Managing apps involving Sybase SQL Anywhere DBs

How Sybase SQL Anywhere works?

  1. Most of the apps that embed the SQL Anywhere DBs use’s OEM Authenticated Edition, for complete list of editions refer to this page.
  2. Consists:
    1. The SQL Anywhere server : The network server, for managing databases using a client/server arrangement on networks
    2. The SQL Anywhere engine : The database engine, for managing databases on a single computer in a standalone mode
    3. Difference: The SQL Anywhere server and SQL Anywhere engine manage databases in exactly the same way and are completely compatible. However, the SQL Anywhere engine has no support for network communications.
  3. You can use SQL Anywhere to build an installation with many applications running on different computers, connected over a network to a single network database server running on a separate computer. This is a client/server or multi-user database environment. The interface library is located on each client computer.
  4. An application developed in a standalone environment can be deployed in a multiuser network environment with no alteration to the code whatsoever.
  5. SQL Anywhere Server products support connections from many users at a time, over a network. In this case, the database engine runs on one computer (the database server computer ), while client applications run on other computers ( client computers ).  The SQL Anywhere server supports multiuser network access to SQL Anywhere.
  6. The SQL Anywhere standalone engine does not support multiuser access or network communications.
  7. If a SQL Anywhere Client is running and the network server is running on the same machine, the Client will not be used by client applications connecting on the same machine; the connection will be direct.
  8. SQL Anywhere Network Servers advertise themselves on the network via a Server Name, typically ASATSQLA. Each database, mounted on the server, is advertised via a database name or alias, typically asat. So by default, an ASAT client will attempt to search the network for a server named ASATSQLA which is running a database named asat. The ASAT client software, by default, is configured to use the IPX or TCP/IP network protocol to search the network for a SQL Anywhere Network Server.
  9. The SQL Anywhere Network Server can communicate with the rest of the world via multiple network protocols. IPX, TCP/IP, NETBIOS are the primary protocols. TCP/IP is the most widely used protocol and exhibits the best performance. TCP/IP network traffic uses TCP/IP port 1498.
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SQL Anywhere Tools and Files:

  1. The SQL Anywhere ODBC driver is named dbodbc11.dll, and it is located in install-dirbin32.
  2. You can store sets of SQL Anywhere connection parameters as an ODBC data source, in either the Windows registry or as files.
    1. If you have a data source, your connection string can name the data source to use:Data source Use the DataSourceName (DSN) connection parameter to reference a data source in the Windows registry:DSN=my-data-sourceFile data source Use the FileDataSourceName (FILEDSN) connection parameter to reference a data source held in a file:FileDSN=mysource.dsn
  3. The query console for SQL Anywhere is “Interactive SQL” (dbisqlc.exe)
  4. Server DB manager tool “SQL Anywhere Network Server” (dbsrv11.exe)
  5. Desktop DB manager tool “SQL Anywhere Personal Server” (dbeng11.exe)
  6. SQL Anywhere License Utility (dblic.exe)

Refer to SQL Anywhere 11.0.1 Components by Platform to understand what all components that are related to and supported by SQL Anywhere.

Table: SQL Anywhere files
Name Description
dbodbc11.dll SQL Anywhere ODBC driver
dbbackup.exe SQL Anywhere backup utility
dbcon11.dll Connection dialog box, required if you do not provide your own dialog box and your end users are to create their own data sources, if they need to enter user IDs and passwords when connecting to the database, or if they need to display the Connection dialog box for any other purpose
dbisqlc.exe Interactive SQL utility
dblgen11.dll Language-specific string library (EN indicates the English version)
dblib11.dll Interface library
dbtool11.dll SQL Anywhere database tools
dbunlspt.exe SQL Anywhere unload utility
dbvalid.exe SQL Anywhere validation utility
rteng11.exe Restricted runtime engine
rteng11.lic License file for restricted runtime engine
dbctrs11.dll Performance utility
dbserv11.dll Server utility

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