Because backup and archiving is not a one-size fits all solution, the BRU products are individually designed to meet all needs. Out of the box, BRU Server™ v2.0.6 software supports unlimited data amounts for backup with no additional fees in single BRU archives up to 16 exabytes each. The BRU engine natively powers our macOS backup software solutions, our Linux backup software solutions, as well as providing the reliability, speed, and power behind our tape hardware and disk storage solutions. BRU Server™ v2.0.6 software supports users' existing hardware or cloud storage services, and is also available bundled with tape and disk RAID hardware with the TOLIS Group BRU Server™, or solutions.
BRU Server™ is also available pre-configured on our personal cloud-based backup appliance. Our hardware/software bundles provide a single source of support help and warranty services for all items related to the backup/archiving task. For medical, law enforcement, government, and other business types who's needs require specialized archive services to access data from network storage locations to a central network archive and restore archived data back to the network storage locations are available as well.
BRU Server™ v2.0.6 never assumes that the data you write to disk or tape is data that is actually recoverable and provides the assurance that the data you think you have backed up can actually be restored. BRU's error recovery algorithms used when writing to tape provide reliability mechanisms unlike any other backup product on the market. BRU can even restore data from the readable portions of a physically damaged tape. These features are discussed in depth in our white papers titled:. What makes BRU better than all other formats? BRU is the fastest software format available.
Streaming SAS LTO-7 and LTO-8 speed at 322MB/sec+ (see more details about ), and LTO-6 at over 160MB/sec+ with ArGest® hardware, BRU and TOLIS Group drivers for the HighPoint HBAs. Even better performance and lower latency is seen with BRU and Fibre Channel LTO-7 and 8 tape. True cross platform recoverability. All BRU archives are verifiable and restorable on any OS BRU supports (there are currently 24 of those), and with any version of BRU regardless of the OS they were created on. BRU is fully backwards compatible, and BRU will never leave you with archives tied to a data set, specific OS, version, or type of hardware.
Verifiability and error recovery for restore. BRU archives are properly and fully verifiable on any OS BRU supports at any time, and is the only backup tool that can recover from errors–if a bad bit is detected on your media, BRU advances in device block increments until it can read and restore the data once again without aborting your restore. And if your archive spans multiple tapes, and you lose a tape to damage or theft, BRU will restore all the rest of the data from all the tapes you have, something no other product will do. With BRU, you have a source for help and a company that has been committed to data backup and restore since 1985. BRU supports almost all tape devices, VTL, cloud, and and disk storage out of the box.
Full support for SAN configurations and live database backup on Linux, macOS, Unix, and Windows with the. BRU also provides multiple workflow options for backup/archiving/restore of the same or different data simultaneously. BRU Server™ supports any number of tape drives attached, and up to 99 tape slots in a single library out of the box, for 100+ tape slots enabled on a library, add the 100+ tape slot add on to unlock 100-an unlimited number of tape slots supported. Special needs. All special characters, ACLs, special attributes, permissions, and foreign language characters (including left to right languages) are correctly handled by BRU. Integration with major DAM/MAM solutions for our.
Support for LTO, Disk, and Cloud backup configurations Graphical User Interfaces Control BRU Server from macOS, Linux and Windows systems. High performance tape drive I/O support provides the highest levels of throughput to high-performance devices such as LTO, SAIT, SDLT, and others. Streams SAS LTO-7 and LTO-8 at 322 MB/sec (read more about our ), LTO-6 at over 160MB/sec, both over the rated drive speed when using BRU software, ArGest® hardware and our exclusive HighPoint RS6328 or RR4522 with the TOLIS Group Drivers. Even better performance and lower latency is seen with BRU and Fibre Channel LTO-7 and 8 tape. Industry's shortest backup window (fully verified backups) by using Disk Staging and BRU Server's zero impact verify (Anytime Verify™) data verification Low overhead allows multiple BRU processes to write to multiple storage devices simultaneously with very little impact on system performance. Intelligent cataloging provides a powerful query capability to quickly recover select files contained in archives. Client system backups are not interleaved, thereby further shortening the time to restore selected files.
Ultra-reliable BRU™ engine delivers unparalleled data protection reliability and restorability of the protected data Backups can be 100% verified without access to the original file systems, either immediately after a backup or even years later. See more about verification with our white paper. Anytime Verify™ and Inspect Mode backup verification options can be run as a zero impact process, freeing up the client systems faster.
Broad compatibility - backups can be verified and restored on a different system, and even on a different platform Backups can be committed to a disk staging area at primary storage subsystem performance levels - virtually eliminating perceived backup windows at the client system level Proven data restorability of BRU technology - corrupt data is reported, circumvented, and the restore continues unless the tape drive is physically unable to proceed Catalogs copied to tape in addition to the server HDD to provide enhanced availability to backup data should the server system HDD fail. BRU Server's 'server component' runs natively on Linux, Solaris, IRIX and macOS.
