In /etc/init.d/firebird

  LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.2.5
  export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL
            

That takes care of the server instance.

You need to have the LD_ASSUME_KERNEL environment variable set up within the local environment as well, so add the following to /etc/profile, to ensure every user picks it up for the command line utilities.

after

  HISTSIZE=1000
            

add

  LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.2.5
            

On the following line, export it (this is all in one line):

 export PATH USER LOGNAME MAIL HOSTNAME
     HISTSIZE INPUT_RC LD_ASSUME_KERNEL
            

the user 'firebird' has to have write permission to the directory in which you want to create the database.

the recommended value of the DatabaseAccess attribute in the /opt/firebird/firebird.conf file should be set to None, to permit access only through entries in the aliases.conf file.

use entries in aliases.conf to abstract users from the physical locations of databases.

If a directory that is owned by the user 'firebird' does not exist, then change to root user and create the directory:

 $su - root
 $mkdir -p /var/firebird
 $chown firebird:firebird /var/firebird
            

Create a new physical database and set up an alias entry to point to it. As root or firebird user, run the following script:

 $cd /opt/firebird/bin
 $./createAliasDB.sh test.fdb /var/firebird/test.fdb
            

(Usage is: createAliasDB.sh <dbname> <pathtodb>)

As an alternative (for step 2) the steps in the createAliasDB.sh script can be performed manually by:

 $vi /opt/firebird/aliases.conf
            

and add the line at the end of the file:

 test.fdb /var/firebird/test.fdb
            

Then create the database:

$/opt/firebird/bin/isql -u sysdba -p <password>
SQL>create database 'localhost:test.fdb';
SQL>quit;
            

If the DatabaseAccess value in /opt/firebird/firebird.conf is set to Full or a restricted path value (for example: DatabaseAccess=/var/firebird) another alternative to step 2 is to create the physical database file directly, using the absolute path with the filename:

 $/opt/firebird/bin/isql -u sysdba -p <password>
 SQL>create database '/var/firebird/test.fdb';
 SQL>quit;
            

If you use this configuration, the database file can also be directly accessed without an entry in the aliases file:

$/opt/firebird/bin/isql -u sysdba -p <password>
SQL>connect '/var/firebird/test.fdb';
SQL>quit;