This section describes differences when installing the database server software.

For users who have used MS SQL in the past and are new to Firebird, they will be greatly surprised when they learn how easy it is to set up Firebird. The setup process is straightforward, and you can connect to your database server immediately after setup. Note that the default system administration username is SYSDBA and the password is masterkey; in MS SQL, the username is sa and the password is empty.

Note that you don't have to select the collation and character sets when installing a Firebird server. In MS SQL, you not only have to select this option up front, but must reinstall to change it; in addition to this, many other software packages, such as Microsoft's own Commerce Server, will refuse to use the server if you select the wrong choices.

For users coming from MS SQL 6.5, Firebird has no notion of devices. All data are kept in files in the normal file system available. Note that you cannot use a raw disk partition to hold your databases.

Important Note: MS SQL uses a logging mechanism to keep database consistent and survive crashes. Firebird uses a multi-generation mechanism to create copies in-place as they are required, but these are not written immediately to disk. While this provides a considerable speed gain, you can turn Forced Writes on a per-database basis to ensure that sudden blackouts will not compromise data integrity. If your server has a reliable environment such as a dedicated Linux box, and some form of UPS, turning Forced Writes on can be ignored.