Download Fbclient.dll
Theo Rihanek
When converting my 32-bits Delphi Alexandria 11.3 program from 32-bit to 64-bit, I noticed that the directory with the executable also contains Firebird's fbclient.dll which is identical to the file in c:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_3_0\WOW64\
During Firebird installation we checked the option to create gds32.dll in the Windows system directory, i.e. a copy of fbclient.dll was renamed to act as the Interbase client library gds32.dll (source).
In contrast to Interbase, the Firebird clients are consistently named fbclient.dll. In a 64-Bit installation of Firebird server the bin folder contains the 64-bit version of fbclient.dll, while the 32-bit version resides in the WOW64 folder.
While there are reasons to rename a fbclient.dll to gds32.dll to keep old (BDE) software happy, it should be done only when really necessary. Doing this will make it pretty hard to have InterBase and Firebird installed on the same machine, which in my experience turned out to be pretty common these days.
The gds32.dll is something that the Firebird installer (or its instclient tool) can still generate for tools still expecting the old names from InterBase times. The 64-bit variant is also called gds32.dll, but the main library you should be using is fbclient.dll (the gds32.dll is either a copy of fbclient.dll or a shim redirecting calls to fbclient.dll).
If you configured the Firebird installer to install client libraries, it will have installed the 64-bit DLL(s) in %WINDIR%\System32 and the 32-bit DLL(s) in %WINDIR%\SysWOW64. You should find the fbclient.dll libraries there, unless you explicitly unchecked the "Copy Firebird client library to directory?" option, but did check the "Generate client library as GDS32.DLL for legacy InterBase support?".
In addition, the installation directory of Firebird (default C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_4_0) itself contains a 64-bit fbclient.dll in the main installation directory, and a 32-bit variant in its WOW64 directory.
In the past, it was assumed that just copying fbclient.dll and the runtimes to the system directory was enough to get a remote client set up to connect to Firebird. It worked for some situations, i.e., where the presence of the C/C++ runtimes was normal and the location was standard.
Each release of the client library contains the compiled message text corresponding to exception codes that its matching Firebird server returns to the client application via the Error Status array. When the client application is using the correct version of fbclient.dll, the client does not need a local copy of firebird.msg.
Download fbclient.dll below to solve your dll problem. We currently have 1 version available for this file.
If you have other versions of this file, please contribute to the community by uploading that dll file.
Errors related to fbclient.dll can arise for a few different different reasons. For instance, a faulty application, fbclient.dll has been deleted or misplaced, corrupted by malicious software present on your PC or a damaged Windows registry.
In the vast majority of cases, the solution is to properly reinstall fbclient.dll on your PC, to the Windows system folder. Alternatively, some programs, notably PC games, require that the DLL file is placed in the game/application installation folder.
Hello ! When working with an embedded database, Flamerobin does not look for the fbclient.dll file in the directory where the database file is located, but in the PATH. So that everything works well, you must put in the PATH the path of the database (where are also the other files and folders necessary for the operation of Embedded Firebird server.)
This is restrictive if you work with several database files, moreover if they do not use the same version of Firebird.
Could we make Flamerobin first look for the FBClient.dll file (and the other required files) in the directory where the embedded database is located?
Thank you for your reply. Regards,
Claude
Hello ! When working with an embedded database, Flamerobin does not look for the fbclient.dll file in the directory where the database file is located, but in the PATH. So that everything works well, you must put in the PATH the path of the database (where are also the other files and folders necessary for the operation of Embedded Firebird.)
This is restrictive if you work with several database files, moreover if they do not use the same version of Firebird.
Could we make Flamerobin first look for the FBClient.dll file (and the other required files) in the directory where the embedded database is located?
Thank you for your reply. Regards,
Claude
Note: Note to Win32/Win64 Users
In order for this extension to work, there areDLL files that must be available to the Windowssystem PATH. For information on how to do this, see theFAQ entitled "How do I add my PHP directory to the PATHon Windows". Although copying DLLfiles from the PHP folder into the Windows system directory also works(because the system directory is by default in the system'sPATH), this is not recommended.This extension requires the following files to be in thePATH: fbclient.dll,gds32.dll
Just about anything, stealth upgrades and downgrades, confusion with InterBase 7 and lots of problems that come from renaming the dlls. Firebird 2 has not helped by changing the installation folder for Firebird but retaining the same registry entry name. Here's my list of the problems you may come up against:
1. fbclient.dll stealth upgrades from 1.5 to 2.0 or later.
