6.1.2. TCP/IP connection strings

A TCP/IP connection string consists of:

  1. a server name or IP address

  2. an optional slash (“/”) plus port number or service name

  3. a colon (“:”)

  4. either the absolute path + filename on the server machine, or an alias defined on the server machine.

Examples:

  • On Linux/Unix:

    1. pongo:/opt/firebird/examples/empbuild/employee.fdb
    3. bongo/3052:fury
    5. 112.179.0.1:/var/Firebird/databases/butterflies.fdb
    7. localhost:blackjack.fdb

  • On Windows:

    1. siamang:C:\Biology\Data\Primates\Apes\populations.fdb
    3. sofa:D:\Misc\Friends\Rich\Lenders.fdb
    5. inca/fb_db:D:\Traffic\Roads.fdb
    7. 127.0.0.1:Borrowers

Notice how the aliased connection strings don’t give any clue about the server OS. And they don’t have to, either: you talk to a Linux Firebird server just like you talk to a Windows Firebird server. In fact, specifying an explicit database path is one of the rare occasions where you have to be aware of the difference.