The Agent component is installed on all machines that are to be backed up by BRU Server. Those machines become clients of the BRU Server Server machine (including that machine itself if it to be backed up). The BRU Server server component with BRU Server Agents for all Unix-based (including macOS) and Windows systems protects the critical information residing across your client/server based network. The BRU Server Graphical 'console component' can be installed on any number of systems to manage BRU Server's operation. The proven reliability of BRU technology coupled with the proven reliability of a Unix-based operating system creates a backup system of unsurpassed uptime and availability to archived data. BRU Server's Windows Open File Manager is available to back up live databases such as Exchange Server, SQL Server, FileMaker, Oracle, Sybase, Active Directory and others running on Windows client systems. BRU Server supports all forms of archive storage including disk, tape, virtual tape libraries, NAS and SAN devices.
The built-in architecture supports D2D, D2T, and D2D2T without the requirement of expensive add on licenses. Regardless of the filesystem or storage connection type, if your operating system can read and write the files in your storage environment all BRU solutions will properly backup and restore the media data stored on those storage systems. BRU solutions will support all special attributes, naming conventions, metadata, and application specific typing for both backup and restore.
BRU also acts as an early warning tool. When the storage subsystem is having filesystem corruption or errors that other applications ignore or don't report, BRU does. This is because of the way BRU solutions interface with the actual filesystem data.
BRU will report these issues and often identify previously undiagnosed problems with your storage environment that would otherwise not be recognized until it was too late. The concept of Synthetic Backups sounds attractive on the surface—however; the implications for long-term archive storage and recoverability of data are significant. All of our BRU solutions have the ability to perform backups to a user's/organization's requirement, unlike tools that do not provide the necessary flexibility and 'force' backups to be done in a manner defined by the software tool. BRU products allow you to easily define full, differential, and incremental backups to meet your organization's requirements. They are easily scheduled, and the frequency is user controlled. So, depending on the particular needs of your organization, backups can be performed at virtually any frequency that makes sense.
The idea of performing a single full backup and then only performing incremental backups for long periods - 12 months or more - may sound good from a backup standpoint, but what happens when you discover that elements of the backup required for a complete recover have become unrecoverable or are simply missing? BRU's 29 years of backup experience with large system environments has shown that performing a full backup only one time in months, or years at worst, dramatically reduces the reliability of the restore—or at a minimum, drastically increases the time to a complete system recovery. Performing full backups on a more regular basis with intervening incremental or differential backups will keep your data fresh and increase the reliability and availability of data for restoration. It is the user's option to perform full backups on any defined schedule; however, BRU's unmatched speed and lightweight process allows those full, incremental, or differential backups to occur without impact to your network. The concept of Single Instance Backup/De-Duplication is the conservation of backup media — only one copy of a file common across systems is backed-up.
The loss of a 'single instance' file means that file is forever gone and is no longer available to support the restoring of a system or systems that utilize that particular file. This approach is not consistent with our philosophy to assure the restorability of each and every system's data. In addition to the fallibility of the Single Instance Backup/De-Duplication concept, there are significant operational issues. The strategy still requires a complete full backup be done initially and that consumes disk capacity without a minimized-use benefit.
Prior to a subsequent backup operation beginning, a lengthy scan of each system must be performed and this process can literally take hours before the first bit is backed-up. Data restores are also very slow because the data system must work through all of the pointers.
And finally, to write to a tape that is directly recoverable, the de-duped streams must be reconstituted to original form and no economy-of-capacity is realized. BRU Server handles de-duplication properly and quickly through properly handled incremental backup.
If it's already on a previous backup, and it hasn't changed, BRU won't back it up again until you tell it to, or perform a new full backup. There are no dependency constraints between full, incremental or differential archives when performing restore operations. Each BRU Server archive is a complete and separate entity from other archives. Thus, it is not required to have the full archive on-site in order to restore from an incremental or differential backup.
When performing backup operations, once a full backup is completed, the full backup does not need to be on-site in order to perform incremental or differential backups. This allows you to free up slots inside of your tape library or change hard disks for offsite storage. BRU Server provides native support of most modern tape drive and library configurations. Because of TOLIS Group's partnership with tape device manufacturers, we have early access to future tape technology. This access assures you of BRU's reliable support before the new technologies hit the streets. BRU Server supports tape libraries with up to 100 slots by default, for larger units the BRU Server Enterprise-class library add-on is required. There are no additional fee in related to the amount of data that needs to be backed up.
No two organizations are alike, nor do they have the same requirements of a backup system other than the requirement of reliability. BRU Server provides the flexibility to administer the backup strategy via the macOS, Linux, Windows or Solaris graphical user interfaces or by using the character-based interfaces. BRU Server is also fully scriptable from the command line. These interfaces provide access to BRU Server's robust functionality, and backups can be administered locally, or remotely. Compatibility with most modern SCSI, SAS and Fibre Channel tape drives. Compatibility with most modern tape technologies (i.e.