Generally not a big problem (so far) as Firebird 2 fbclient.dll seems to be reasonably backwards compatible with firebird 1.5. A stealth upgrade can occur when you install fbclient.dll in the Windows System32 folder or the Firebird bin folder. If it's in Windows System32 then you are always vulnerable to another installer coming along and upgrading you. That's just life. It can also happen if you install the dll in the Firebird installation folder and use the Firebird SQL registry key to find it. A Firebird 2 installer can legitimately come along, install a new copy in the Firebird2 installation directory and update the registry entry to point to the new folder. Your dll is still on the system but you won't find it. The same can also happen if you rely on the Environment Path to find the dll as that can just as easily be redirected to the new installation folder. The safest way to avoid a stealth upgrade is to locate fbclient.dll in your application installation folder.
2. fbclient.dll stealth downgrades from 2.0 to 1.5.
This can be much nastier if you are relying on using the Firebird 2 dll and suddenly you get the Firebird 1.5 dll. If you are using Windows Installer then an older dll should not overwrite a later dll, but you are still at risk of someone using a broken installation script from another source. However, the big risk is of an installation of a Firebird 1.5 client into its standard folder (which is not the same as the Firebird 2 installation folder and hence won't be trapped by Windows Installer) and then the installer overwriting the registry key that you were using to find the dll, or switching the environment path. Windows Installer does not protect either of these and if the writer of a Firebird 1.5 installation package did not foresee that the installation folder could change while the registry did not, then this can easily happen. An apology - I did not foresee this event in my Firebird 1.5 merge modules prior to the new 1.5.4 modules (20-20 hindsight is a gift only given to critics and lawyers) - and now you know why these Merge Modules come labeled with NO WARRANTEE. Again, the safest way to avoid a stealth upgrade is to locate fbclient.dll in your application installation folder.
3. gds32.dll confusion
If you rename fbclient.dll to gds32.dll and patch it to version 6.3 - so that Delphi 7 doesn't complain - then you are at risk as soon as you put it in the Windows System32 folder. This is a sensible place for a development computer but not on a user system. In Windows System32 you are always at risk from an InterBase 7 application installing a version 7 of this dll and throwing yours away. The more Firebird and InterBase diverge the worst are the consequences. If you need to rename fbclient to gds32 then put it in your application installation folder.
Even here is not ideal. Patching the version needs to be done carefully so that when you want to install a later version you can do so without causing problems with Delphi 7. Rename it to 6.3 but make sure that the last number in the version number sequence is the Firebird build number. At least then you will have a reasonable chance of being able to upgrade it when the time comes.
4. fbclient and fbembed confusion
The easy way to use fbembed.dll is to rename it fbclient.dll (or even gds32.dll). Ok this works, and as long as it is done for consenting applications in the privacy of their own installation folder then no harm should follow. But don't put it anywhere else. Put a renamed fbembed in the Windows System folder and you are at risk of a stealth upgrade to the real fbclient.dll. The same is true of the Firebird installation folder. If your users can choose the installation folder then you are also at risk of a user installing a similar application in the same folder but with the normal fbclient.dll and creating hours of fun for your support desk. If your application uses the embedded server then why not just load fbembed.dll
5. firebird.msg and firebird.conf confusion
Putting fbclient.dll in your application installation folder insulates you from many of the problems discussed above but there is a still another gotcha waiting for the unwary. This is the location of the firebird.msg and the firebird.conf files. Both fbembed.dll and fbclient.dll want access to both of these files, but they differ in how they locate them.
Both start by checking the FIREBIRD environment variable. If this is set then it is assumed to be the path for the folder in which these files are located. If this is not set then fbembed.dll looks in the same folder in which it is located. On the other hand, fbclient first checks the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Firebird Project\Firebird Server\Instances\DefaultInstance and, if this is present assumes that its value is the full pathname for the folder in which it can find these files. Otherwise, it looks in the parent folder for the application executable.
For fbembed.dll it is usually safe enough to to place firebird.msg and the firebird.conf in the application installation folder alongside fbembed.dll. However, with fbclient.dll you are at risk from stealth upgrades and downgrades replacing them or redirecting the registry to a different version. For most installations this won't be much if a problem. With firebird.msg the worse case should be that an error message text is missing. However, if you rely on firebird.conf for, for example, a non-standard tcp port setting then you are at risk.
If you place fbclient.dll in the application installation folder then the safest thing to do is to place firebird.msg and the firebird.conf in the application installation folder alongside fbclient.dll and before you call the dll from your application, set the FIREBIRD environment variable to the path to the installation folder.