Re: [Firebird-net-provider] Service API and nbackup

[Helen B. <he...@tp...>]

At 03:07 AM 21/04/2008, Mercea Paul wrote:
>> On 4/20/08, Mercea Paul <pau...@ya...> wrote:
>> >  Is there a way to specify for Backup service to use nbackup and make
>> >  incremental backup?
>> 
>> No. AFAIK nbackup isn't available thru Service API.
>
>Nether I can find any link to api for nbackup..hope you know more!

There isn't an API.  nBak and nBackup are plug-in applications and as such they are clients that *use* the API, much as any other application does. 

The Services API isn't a nice, clean, extensible interface like the engine API, unfortunately.  It is a cocktail of functions passing parameters to a mishmash of embedded code, macros and who-knows-what.  I mean, literally, the code for gbak, gfix, gsec and so on is duplicated in the engine!  Bloating the engine with more optional code is not part of the Firebird design strategy - so forget about an API for nbackup or other plug-ins ever being available through the Services API as currently implemented!  

The good news is that a new API encompassing both pluggable and internal code is on the drawing board, if not for Fb 3.0 then for a v.3.x.  This is going to open the doors for a correct and future-safe way to do things:  not just incremental backup but pluggable security, replication, search engines, external procedures and whatever anyone wants to dream about right now...

Helen