At 12:21 PM 17-08-00 +0200, you wrote:

>I do have some longer texts which I thought I have to insert as blobs.
>MS SQL server and PostgreSQL have the type "text" which seems to be
>not implemented in InterBase, thought.

It is implemented as blob sub_type 1, although it's not a big deal as, to
InterBase, a blob is just a blob. You could do best by finding a utility
which can export your M$Sql data as fixed-length records, excluding the
TEXT type fields and feeding them in later via an application.

So saying, I don't know what tricks are out there. I've done M$SQL and
Access conversions via both the BDE and the external methods - I've tended
to use the BDE for blobs because it's transparent. But it's not an option
for you so keep asking. Claudio may well have some better suggestions.

>
> > There are Windows-based tools around which can pump data from one
> format to
> > another, e.g. the Freeware IB_WISQL tool from www.ibobjects.com. It
> should
> > be possible to find an intermediate format which that pump can handle.

>I've just downloaded this tool but strangely enough it hasn't any field
>to insert the server InterBase is running on (Linux server). Does this
>thing only work on local databases? Moreover how to pump this stuff?

That tool only needs a valid TCP/IP connect string in the Database field,
i.e. Myserver:c:\something\mydata.gdb on Win,
Myserver:/usr/databases/mydata.gdb on Linux.

The one to ask about that is Claudio as he helped to write it; also, I've
not used this datapump.

>Once you mention gbak: I've tried to use "Backup" from IBConsole 1.6
>which seems to call gbak. The console-output seemed reasonable, but
>finaly I didn't found the file the output should go. There wasn't just any
>new file in my filesystem :-(. That's quite strange!


>Moreover I wanted to use the Linux gbak. Where can I find a description
>of its syntax? There isn't any manpage.

You need the InterBase manual set which you can pick up from the Documents
page of the URL below; or from the www.interbase.com site. Follow the
instructions for gbak in the Ops manual - it works like a bought
one. There tends to be more typing to do on Linux, of course. <g>

The Linux version is deficient in UI tools because its usual mode of use is
just a database being served to client applications on Windows, Sun, HP,
etc. systems. Up until two weeks ago it was a proprietary database that
provided what customers wanted - a reliable database server that they could
load up on a clunky old box in the corner, fire up and forget it.


Cheers,
Helen

http://www.interbase2000.org
___________________________________________________
"Ask not what your free, open-source database can do for you,
but what you can do for your free, open-source database."
(J.F.K.)