At 12:26 PM 20/03/2009, you wrote:

>Hi all
>
>My client upgraded to SBS2008x64 a few weeks ago and we are running 4
>databases with FB2.0.5.13206.
>Everything was fine but now 2 of the 4 databases have encountered file
>locking errors
>eg
>
>gbak: ERROR:I/O error for file "C:\BOOKSYS\ArtistTek\ARTISTTEK.GDB"
>gbak: ERROR: Error while trying to open file
>gbak: ERROR: The process cannot access the file because it is being
>used by another process.
>
>The only process I can see that is using these files is FBSERVER.EXE
>
>Only way to regain access i can see is to restart the FB Server when
>this happens (not happy customer)
>
>Google reports this error occuring some time ago with external files
>being used by my application is very basic with just one plain GDB file.
>
>Could anyone help with what may be causing this error.
>Could it be something to do with running on 64 bit SBS.
>Should I upgrade to the 64 bit version of FB on the server.

There is no 64-bit version of Fb 2.0.x. The 32-bit should run fine on a 64-bit server.

This looks very much like two *server instances* trying to access the same database simultaneously. You definitely need to check and make sure that you don't have two firebird servers running on that machine (don't overlook an embedded Firebird application - it's a server too!) (Or an InterBase running there).

Make sure gbak isn't trying to connect via an embedded server (or vice versa, the app uses an embedded server and you're trying to run gbak concurrently).

>(FB has been running absolutely rock solid with my applications on this
>client for the last 5 years until now.)

So something here is different. ;-) And not as it ought to be. "Last 5 years" indicates that they've been running v.1.5 previously - is this first time up with 2.0.x?

./heLen