The command line application firebird_manage.exe runs the same operations as the GUI application. Use it for scripts and scheduled tasks.
It works on database files on this computer only. For databases on a network share or on a remote server, use the GUI application.
Opening the command prompt
- Press
Windows key + R. - Type
cmdand press Enter. - Change to the installation folder:
cd /d "C:\ProgramData\GTR mbH\Firebird-Management"
The program reads .env from its installation folder. It connects to the Firebird server named in FB_SERVER. Keep FB_SERVER=localhost, because the server must open the database file and the backup file on this computer.
Like the GUI application, the program loads one Firebird client library: FB50_CLIENT if the file exists, otherwise FB25_CLIENT. If neither file exists, it stops with an error.
Like the GUI application, the program stores its temporary backup in the Windows temp folder. See How the operations work. The current folder has no effect on the operation.
Commands
Detect Firebird installations
firebird_manage.exe --mode init
This command searches for Firebird 2.5 and 5.x and updates .env in the same way as Auto-Detect Firebird in the GUI. See Buttons. It then prints a table with the columns Version, Status, Client Version and Client DLL Path. Client Version shows the file version of fbclient.dll, for example 5.0.4.1812.
Vacuum a Firebird 2.5 database
firebird_manage.exe --mode vacuum-25 --database "C:\Path\To\Database.fdb"
Vacuum a Firebird 5.x database
firebird_manage.exe --mode vacuum-50 --database "C:\Path\To\Database.fdb"
Migrate from Firebird 2.5 to 5.x
firebird_manage.exe --mode migrate-25-50 --database "C:\Path\To\Database.fdb"
Without a Firebird 2.5 server on this computer, the program writes the backup with its own Firebird 2.5 engine. See Migration without a Firebird 2.5 server.
Command reference
| Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
--mode | Operation: init, vacuum-25, vacuum-50 or migrate-25-50 | Yes |
--database | Path to the database file. A relative path refers to the current folder. | Yes, except for init |
Started without options, the program prints its help text.
Example
cd /d "C:\ProgramData\GTR mbH\Firebird-Management"
firebird_manage.exe --mode vacuum-50 --database "C:\MyApp\Data\customers.fdb"
The program creates C:\MyApp\Data\customers.fdb_orig as a safety copy and then vacuums the database. See How the operations work.