| Subject | Re: [firebird-support] FireBird versions, 32-bit, 64-bit, and choice of client |
|---|---|
| Author | Helen Borrie |
| Post date | 2012-06-05T08:57:03Z |
At 06:22 PM 5/06/2012, magnusanger wrote:
On the server, it is a different story. If you are going to use 64-bit client applications locally on the server, e.g., gbak, gfix, isql, 64-bit FlameRobin, etc., then you need the 64-bit client *on the server*. The 32-bit client won't work with 64-bit applications.
But 2.1.anything to 2.5.something is a full version shift, with migration issues you would need to deal with anyway. The old client would probably still work, but why wouldn't you deal with the version mismatch along with the other migration issues?
Where??? download pages at http://firebirdsql.org
./heLen
>I have run a FireBird server for many years. I am currently using the version installed via the package "Firebird-2.1.1.17910-0_Win32.exe".If you are just going from 2.1.1 to 2.1.4 then the on-disk structure version (ODS) of the *database* remains the same (11.1). But if you are moving on to the 64-bit platform, you will need to make a gbak backup on the current 32-bit host and restore it with gbak on the 64-bit.
>I now plan to swap to a Windows 2008 64-bit server, and of course need to install another version of FireBird.
>I suppose there are no problems whatsoever with the actual FireBird installation or conversion of the .FDB databases as such (or restored from .fbk backup files).
>But what about the client ? I have used the "minimum client installation" from the "Firebird-2.1.1.17910-0_Win32.exe" package.No, theoretically not. The client has to match the application, not the server. So here we are talking about remote clients running a 32-bit application on a 32-bit or 64-bit workstation, yes?
>Would I need to replace the client if the clients still run on 32-bit-machines ?
On the server, it is a different story. If you are going to use 64-bit client applications locally on the server, e.g., gbak, gfix, isql, 64-bit FlameRobin, etc., then you need the 64-bit client *on the server*. The 32-bit client won't work with 64-bit applications.
>If I use a newer FireBird version than 2.1.1 (such as for instance the 2.1.4 version, or the 2.5.1 version), would I need to replace the client ?You should update the client, even if it's 2.1.1 to 2.1.4. There have been numerous bug-fixes in the five years of v.2.1.x lifetime. But if you haven't encountered any of those bugs, you could still use the old 2.1.1 client: it's a sub-release shift only.
But 2.1.anything to 2.5.something is a full version shift, with migration issues you would need to deal with anyway. The old client would probably still work, but why wouldn't you deal with the version mismatch along with the other migration issues?
>If I choose not to update the client (many users, lots of administration), is there a 64-bit version available that matches the client that is currently distributed, and if so, where can I get hold of it ?You can use the v.2.1.4 client with any 2.1.x version. You can extract it from the Windows 64-bit zip kit. Its name is fbclient.dll. But to reiterate, if your application is 32-bit, your workstations won't need (and should not try to use) a 64-bit client.
Where??? download pages at http://firebirdsql.org
./heLen