You are correct, I was running gbak from a "Maintenance" subdirectory
of my application, so it was using a non-embedded fbclient.dll while
my main application was using an embedded fbclient.dll.

I copied fbembed.dll into my "Maintenance" directory where gbak was
and renamed it to fbclient.dll. It worked this way, but I have now
restructured the program to keep all dll files in the main directory.
It's a little cluttered, but easier to manage.

My final solution:
* The app is at C:\Program Files\MyApp\MyApp.exe
* The database is at C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\MyApp\MyDB.FDB
* gbak.exe is now at C:\Program Files\MyApp\gbak.exe

I am using the .NET 2.0 firebird client, to insure all connections are
dropped, I run...
FirebirdSql.Data.FirebirdClient.FbConnection.ClearAllPools();
I then execute the backup as follows

gbak.exe -b "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\MyDB.FDB" "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\MyDB_todays-date.FBK"

As a note for other .NET 2.0 programmers referencing this, please use
Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.CommonApplicationData)
instead of the hard-coded path in the database and backup filenames.

Thanks for the help!

--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, Helen Borrie <helebor@...> wrote:
>
> At 08:16 AM 5/04/2007, you wrote:
> >I am trying to use gbak or nbackup(preferred) to do a backup of a
> >firebird 2.0 database which is embedded.
> >
> >gbak -b myDB.fdb myDB.fbk //fails "unavailable server"
> >gbak -b myDB.fdb myDB.fbk -user sysdba -pass masterkey //fails
> >"unavailable server"
>
> As with any embedded setup, the application and the embedded library
> have to be in the same folder. I suspect you have gbak in the /bin
> directory or somewhere else altogether, since the error message tells
> you that gbak isn't finding a running server (which it won't, if it
> can't find fbembed.dll, renamed as fbclient.dll).
>
> Tip: keep a dedicated application folder for running any of
> Firebird's command-line tools.
>
> And don't try to run anything under the embedded server if something
> else already has a connection to the database in question.
>
> If you want to do hot backups from your application, write a routine
> using the Services API.
>
> >The same is true of nbackup.
>
> I don't *think* you can use nBackup with the embedded model, at least
> not while anything else is active. nBackup isn't supported in the
> Services API, either.
>
>
> >On my development machine, I have a classic/superserver (for
> >convenience). If I use the control panel applet to start the server,
> >the second command shown above will succeed. If I stop the server, it
> >fails again.
>
> Of course. Both gbak and nBackup are client applications. They
> don't work if there is not a running server.
>
> >The intended deployment of this will be an embedded server. I do not
> >want to install a real server on the target computers.
>
> Then do some work: implement backup capability in your own
> application code and provide a user-friendly interface. That way
> your users won't bump into the situation of attempting to run a
> command-line backup and being unable to do so because they are
> working in the app.
>
> ./heLen
>