Two versions with the same power.
Part of the confusion about IB capabilities seem to stem from the fact that some versions of Delphi come with Local Interbase (LIBS) and only the C/S version (now renamed Enterprise) comes with Interbase Client/Server. In fact, this is the same product but with network limitations in the case of LIBS.There is an increase in the number of RDBMS vendors offering shrunken version of their corporate engines with the purpose of attracting developers. However, these little version, often denominated "Personal versions", are only for development and lack some capabilities of the full product or simply they expose a subset of the available options.
With Interbase, you have two versions:
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Interbase Server, the product for small to medium companies. In Windows, previous versions were known as IB WorkGroup Server. |
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Local Interbase, known as LIBS. This is the same product, accepts the same commands and exposes the same API. The only difference is it only accepts local connections, namely, connections from the same machine where LIBS is running. This is for standalone applications and gives you a full C/S model with all the features IB Server has. |
Both versions support the most common protocols:
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TCP/IP, for heterogeneous or medium to large networks or for Internet connections. |
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NetBEUI, for Microsoft networks, although TCP/IP is recommended |
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IPX/SPX, for Novell Netware and other platforms running the same protocol. |
In addition, where it's possible, IB is able to make a Local Connection. This means if the server and the user are in the same machine, the network protocol may be bypassed and a direct connection is established between the client and the server by means of more effective facilities provided by the operating system. This frees you from installing TCP/IP or any other network protocol on a standalone PC, for example, when you are using LIBS or simply won't use a network with IB Server until your customer decides to go into full multi user mode.
And remember, the fact you get either LIBS or the full IB Server on your Delphi or BCB CD-ROM with the rights to only develop your applications doesn't mean you were given IB only as a learning tool. If your requirements are less than 300 concurrent users and less than 300 GB in one database and you can afford a little performance decrease when compared with products that cost you ten or thirty times more but at the same time you have features not found on big RDBMS offerings, then you can purchase IB Server for your network plus the appropriate number of licenses and deploy effortessly or you can deploy standalone and embedded applications by purchasing LIBS.