Firebird 3.x introduces several new features and changes from previous versions, including true SMP support, improved APIs, per-database configuration, increased limits, multiple security databases, and new SQL commands. The Firebird executable is now unified, and the cache, lock, and connection behaviors are determined by new configuration parameters. Additional changes include support for new data types, functions, triggers, international characters, and IPv6. The database engine and plug-in architecture were also updated.

1. Introduzione a
firebird 3.x
Fabio Codebue
Firebird Foundation
Committe Member

2. Features and changes from 2.5.x

3. New features in 3.0
• Unification of the Firebird executable is complete
• True SMP support for SuperServer
• New, object-oriented C++ APIs
• «Per-Database» Configuration
• Increased Limits in Several Areas
• Multiple Security Databases
• Several New SQL Commands to Manage Users and Access
• International Characters in User Credentials
• New Data Type Support

4. New features in 3.0
• Manage NULL/NOT NULL Column/Domain Attribute
• Support for SQL Packages
• DDL Triggers
• «Window» functions in DML
• Statistical functions
• Scrollable Cursors
• SQL:2008-Compliant OFFSET and FETCH Clauses
• IPv6 Support
• Validation Whilst Database is On-line
• Run-time Statistics in gbak Verbose Output

5. Changes in database engine

6. Changes in firebird engine
• Unification of the Firebird executable is complete
Classic
Superserver
Superclassic Embedded
Common
library

7. Changes in firebird engine
• CHANGES
• The cache and lock behaviours that distinguish the execution
models are now determined externally by the settings in the
new configuration parameter ServerMode
• The connection method is determined by the order and
content of another parameter Providers
• the connection protocol that is deduced at run-time from
the connection string supplied
Note
databases.conf is the old aliases.conf from previous versions

8. Server modes

9. Providers
• PROVIDERS… IS LIKE WE ALREADY KNOWN
• methods used to connect a client to a server:
• across a network,
• host-locally,
• via the local loopback (“localhost”)
In firebird.conf, all are available by default, as follows:
#Providers = Remote,Engine12,Loopback
In databases.conf, one or more providers can be blocked by pasting the line
from firebird.conf,
uncommenting it, and deleting the unwanted provider[s].

10. Connection strings
• For TCP/IP (aka INET) protocol
<host> [ / <port>] : <database file path or alias>
• For named pipes (aka NetBEUI, aka WNET) protocol:
<host> [ @ <port>] <database file path or alias>
• For local connections, simply:
<database file path or alias>
• URL-Style Connection Strings – Firebird 3.0
<protocol> : // [ <host> [ : <port> ] ] ] / <database file path or alias>
<protocol> ::= INET | WNET | XNET

11. Plug-Ins
• From version 3 onward, Firebird's architecture supports plug-ins
• What is a plugin?
• a dynamic library, containing code to be loaded as a plug-in (often called a
plug-in module) and stored in the $FIREBIRD/plugins directory;
• code implementing a plug-in. That is slightly different from the library, since a
single dynamic library may contain code for more than one plug-in;
• a plug-in's factory: an object created by that code (pure virtual C++ class),
creating instances of the plugin at Firebird's request;
• an instance of the plug-in, created by its factory.

12. Plug-ins type
• user authentication related
• AuthServer (validates user's credentials on server when logins are used)
• AuthClient (prepares credentials to be passed over the wire)
• AuthUserManagement (maintains a list of users on a server in a format
known to AuthServer)
• ExternalEngine
• Trace
• Encryption
• network (WireCrypt)
• disk (DbCrypt)
• a helper plug-in (KeyHolder),
• Provider

13. Reserved word changes

14. Reserved words

15. Configuration Additions and Changes

16. Configuration Additions and Changes
• Scope of Parameters
• Per-database configuration is done in databases.conf.
• Per-connection configuration is primarily for client tool use and is done using the DPB parameter
• isc_dpb_config or, for Services, the SPB parameter isc_spb_config.
• In the case of Embedded, the DPB can be used to tune per-database entries on first attaching to a database.
• Macro Substitution
$(root): Root directory of Firebird instance
$(install): Directory where Firebird is installed. $(root) and $(install) are initially the same. $(root) can be overridden by
setting or altering the environment variable FIREBIRD, in which case it becomes different from $(install).
$(this): Directory where current configuration file is located
$(dir_conf) : Directory where firebird.conf and databases.conf are located
$(dir_secdb): Directory where the default security database is located
$(dir_plugins): Directory where plugins are located
$(dir_udf): Directory where UDFs are located by default
$(dir_sample): Directory where samples are located
$(dir_sampledb): Directory where sample DB (employee.fdb) is located
$(dir_intl): Directory where international modules are located
$(dir_msg): Directory where the messages file (firebird.msg) is located. $(dir_msg) usually should be the same as $(root)
but can be overridden by the environment variable FIREBIRD_MSG.

17. Configuration Additions and Changes
• Includes
• One configuration file can be included in another
include some_file.conf
include $(dir_plugins)/config/*.conf
• Expression of Parameter Values
• Previously, byte values were specified by default as integer, representing the
number of bytes.
• You can optionally specify them in Kilobytes, Megabytes or Gigabytes, as
appropriate, by adding K, M or G (case-insensitive).
24M is read as 25165824 (24 * 1024 * 1024).

