Database Server Configuration

To configure your client and database software, please refer to the configuration guide for your software listed below:

Troubleshooting Connection Problems

If you have completed the steps in the configuration guide and are experiencing problems connecting to the database, please follow the troubleshooting steps below:

Connection Error Potential Causes Resolution
Unable to complete network request to host [hostname].
  1. The server name or IP Address could not be found.
     
  2. The Firebird service is not running on the server.
     
  3. A firewall is blocking access to the port.
     
  4. The port entered on the Advanced tab does not match the port that Firebird is listening on.
 Step 1: Click the "Ping" button.

If the result is: "Ping Failed", then the problem is Cause #1 to the left. Verify the server name or IP Address with your server administrator, and confirm that it is accessible on the network.

Step 2: Click the "TCP/IP Test" button.

If the result is: "No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it", then the problem is Cause #2 to the left. Skip the remainder of this section and follow the steps listed for the error message in the next row below.

If the result is: "A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond [hostname:port], then the problem is Cause #3, or 4 to the left.

Use the troubleshooting steps listed below this table for the specified cause to resolve the problem.
No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it. The Firebird service is not running on the server. Start the Firebird service in Windows Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Services. If the Firebird service is not listed there, install the KZFirebirdServer package as described in the shared database configuration instructions.

If you have run the KZFirebirdServer installer, but the service is not displayed or will not run, an anti-virus software may have interfered with the installation. Temporarily disable any anti-virus software and install KZFirebirdServer again.
I/O Error for file "Training Manager"
Error while trying to open file
  1. The database file is in use by another application and is locked.
     
  2. The database port is in use by another instance of Firebird or other service.
     
  3. The Database Alias name entered on the Advanced tab was not found on the Firebird server.
     
  4. The database file is not in the location on the server specified in aliases.conf.
  1. If another application has the database opened in single user mode, close the application or connect in multi-user mode to prevent the database file from being locked.
     
  2. If multiple instances of Firebird are configured to use the same port, update one of the instances to use a different port number. See the user guide System Administration section for details.
     
  3. Check the alias name listed on the Advanced tab. It should be "Asset Manager", "TrainingManager", or "VehicleManager" (no spaces) unless it has been manually set to a different value in the aliases.conf file on the server.
     
  4. Use Notepad to open the aliases.conf file in the Firebird installation directory. Confirm that an entry exists for the alias name you have entered in the Database Alias field on the Advanced tab and that the file path to the database is correct.
Your user name and password are not defined. Ask your database administrator to set up a Firebird login. The value entered in the SYSDBA password field does not match the SYSDBA password on the Firebird server.

Note: The SYSDBA password is used by the database server. It is not the same as the application passwords that have been set up for personnel to login to the client software.

Leave the setting as the default value unless it has been changed on the server.		 If the Firebird administrator has changed the SYSDBA password for the Firebird database, request the password or have the administrator enter the password for you in the SYSDBA Password field.

If the SYSDBA password has not been changed, there may be another instance of Firebird running on the server with a different SYSDBA password. See the multi-instance configuration instructions in the user guide.
Unsuccessful execution caused by a system error that precludes
successful execution of subsequent statements.
I/O error for file "SharedDocs\security2.fdb".
Error while trying to open file.
The system cannot find the path specified. 		This message may appear when attempting to use the database from a file share. A database being accessed through a file share is subject to data corruption. Firebird is designed to run in client-server configuration for multiple users. Install and connect to Firebird as described in the Shared Database Configuration instructions.
Any other error message not listed above. Unknown Check each of the items listed below and then try again. If the problem continues, contact us through the Support page on our website.

Check the Windows firewall:
The Windows firewall is a frequent cause for not being able to connect to the server. Make sure port 3050 is available for Inbound TCP connections on the server.  Here are the steps:

For Windows 2008 and later (2012, 2016):

  1. Open the Windows Firewall With Advanced Security: Start --> Search --> enter "firewall", and select the program "Windows Firewall With Advanced Security".

  2. Select "Inbound Rules" in the left pane.

  3. Click "New Rule" in the Actions pane on the right, and create a rule with the following settings:Rule Type: Port
    Protocol: TCP
    Specific Port: 3050
    Action: Allow the connection.
    Profile: As required.
    Name: Firebird

For Windows 2003 and earlier:

  1. Open the Windows Firewall dialog: Start --> Run --> enter "firewall.cpl", and then click the Ok button.

  2. Go to the Exceptions tab, and then click the Add Port button.

  3. Enter a name such as "Firebird Database", and then enter the port number 3050, and click Ok.

Check the Firebird database process:
If you have already configured the firewall and are still unable to connect, please check to see if the Firebird database process is running on your server.

  1. Open the Windows Task Manager: Start --> Run --> enter "taskmgr", and then click the Ok button.

  2. Go to the processes tab, and make sure the checkbox for show processes for all users is checked.

  3. Sort the processes by clicking on the Image Name column header and look for a process named fb_inet_server.exe.

  4. If the process is not there, please install the Firebird Server.

Confirm the database connection setting:
If you have configured the Firewall and the database process is running, confirm that the database connection setting on the client is correct.

  1. Log in to the Enterprise client, and go to Tools --> Database Connection.

  2. Confirm that the bottom radio button is selected for a multi-user database. If the top radio button is selected, only a single user will be able to access the database - the database will be locked and an I/O error will occur for subsequent connection attempts.

  3. Confirm that the name of the database server is entered correctly. It should be the name only, no slashes, file paths, etc.  To find the name of your database server, log on to the server and then right-click "My Computer", choose "Properties", and then select the "Computer Name" tab.

If the problem continues, there may be an anti-virus or other security software blocking the process on the server.

Check the firebird.log file for errors:
Log in to the server, and check the firebird.log file in the Program Files \ Firebird directory for errors.

You may see an error such as the following: "INET/inet_error: select in packet_receive errno = 10038"
--> This error indicates that the Firebird server process cannot operate correctly due to network interference which may be caused by an anti-virus or other security software blocking it.  Check your security software and exclude the Firebird process or temporarily disable the security to test the connection again.

inet server err: setting KEEPALIVE socket option or inet server err: setting NODELAY socket option
--> This error may indicate that you need to use the "SuperServer" version of Firebird instead of the "Classic" version. You can download the SuperServer version here.

Backup your database

To set up a nightly backup schedule, see: Schedule Database Backup

Additional Technical Information

See this link for information about file locations for config files, database files, and log files.