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

>
> Hi everybody!
>
> I have a firebird database been used by 10 users simultaneously.
> I've made a routine to backup this database 3 times a day.
> The thing is: Can the backup routine (using gbak) crash the database
> if the users are connected?
>
> I think it can't but I've seen a site once saying that it could.
>
> I don't know how gbak works but I guess it opens a snapshot
> transaction and read database structure and records saving it to the
> backup file. So, it would act as any other user connected to the
> database. Thinking that way, saying that gbak can crash a database
> with connected users would mean the same as saying that any user could
> crash the database, right?

Your understanding of gbak is correct. However if your database file
has some corruption, the engine may crash when gbak happens to read
that piece of data. If you are using Superserver, then this crash will
affect all clients.

Don't shoot the messenger though. The application could equally cause
this crash if it happenned to stumble upon the same piece of
corruption. Maybe take a closer look at the database with gfix.

Adam