Advantage Database Server: The Official Guide

This book is for anyone who wants to create better database applications without the complexity normally associated with the client/server architecture. If you are not currently using a remote database server, you are cheating yourself if you do not give ADS a look. If you are currently using another database server, and are unhappy with the level of maintenance that it requires, you too will benefit from considering the advantages of ADS.

The CD-ROM that accompanies this book includes everything you need to give ADS a try; it includes a single-user license for the Windows NT/2000/2003, Linux, Novell NetWare, and Windows 98/ME platforms. It also includes all utilities and associated client drivers, permitting you to access this server from almost every development environment imaginable. You will also find a link on the CD-ROM that permits you to download a 5-user trial version of the ADS server, in case you want to test ADS in a multiuser environment.

If you do not need a remote database server just yet, this CD-ROM also includes ALS, the Advantage Local Server. (ALS is installed when you install any of the client drivers, with the exception of the Java client. Read the license.txt file located in the directory in which you install a client driver for further information.) ALS is a file server–based database engine that supports up to five simultaneous users, and can be deployed royalty-free. (Note, however, that the free ALS cannot be used in Internet applications or with the Advantage JDBC Java Driver.) Importantly, ALS and ADS have identical APIs (application programming interfaces), permitting you to effortlessly convert an ALS client to an ADS client. The CD-ROM also includes the sample code listings and applications described in this book.

In short, the CD-ROM has everything you need to get started with ADS today.

So buckle your seatbelt and return your seat to its full, upright position. The fun is about to begin