Re: [Firebird-devel] Embedded superserver

[Nando D. <na...@de...>]

Geoff,

G> Rather than a two step install where you install
G>   1. Fb-Server as a service
G>   2. Your own application as a service

G> You would like to do it in one step
G>   1. Install your own app that also installs Fb-Server.

G> Other than installation what other advantages would such a
G> configuration offer?

I think I have briefly said that in a post to Dmitry. Here it is:
synchronizing startup and shutdown of two processes, or more generally
maintaining a host/child relation between two processes is problematic
in Windows without introducing a third "guardian" application.
Currently I start fbserver.exe on my app's startup and stop in on
termination, but it's not very reliable. Plus, fbserver.exe is shown
in the process list and could be terminated (since it runs as an
application) without my app noticing. I could setup (partial)
workarounds for these situations, but I find the proposal I am
advocating simpler, more straightforward, more robust and in general
architecturally sounder.

G> I am guessing that, with an appropriate API, you may be able
G> to offer additional server management capabilities.

That's one of the things my app does. Automated database upgrade, for
example, or alias listing, or additional security (the ability to
assign particular aliases to particular users). In short, I want to
augment the firebird server with features that are specific to my
application domain, and I don't necessariliy want to do it using a
three tier architecture (actually I currently can't).

G> But then
G> again with the appropriate API these should be available even
G> with the normal configuration.

There's nothing I plan to do that I can't do in a way or the other
now. Easier deployment and more robustness are the biggest advantages
of the proposal. Added functionality is not.

G> You can already integrate a FB install into your own install,
G> although the result is still a separate service.  So the
G> install advantage does not seem to be very great.

It is. I hope I have explained it better now.
Try to do it with the current tools and you'll soon run into small but
annoying brick walls.

Ciao
-- 
Nando Dessena
mailto:na...@de...