--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, Robert martin <rob@...> wrote:

>
> Hi Ann
>
> I knew that, unfortunately I can guarantee other people are using

the DB

> (the multi threaded app that is doing the backup for one !). I was
> really wondering if there was a switch for Gbak that could be used to
> say, dont backup just copy or something else I hadn't thought of :)
>

I don't know how you think that might work. You can not just take a
valid file copy of an active database file unless you deny firebird
from writing to the file during the copy. Otherwise you will end up
with an inconsistent mish-mash of new and old data pages in your copy.

GBak pretty much does a select * from every table in your database and
writes it to another file. It is safe because it all happens within a
transaction context, so Firebird knows which records are too new for
gbak to need, and which deleted records it should pretend still exists.

What version of Firebird are you on? If you are on 2.x, you can look
at NBackup. That may do the trick.

Adam