18. “Per-database” Configuration
• Format of Configuration Entries
emp = c:Program
Filesexamplesempbuildemployee.fdb
** or **
emp =
/opt/firebird/examples/empbuild/employee.f
db
** or **
emp = $(dir_sampleDb)/employee.fdb
# Directives for MYBIGDB
MYBIGDB = opt/databases/mybigdb.fdb
{
LockMemSize = 32M # We know that MYBIGDB needs a lot of
locks
LockHashSlots = 19927 # and a hash table large enough for
them
}

19. “Per-database” Configuration

20. Parameters
• Added
• SecurityDatabase, AuthServer and AuthClient, WireCrypt, UserManager,
TracePlugin, WireCryptPluginKeyHolderPlugin, Providers, ServerMode,
RemoteAccess, WireCompression, IPv6V6Only
• Changed
• ExternalFileAccess,
• Removed or deprecated (so remove them)
• RootDirectory, LegacyHash, OldSetClauseSemantics, OldColumnNaming,
LockGrantOrder, Obsolete Windows priority settings,

21. Security

22. Location of User Lists
• Firebird now supports an unlimited number of security databases
• Use databases.conf to configure
first = /mnt/storage/first.fdb
{
SecurityDatabase = /mnt/storage/private.security.fdb
}
second = /mnt/storage/second.fdb
{
SecurityDatabase = /mnt/storage/private.security.fdb
}
• Creating an Alternative Security Database

23. Database security
• Database Encryption
• New Authentication Method in Firebird 3
• SSL/TLS Support: ni!!!
• Increased Password Length
• Authentication Plug-in

24. Pseudo-Tables with List of Users
• To access lists of users and attributes, query the virtual tables
SEC$USERS and SEC$USER_ATTRIBUTES
SELECT * FROM SEC$USERS
• or
SELECT * FROM SEC$USER_ATTRIBUTES

25. Data Definition Language (DDL)

26. DDL
• BOOLEAN Data Type
• IDENTITY-Style Column
• Manage Nullability in Domains and Columns
• Modify Generators (Sequences)
• Alter Default Character Set
• BLOB Expressions in Computed Columns
• “Linger” Database Closure for Superserver
• New option in DROP SHADOW to Preserve the Shadow File
• New SQL for Managing Users and Access Privileges

27. Data Manipulation Language (DML)

28. DML part I
• Supplemental SQL 2008 Features for MERGE
• Window (Analytical) Functions
• Advanced PLAN Output
• SUBSTRING With Regular Expressions
• Inverse Hyperbolic Trig Functions
• Statistical Functions
• Enhancements to DATEADD() Internal Function
• TRIM() BLOB Arguments Lose 32 KB limit

29. DML part II
• Alternatives for Embedding Quotes in String Literals
• SQL:2008-Compliant OFFSET and FETCH Clauses
• Prohibit Edgy Mixing of Implicit/Explicit Joins
• Support for Left-side Parameters in WHERE Clause
• RETURNING Clause Can be Aliased
• RETURNING Clause from Positioned Updates and Deletes
• Cursor Stability

30. DML part III
• Improvements for Global Temporary Tables
• Improvements for DML Strings
• COUNT() Now Returns BIGINT
• SIMILAR TO Performance Improvement
• OR'ed Parameter in WHERE Clause
• A Little Dialect 1 Accommodation
• Embedded SQL (ESQL) Enhancements

31. Procedural SQL (PSQL)

32. PSQL
• PSQL Stored Functions
• PSQL Subroutines
• Packages
• DDL Triggers
• Exceptions with Parameters
• CONTINUE in Looping Logic
• PSQL Cursor Stabilization
• PSQL Cursors as Variables
• SQLSTATE Now Valid in Exception Trap
• Some Size Limits Removed Using New API

33. Monitoring & Command-line Utilities

34. Monitoring
• MON$ATTACHMENTS: New information is now available:
• Operating system user name.
• Protocol and client library version.
• Client host name.
• authentication method used for connection (MON$AUTH_METHOD).
• MON$REMOTE_ADDRESS now contains the <IP>/<port> string
MON$DATABASE
• Database owner (MON$OWNER) added
• Security database type (MON$SEC_DATABASE) flag added. Value will be one
of Default/Self/Other
MON$STATEMENTS
• The PLAN is now included.

35. More practice and simple ntoes

36. Simple tips
• Where Are the Tools?
• On Windows, you will find all of the executable programs, including the
command-line and shell tools, in the Firebird installation (root) folder. In
previous versions they were in a folder beneath the root folder, named ..bin.
• On POSIX platforms, you will find the tools and other executable programs in
similar locations to those used for earlier versions. Exactly where depends on
the distribution you are using.
• Other Windows Changes
• fbclient.dll as gds32.dll: If your applications still require this, you will have to
do it manually.
• aliases.conf Is No More
• The file aliases.conf is replaced by databases.conf

37. So..what’s is new?
REALLY… ONE FEATURES IS NOT NEW
… IS THE BEST THING
FIREBIRD SIMPLY WORKS BETTER

38. Thanks…
Fabio Codebue
Firebird Foundation
Committe Member
f.codebue@p-soft.biz
www.p-soft.biz
Firebird Optimization www.ibsurgeon.it