--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, "marc_guillot"
<marc_guillot@...> wrote:

>
> Hello.
>
> Sorry for my english.
>
> I want to know if there is a UDF that could allow firebird clients to
> read local files in Firebird Server Host.
>
> I know that could be a big security problem, but I will use it only in
> LANs, with no Firebird Server access from Internet. I want it to
> upgrade our application. Clients connect to Firebird Server, and if
> they found that they version application is different from database
> version, they generate the new application executable from server
> (reading it from server trought an UDF).
>
> I know we can get the new files in server, using a Shared Folder, or
> integrating an small FTP Server in application. But I have no control
> over my costumers systems, they can have Firewalls, no Shared Folders,
> etc. ... I want to keep it simple, now I have a reliable channel
> between clients and server hosts (Firebird), so I will like to use it
> to upgrade clients.
>
> Note: Another solution is to copy the new executable file into a Blob
> Field, so clients will have no problem to read it. But I prefer to
> access directly to a file in Server FileSystem if possible, it
> simplifies my update process.

Possible: Yes,
Good idea: Probably not.

Test it by all means, but UDFs were designed for quick calculations,
not for returning files. We use a pre-launcher app similar to Woody's
(except ours is less intelligent, it just copies the files if their
file date is different, no scheduling).

Adam