Before you proceed with the installation, you must determine the working
environment.
When you change program lines in the configuration file, you must delete the # sign before the line to make it active.
What to do in the following cases:
If another Firebird instance is present, do the following:
If Firewall restricts the connection ports:
If Firewall and/or the anti-virus program's firewall restricts the
applications:
Firebird can be downloaded from:
The currently supported version is 2.5
Use the appropriate option depending on the preparatory step:
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.
To install Firebird, you will need administrator rights on the server.
There are two installation options:
The installation in this case is trivial:
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:
Then it will run the service
instsvc start -n Firebird_AuditDesktop
For installation on a different OS, contact AuditDesktop Customer
support.
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.
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.
Settings related to network.
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
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
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
If NetBEUI protocol is used and there are other instances running,
RemotePipeName must be changed. By default, it is interbas.
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.
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
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
Firebird supports the following methods of authentication
(Authentication parameter)
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
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/.
Number of cached pages for each database. By default, ClassicServer uses
73 and SuperServer 2048.
DefaultDbCachePages = 9999
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
Used for sorting and temporary data. The default value in ClassicServer
is 8MB. The value refers to any client/connection/server.
TempCacheLimit = 8388608
TempCacheLimit = 967108864
TempBlockSize = 2048576
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
LockHashSlots = 11011
The database can be copied to the server in several ways:
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.
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:
When starting the application in this folder, only the links that are
set up on this location will be seen.
The following principles should be observed during installation: