> What backup strategy is more preferrable?
> Bring down the server at night and the copy the FDB file. [...]
> OR
> use gbak command.

GBAK has a few advantages:

- You don't have to shut down the database or the server while running
the backup

- The .fbk backup file created by GBAK is usually much smaller than the
original .fdb database file

- When there is physical corruption in your database, GBAK will fail
(this sounds bad, but it may actually be good because you wouldn't
probably realize physical corruption with a simple COPY much later)

- When there is logical corruption in your database, a GBAK restore
will fail so it is a good test to backup and restore your database
regularly.

- GBAK will perform a Garbish Collection on your database while doing
its work

> I want to have a solution in which my client can do the backups
> himself so I don't have to do that. Is there a way to automate this,
> so that a backup is made when the client starts a little program?

- GBAK is a command line tool so it is perfectly suited for an
automated backup task. You install it once and it runs every night.

http://www.destructor.de/firebird/gbak.htm


Best Regards

Stefan


--
Stefan Heymann
www.destructor.de/firebird