania 7250
Australia
Phone: 03 6336 7234