Need to know if interbase database file is in use or open

a few things, if you are using a windows platform, the .gdb filename is not a good idea

it this an interbase or firebird database, if you are truly using an interbase database with firebird I strongly recommend you migrate the databse to firebird as well

do you realise that you can take a backup, using the gbak command, with other clients connected

what version (1.5, 2.0, 2.1, ...) and type (classic, super server) are you running?

I am using 1.5 version of firebird...

Yes backing up while database is in use is ok...but during process i also need to restore database in current location...so for that if database is in use i won;t be able to do that.

I am not much familiar with firebird as such...but if  changing the db to firebird is a good option i would prefere to do that then.

Does firebird has any easy to use management GUI client tool.

a common mistake is to backup & restore a database without testing that the backup is in fact restoreable, the sequence should be:

take backup
test backup restores ok
move restored database to original location

why are you actually doing this backup &  restore, I normally expect to this once or twice a year.

in fact I just thought if you are doing a backup, with the gbak tool of firebird, then the database is a firebird one now anyway. If you are using the gbak to of interbase then it is still interbase.

On your question for GUI
For firebird database management you can use IBExpert.

there are several gui's, personally I like http://www.sqlly.com/

@NickUpson,
So , if you crash your database 10 days before your annual back up, you're okay with having to recover roughly 355 days worth of database transactions?  Or do you justt say, "The heck with it!", and then start over from the back up as though nothing had happened in between?

No, I take backups every night, and test that that can be recovered but that doesn't mean that you need to replace the live database every night - which was the part I refered to

My requirement is something like this...

I have a dessktop application installed in two different location...when location one finishes the work....i have to upload the web location and then on second location i download that backup and restore it there..and do the same when on second location work is done....

so database goes back and form whenever needed. thats why i need to backup. And on one location this can be a local network setup...so before backing it up i need to know if it is in use...or even before restoring the database i again need to check if current local database is in use before overwriting that.

this depends upon you using classic or superserver version of firebird, classic does not track current users as each connection has it's own copy running.

I haven't tried this but I remember that attempting to rename the database will fail if a process is using it (on windows), so that could be your test

NickUpson...you are right renaming is not allowed when database is in use...and i was doing that till now...but for that database folder has to be shared on network....if its not then this method fails...thats what happened in my situation...thats why i am looking at alternatives....

ewangoya: I will try IBDatabaseInfo i think this should work out for me,...

Thanks for your inputs..really appritiate it.

Mahesh

if superserver then checking the info should work, if classic then it cannot

Thanks for the good solution