Linux Mint as Fileserver for Firebird 3

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Makarios
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Linux Mint as Fileserver for Firebird 3

Post by Makarios »

I have a few questions of this.

I have setup a test system and all is working fine:

Linux Mint 20.3 installed and Firebird 3 loaded with a samba share to the shared Firebird 3 database the accounting software uses.

Firebird 3 server installed and windows accounting software running on windows client pc's connect to Linux Mint (Firebird server ) I have tested access from multiple windows pc's on my network.

1. Would one use a generic user (in Linux) to allow multiple users to access this shared folder on the Linux server with their windows machines on the server?

Or is it better to create multiple users in Linux(one for each LAN user to access)?

Bear in mind the accounting software the Client computer is setup to access the shared folder to get access to the company data on Firebird on the server. so the windows Client newer see the shared folder directly they only see then data via then windows application which accesses the Linux file server

2. Is there a limitation on then number of users one can create on the Linux Mint (Fileserver)?

any feedback or comments will be welcomed

I prefer the GUI functionality of Linux Mint over a headless Linux server where my limited terminal skills might get me into trouble....
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Dave Albiston
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Re: Linux Mint as Fileserver for Firebird 3

Post by Dave Albiston »

Just noticed your posts.

Why do you have the database in a shared folder? Only the Firebird engine should have access to the database, not the clients. Standard practice is for the clients to connect to the database with an alias so they don't know where the database is held.

No need for Linux clients to be set up on the Firebird server.
Makarios
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Re: Linux Mint as Fileserver for Firebird 3

Post by Makarios »

Hi Dave,

Surely if the folder the database sits in on the server is not shared, the windows clients ( running a windows only software) will not be able to connect to the samba share at all. Which in turn implies than accounting software clients no longer have access to the data.

However all of this is working fine at present, :- making a single connection with the user that has access and control of the server in Linux

here is my dilemma. When the windows client machine connects to the file server the first time, Samba asks for a username and password.

My Question was: do we, like some do on a Windows server, create an individual user for each person needing to access then server? or just create one user in Linux and let each connection to the fileserver's database use that same user credentials?
Dave Albiston
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Re: Linux Mint as Fileserver for Firebird 3

Post by Dave Albiston »

Hi Makarios

Does your application use the embedded Firebird client (in which case the database can only be accessed by 1 client at a time), or does it use the the Firebird engine?

If you have Firebird running on your file server there is no need for a shared folder and it is unnecessary for your clients to connect through Samba. The usual procedure is to set up an alias in databases.conf pointing to the database file. The connection string used by your application should then be in the format server_name:alias_name. That will work in Windows and Linux. It's all in the Firebird documentation.

Your application may be working but it is in the wrong way. If you are using the embedded client then I would recommend going through the Firebird engine instead.
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