On 3-5-2018 17:05, Javier Cintron fcintrono@... [firebird-support]
wrote:

> Yes That is right, I want to backup the database.
>
> I have a gap in the nigth to do it.
>
> I understand that by using gbak or nbackup Firebird doesnt need to be
> shutdown.

Yes, and if you use alter database begin/end backup you don't need to
shutdown Firebird either.

> Besides that, is there any other advantage of gbak or nbackup against an
> ordinary copy of the database?

A gbak backup is likely smaller, and may do some additional housekeeping
while it is running.

Nbackup can be incremental, meaning less needs to be backed up per
backup (this can make it more complex to do correctly though).

> By the way If a need to restart the server, Do I need to shutdown
> Firebird first?

As Dimitry already answered that: no. OS shutdown or reboot will result
in a controlled termination of services and signalling to other
applications they need to be stopped (assuming it is a controlled
restart and not physically resetting or shutting off power).

Mark
--
Mark Rotteveel