Preparatory Steps

Before you proceed with the installation, you must determine the working
environment.

Server operating system
Are there other relational database management systems (RDBMS), used
by other programs such as InterBase and Firebird, that can interfere
with the installation

When you change program lines in the configuration file, you must delete the # sign before the line to make it active.

Hints

What to do in the following cases:

Presence of Another Firebird Instance

If another Firebird instance is present, do the following:

Install manually
Change the connection port

Presence of a Restrictive Firewall

If Firewall restricts the connection ports:

Set fixed port for messages
Allow connection and message ports in the Firewall

If Firewall and/or the anti-virus program's firewall restricts the
applications:

Add fbserver.exe (in SuperServer) or fb_inet_server.exe
(in Classic and SuperClassic) as an exception

Download Firebird

Firebird can be downloaded from:

The official website -
www.firebirdsql.org
CFiles - www.ada-soft.net/cfiles

The currently supported version is 2.5

Use the appropriate option depending on the preparatory step:

whether the server OS is 32 or 64-bit
installation file (exe) or Server Package for manual installation
(zip)

DO NOT use Debug Kits (Binary + PDB components) and Embedded
for installation.

Sample table for determining the appropriate Server Package for Windows
with the latest versions at the time of writing the documentation.

	32-bit Windows	64-bit Windows
There is no other RDBMS which could interfere with Firebird installation	Firebird-2.5.7.27050_0_Win32.exe	Firebird-2.5.7.27050_0_x64.exe
There is another RDBMS which the new installation must comply with	Firebird-2.5.7.27050_0_Win32.zip	Firebird-2.5.7.27050_0_x64.zip

For installation on a different OS, contact AuditDesktop Customer
support.

Installation of Firebird

To install Firebird, you will need administrator rights on the server.

MS Windows

There are two installation options:

Server package installation (exe)
Manual installation (zip)

Server package installation (exe)(exe)]

The installation in this case is trivial:

Start the installation
In the Options dialog boxes, observe the following:
1. Install SuperServer (The most suitable option in most cases. You
  can find more information on the differences between various
  architectures in this
  article)
2. If the OS is newer than XP or 2003 server, i.e. Vista, 7, 8, or
  Server 2008, 2008R2, 2012, do not install an applet in the
  Control Panel
3. As AuditDesktop is distributed with database access libraries,
  remove the ''generate GDS32.dll" and "install in <system>"
  check marks. You can leave the "install in <system>" check
  mark, if other database applications are to be used.
4. Select Run as a service
5. Select To use Guardian
Once the installation is complete, if the service is not selected to
run, it must be started manually.

Manual Installation (zip)

Unzip the program archive in a selected folder. If you consider normal
program installation in Windows, use \Program Files\Firebird.

For example:

c:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_AuditDesktop

Open the Command Prompt (with administrator rights) and go to the
bin subfolder of the folder where the file is unzipped.

c:
cd \Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_AuditDesktop\bin

Install the service with a new name (by default, Firebird is
installed with an instance name Firebird_Default). For example, you
can use Firebird_AuditDesktop:

instsvc i -s -a -g -n Firebird_AuditDesktop

This command will create a service that:

will start SuperServer
will start automatically
will use Guardian (a service that monitors whether the server is
running)
will have the name Firebird_AuditDesktop

Then it will run the service

instsvc start -n Firebird_AuditDesktop

Other Operating Systems

For installation on a different OS, contact AuditDesktop Customer
support.

Aliases Setup

When setting up the connection, the path to the database is always given
from the perspective of the server. For easier setup, an alias is
created for the client - a name which a database file refers to. This is
done in the aliases.conf file. The syntax is:

name = full_path_to_file

For example:

auditdesktop = c:\databases\auditdesktop.fdb

In this way, rather than using the full path, you can use
auditdesktop as a path to the database.

Configuration

Depending on some of the features of the connection type, the security
requirements, optimisation, or the presence of another instance of
Firebird, additional configuration may be necessary. The configuration
file is firebird.conf. You can edit the file with a text editor.

Network Settings

Settings related to network.

Port setup

If you have another instance of Firebird, you must change the port which
establishes the link (if the instance is using a standard port).

The default port is 3050. The link is done using TCP protocol. To
change it, use the parameter RemoteServicePort.

To remember more easily, you can use similar ports, such as 3150,
3250 or 30501, 30502, etc.

For example:

RemoteServicePort = 3150

Message port setup

Under restrictive firewalls or when the port is given as an exception,
rather than the application in the OS Firewall, you must set up a port
for the message exchange between the server and the client. By default,
a random port is used.

The option is RemoteAuxPort. The default value is 0. You can use
ports 3051 or 3151, depending on whether the main port is
3050 or 3150 (the values are given as convenient examples, they
are not mandatory to use).

RemoteAuxPort = 3051

Local configuration

When there are other instances of Firebird and a local protocol
(LOCAL) is used for connection to the server, it is necessary to
change the parameter IpcName. The default value is FIREBIRD.

For example:

IpcName = FIREBIRDECK

Using NetBEUI

If NetBEUI protocol is used and there are other instances running,
RemotePipeName must be changed. By default, it is interbas.

