==================================

Firebird 1.5.2       (Win32 Build)

==================================

 

 

o Introduction

o Stability

o Installation of the binary package

o Installing from the zip package

o Installation of the embedded server

o Known Issues

o SQL Language documentation

o Reporting Bugs

o Requesting New Features

 

 

Introduction

============

 

Welcome to Firebird 1.5.2. This the second maintenance

release of Firebird 1.5. Full details of the fixes and

minor enhancements in this release are contained in the

release notes. These are in the doc/ directory.

 

 

Stability

=========

 

Firebird 1.5 is the first version of Firebird compiled

with C++. It has been through a long beta and release

candidate cycle and is considered to be as stable as

its predecessor, Firebird 1.0.3. No major problems have

been discovered since the original release of Firebird

1.5.0 and as such it is considered as stable as or

better than the last release of Firebird 1 (v1.0.3).

 

There is no reason to be concerned about using this

maintenance release in a production environment.

However, before installing ANY new software into a

production environment it should be always be tested

properly on a development system. This is standard

practice.

 

 

Installing the self-installing executable

=========================================

 

Please run the executable and read the accompanying

installation instructions that are contained within the

setup wizard. After installation you will find this

document as doc/installation_readme.txt. More detailed

information is in the release notes.

 

Many changes have been implemented in this release. If

you have an existing installation of Firebird

(including a v.1.5 beta or release candidate) you must

read the latest release notes and understand the new

names and locations of all binaries and associated

files. This applies to both server and client

installations.

 

Do not install this version "over the top" of an

existing Firebird or InterBase installation.

 

 

Installing from the zip package

===============================

 

Please follow the instructions in

doc/README_installation.txt for installing the zip

package. (This document is only shipped with the zip

package.)

 

 

Installation of the embedded server

===================================

 

The embedded server is designed to be installed as part

of an existing application. See doc/README_embedded.txt

for more information on how to deploy the embedded

server. (This document is only shipped with the

embedded package.)

 

 

Known Issues

============

 

Client library

--------------

Some legacy Windows tools will not recognise the client

library fbclient.dll and/or will not find it in its

default location, now the ..\bin directory beneath the

Firebird root. For example, the Borland IBConsole

program will not work with fbclient.dll, even if it is

copied to the system directory and renamed to

gds32.dll.

 

The Windows kits contain a program named instclient.exe

that can be used to build a "legacy-compatible"

gds32.dll and optionally install it to your system

directory. It is essential to read the release notes

and the accompanying README_library_install.txt (in the

..\doc subdirectory) before performing this change.

 

UDFs and Blob Filters

---------------------

Security changes in this version may cause your UDFs to

be invisible to the server until their location is

configured in firebird.conf. For more information, read

the annotations in firebird.conf and the documentation

in the release notes.

 

 

SQL Language Documentation

==========================

New language features, keywords, extensions and

restrictions introduced in this release are documented

in detail in the release notes.

 

 

Reporting Bugs

==============

 

o Are you sure you understand how Firebird works?

 

  Perhaps you are seeing the correct behaviour and you

  really have a support question. In this case contact

  the firebird-support list server.

 

  You may subscribe here:

 

    mailto:firebird-support-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

 

o Still think it is a bug?

 

  Check the list of Open Bugs. This can be found in the

  Firebird bug tracker:

 

    http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=9028&atid=109028

 

Otherwise, if you are reasonably sure it is a bug then

please try to develop a reproducible test case. You can

then submit it to the bug tracker.

 

 

Requesting New Features

=======================

 

Before submitting feature requests please review the

existing feature request list. Chances are that someone

has already thought of it. Use this link to review a

current list and submit new request, if necessary:

 

  http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=9028&atid=359028