> > What connection strings are you using in each instance?
> > ALan
>
> I don't know what connection string IBExpert is using but here is the
> connection string that i am using.
>
> User=SYSDBA;Password=masterkey;Database=EMPS;DataSource=DAVE2;Port=305
> 0;Dialect=3;Charset=NONE;Role=;Connection lifetime=0;Connection
> timeout=15;Pooling=False;Packet Size = 8192;
>
> I have an idea that the .Net Provider uses TCP/IP Sockets to connect
> to the server while IBExpert tries to open the physical file. But i
> am not sure about this. If this is true i guess it can cause a
> problem.
>

Look in the connection properties of IBExpert, it has the connection string
there - you put it there.
You appear to be using an alias anyway so you must have put the alias in the
server alias conf file.. no?
No - IBExpert does not open the file directly - it asks the server to open
it just like all clients of the server.

Helen - if one client opens a DB via an alias - do all clients have to do
the same? or will a mix of alias and servername:path/filename still work?

Alan