>I've been using a Firebird database with embedded server, accessed through a Delphi app, for several years now without
>problem.
>
>Today I experienced a curious problem: I made a Skype call with my son, he was busy and said he'd call back in 10 mins. No
>call came but when he did eventually get through about 2 hours later he said that I appeared to have been offline or at least
>'busy' as far as Skype was concerned. I am 100% sure that from my end Skype looked normal, with the green 'online' symbol
>showing. I am also 100% sure that he had indeed been trying - often - to call me. However I had been using my Delphi/Firebird
>app. and apart from Firefox being open I had no other applications running. And Firefox was still running when we eventually
>made contact ... after I closed my Delphi/Firebird app.
>
>Is it conceivable that in some way the Firebird client lib interacts with Skype? I find it hard to think of any other reason
>why I should appear to be offline. The Delphi app does use some other 3rd party libraries which I must also examine in
>detail, but I'd be glad of any pointers to possible links to Firebird. In this case Google is not my friend because it
>doesn't reveal any similar reports.
>
>Fortunately I very rarely use Skype and the Delphi/Firebird app simultaneously, but I'd still like to try to sort it out.

This page: https://support.skype.com/en-us/faq/FA148/which-ports-need-to-be-open-to-use-skype indicates that unless configured otherwise, Skype randomly chooses a port above 1024 for incoming connections. Firebird, by default, uses port 3050 (+ possibly some other for events).

I really know nothing about conflicts like these (and I don't use Firebird embedded), but if Skype chose port 3050 before you started Firebird and then port 80 or 443 was busy with something else, then maybe it could be conceivable?

Just guessing since no-one has answered you for over 20 hours.

Set