Security Settings

Access to database

In Firebird, limits can be set regarding the database location, i.e.
where the database can be located. The client can choose where to
restore a database, which is considered a potential threat - if the
server process has higher access rights, the database can be created in
the wrong place. The limitations are created by adjusting the
DatabaseAccess parameter. The options are Full, Restrict,
and None. Full is used by default.

Full - full access, no limits on the method of use
Restrict - folders that can be used to store databases must be
indicated. The listed folders are separated with a semicolon (;)
None - only aliases can be used

Depending on the client requirements, it is recommended that the
Restrict or None option is used. This depends on whether the
client works mainly with aliases or with determining a path to the
database.

DatabaseAccess = None

External files

The databases can also use external files. The setup options are the
same as those for database access. Currently, AuditDesktop databases do
not use external files and it is desirable in this case that the setting
to be None (it is such by default).

ExternalFileAccess = None

Authentication

Firebird supports the following methods of authentication
(Authentication parameter)

native - uses the name and password defined in the server
trusted - uses the current user's Windows access rights to login
mixed - uses a combination of the above

The current version of AuditDesktop supports both native and
Windows users. If you want to use Windows/Active directory
users, you must change the parameter to mixed:

Authentication = mixed

Optimisation

In cases of large amounts of data, number of connections, etc., you can
change some parameters concerning the usage of system resources.
Depending on the available resources, you can change some values to
increase productivity. Sample configuration files with optimised cache
parameters can be found at the following address:
http://ibsurgeon.com/en/optimized-firebird-configuration/.

Cached pages

Number of cached pages for each database. By default, ClassicServer uses
73 and SuperServer 2048.

DefaultDbCachePages = 9999

System cache size

What percentage of memory to use for caching data. The default is 30.
The value must be 10-95;

You can set the value depending on the amount of free RAM and what the
server is mainly used for.

FileSystemCacheSize = 30

Temporary data

Used for sorting and temporary data. The default value in ClassicServer
is 8MB. The value refers to any client/connection/server.

for 32-bit server

TempCacheLimit = 8388608

for 64-bit server

TempCacheLimit = 967108864

other parameters for temporary data

TempBlockSize = 2048576

Processor cores used

When using SuperServer, the first processor core is used by default. The
value is set as 1 - first core, 2 - second one, 3 - first and second
ones, 5 - first and third ones, and so forth. Setting more cores in a
SuperServer is effective only if two or more databases are used.

CpuAffinityMask = 1

Other parameters

LockHashSlots = 11011

Database Setup

The database can be copied to the server in several ways:

while installing AuditDesktop - when the installation of the program
is done on the server, there is an option that allows copying the
database file in a specific folder
by copying the database file in a specific folder - usually the file
has an fdb extension. It is performed by simply using the Copy
function of the respective OS
by restoring the database from a client installation. Since version
1.2.6, the client installation can create and restore backups to and
from the local workstation. To do so, select the GBAK option
when restoring and specify the file on the local computer

Regardless of the creation method, you have to ensure that the Firebird
process has appropriate access rights to use/create database files. In
other words, the user that starts the service must have sufficient
access rights to read, modify, and possibly create database files.

When working with AuditDesktop, it is not necessary for clients to see
the database file on the network, i.e. it does not have to be shared. To
ensure a higher security level, sharing the FDB file on the network is
not desirable.

Program Files

One way to use the program is by installing it in a shared folder. In
this case, it is preferable that the database is not installed in the
same folder or in its subfolders.

If you want all users to share the same configuration, when you edit the
database connection setup, select the Application
folder option in the Database connection configuration. After the
settings are saved, the following file will be created in the
Application folder: auditdesktop.xml. In this case, all users
who start the program from the shared location, will see this setting.

If nothing else is needed, share the folder as Read-only. Only
people responsible for configuration and updating will have editing
permissions on the folder (if that is not performed only by the server).

Tip

If you wish to limit the users to see only the databases that are set up
to the application in a given folder, perform the following steps:

Create a link to the database, selecting the Application folder
parameter
Save the setting
Exit the program
Rename the file auditdesktop.xml which is located in the
Application folder to auditdesktop_local.cfg

When starting the application in this folder, only the links that are
set up on this location will be seen.

Summary

The following principles should be observed during installation:

The server installation should not interfere with the normal
operation of other systems. For this purpose:
1. Check if other instances of Firebird or InterBase are present.
2. If present, and you are unsure whether they are free or whether
  they can be updated, install a new instance manually and make
  the appropriate changes.
Observe the installation principles of software products in the
respective operating systems - for example, do not install database
files in Program Files.
Think of the client's data security.
1. The database file should not be visible and accessible on the
  network to all users, but only to those with appropriate
  permissions, unless the client wishes otherwise.
2. Secure the location option of databases.
3. If the clients use the program from a shared folder and do not
  need full access, share it as Read-only. In this way, if someone
  infects the program files, other users will not be affected.
4. Do not install the database in a shared folder or its
  subfolders. If required to do so, ensure that it is not
  accessible on the network.
Inform the client where the databases are.
If the client has employees who are responsible for administering
the system, inform them what is installed, what network resources
the server uses, and where the databases are.