Today there are many useful software products for all occasions, but users do not always intentionally and consciously install the necessary software on a computer. Sometimes you have to get acquainted with the application against your will, and how it appeared in the system, the user usually does not know in such cases. The software found in the list of programs and components may be associated with other software important for the operation of the OS or the user, so there is no need to rush to remove it. Instead, it is better to figure out what kind of software it is and what tasks it performs, and based on the information received, decide whether to leave it on the computer or delete it. So, among the installed applications, users can find Firebird. Due to the specifics of the software, not everyone knows what this software solution is and what it is used for.
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Why do you need Firebird
Let’s consider what this program is, what functionality Firebird offers, and what is special about this software.
Firebird is a free open source database management system (DBMS). This means that anyone who wants to independently adapt the program for certain tasks can get access to the executable software code and make their own adjustments. The software is distributed free of charge, in addition, it is compatible with all current platforms, such as Windows, Linux, MacOS, Unix-systems and others.
The software can cover different areas of activity and be used in both public and private organizations. Thanks to its open source code, the DBMS is used by developers of many commercial and free products. So, for example, Firebird can be used by programs of accounting and management accounting, organizational, economic activity of enterprises, etc. When you uninstall Firebird, the program using it will not be able to function, giving an error to access the database.
The executed queries of different nature in Firebird do not block each other, which allows them to be executed simultaneously, and the database backup does not require stopping the server, does not interfere with the work and is performed unnoticed by the user.
Installation and operation of the program
Despite the fact that Firebird is a powerful DBMS and can work with fairly large databases and hundreds of users, its installer usually weighs no more than 7 MB (depending on the version of the operating system), the program will not take up much space on your hard disk. The installation process is performed automatically, so there are no difficulties with this. The software does not require configuration, starts immediately after installation and works in automatic mode without the participation of system administrators in the process.
How to start a Firebird application
When Firebird is running as an application, its icon will be visible in the system tray, the appearance of which depends on whether only the server is running or it is controlled by the Guardian. Management via the Guardian service is recommended when running the Superserver, in the case of the Classic server Guardian is not required, it can be omitted during installation.
The Firebird installer starts, but if the server has not been started or initialized, it will have to be started or initialized manually before installing the automatic start. This can be done via Start – All Programs – Firebird or from the command line. The command to start Guardian is fbguard.exe -a or ibguard.exe -а (for version 1.0.x), to start the Superserver directly, type fbserver.exe -a or ibserver.exe -а (for version 1.0.x). For Classic Server, you can also open a Command Prompt window, navigate to the in directory, and type fb_inet_server.exe -a . If the “Use Guardian” mode is selected when installing the software, you can start the service from the same directory using the fbguard.exe -с -a command .
How to use Firebird
In addition to the DBMS, for full-fledged functioning, you also need IBExpert, a shell required for development and administration. It, like Firebird Server, comes bundled with the program. After downloading the installer from the official resource, we start the installation. Minimal participation is required from the user, the installation will be performed automatically. By default, automatic launch is configured, which will be carried out every time the computer starts.
To get started, you need to launch IBExpert; at the first start of the shell, you will need to respond to a request to use multi-type interface elements. If agreed, the interface will copy the DELPHI toolbox.
We carry out the following steps to create the first base:
- In the main menu, select “Database”.
- Click “Create”.
- In a new window, in the “Server” item, select “Local”.
After that, you will need to select a storage location for the database, other parameters will be filled in automatically. For a user with the SYSDBA login, the default password is masterkey . To save the settings, click “Ok”.
Firebird supports SQL datatypes and introduces dynamically large binary data and multidimensional homogeneous arrays. The available data types depend on the version of the DBMS. Values are defined for each column in the Firebird table, they indicate the characteristics of the data and determine what operations can be performed on them, as well as how much disk space the items occupy.
Where did Firebird get to your computer?
If you did not download Firebird specifically, the software might have been installed together with another program that uses it to function correctly. In this case, you should not uninstall Firebird, since such actions will lead to unpleasant consequences in the form of failure of the software that accesses the DBMS.
Removing Firebird
If you decide that the software is useless to you, it is not difficult to uninstall it. The process is carried out in two steps:
- Stopping the software. Go to the DBMS, launch Firebird Server Control and click “Stop” to confirm the action.
- Removing software. The procedure is performed in a standard way, as is the case with any programs. This can be done through the Control Panel, where in the “Programs and Features” section you need to find the Firebird software in the list, select it and click “Remove”, and then confirm the action. For Windows 10, there is an alternative option to uninstall programs – Options (Win + I) – System – Apps and features. Here we also look for software in the list and remove it from the computer.
Firebird is one of the most popular and user-friendly database management systems. The software will be an excellent solution for efficient work, as a tool for organizing, processing and storing information. In addition, Firebird takes up very little disk space and does not overload resources.