LTO, DLT, SDLT, AIT, SAIT, VXA). Compatibility with most modern SCSI, SAS and Fibre Channel libraries containing any number of tape drives.
Full support for WORM media–if you have data that needs to be archived in a non modifiable, non erasable manner, LTO WORM (write once read many) tape technology ensures that once data is written to a tape it can only be removed or deleted by physical destruction of the tape itself. All BRU products recognize and support this technology. Support any number of tape slots in a library. Support of multiple libraries attached to the system running BRU Server - no special licensing is required. The ability to define 'Destinations' as a fixed set of slots. The assignment of 'Destinations' from a pool of free slots as needed.
The allocation of slots within a tape library in an arbitrary manner. Ability to define and exclude from use sets of tape cartridge slots.
Ability to write concurrent, non-interleaved data streams to multiple tape drives within a tape library. Support of variable block mode to allow modern tape drives to achieve their maximum performance potential. TapeAlert™ notifications to monitor and report connectivity issues, dirty tape drives, bad tape drives, and bad tapes.
Bar code reader support†. Unique Drive Autobalancing™ that spreads loads across multiple drives within a library to assure enhanced library hardware uptime, preventing the overuse of a single drive mechanism. An efficient data layout on tape to optimize utilization of tape cartridge capacity.
Spanning tapes is handled properly on backup and on restore-even if it is a single file that is actually spanning the tape. By default, tapes are overwritten in a backup destination only when older than the last full backup, assuring retention of the most recent data. Tape life is extended because erasure is not required like other tools - BRU Server's policy to overwrite renders the existing data on tape irretrievable. See our white paper about the value of using tape -.Libraries (single or multiple attached) that have 100 or more slots require the large library support add-on.Special licensing is not required for multiple libraries unless the total number of slots of all attached libraries is 100 or more. †For libraries only and library must have a barcode reader installed. BRU Open File Manager (OFM) for Windows Certified for use with Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8, 10, as well as Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2012, 2016.
The BRU Open File Manager (OFM) is a robust open file utility for Windows systems that gives BRU Server and bruAPP™ Backup Appliance the power to backup any open, locked, or in-use files, ensuring that your business will run without interruption twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. BRU OFM was designed to work in high trafficked areas that receive hundreds of thousands of requests per hour. BRU OFM is cost effective and scalable from workstation to server. BRU OFM's advanced caching methods protect your backups from corruption and keep relational file integrity in tact for your mission critical data stored in databases and email servers such as MS SQL, MySQL, Oracle, Active Directory and Exchange. This data requires batch caching to keep log files and data synchronized at backup time. You will no longer need to have users logout of the network, close a program at backup time or have skipped files.
Windows-Based Client Systems The BRU OFM module for Windows clients allows the BRU Server Agent to backup all open files, regardless of the application currently using them. Platforms such as Exchange, SQL Server, Filemaker, Oracle, Sybase, DB2, Active Directory, and even simple open files used in Word or Excel can be properly backed up transparent to the user and the application. Also, BRU OFM requires no additional disk space for operation.
You only need a BRU OFM license for those Windows clients that require open file backup support. Windows 64-bit Support Intel and AMD 64bit Processors BRU OFM is compatible with both Intel and AMD 64 bit processors environments, including IA64. Simply install BRU OFM onto any machine and it will auto detect which driver to install. Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper V Supprt BRU OFM is compatible with the Microsoft Hyper-V Support that is used on Windows Server 2008 for virtual machine support. File System, Networked Computer and Mapped Drive Support BRU OFM was designed to work in a heterogeneous computing environment, by offering support for both Windows file systems (NTFS, FAT32) and network file systems.
BRU OFM will also support a networked computing environment by allowing access to open, locked and in-use files over mapped drives and networked computers. Installing BRU OFM on computer A and computer B, would allow computer A to backup exclusive, in-use and locked files residing on computer B. How it Works How the BRU OFM Works BRU OFM monitors the file system for any read requests that will come from BRU Server Agent. Once BRU OFM detects a backup to a locked or exclusively opened file, BRU OFM will allow access to the file.
The application that has the file locked continues to store the information directly to disk as usual. Once the backup of the locked file has begun, BRU OFM will automatically cache old overwritten data to a temporary location. At this point BRU Server and the application see the file differently. The application that has the file locked see's all changes that it makes to the file as it would without BRU OFM installed.
On the other hand, the BRU Server see's the file as it originally would when the backup first began, without any of the new changes. See the white paper,. Unix-Based Client Systems (includes macOS) The BRU OFM is only available for Windows systems, however, on Unix systems pre and post scripts may be run before and after a backup operation to freeze the state of a database that is running when the backup is to be executed. This allows you to freeze the tables or export the database content to an intermediate, or flat file for backup. While in a frozen state, most database applications will cache any user changes and then commit them once the backup is completed and the tables are unfrozen.
The pre and post scripts may be written in any programming language including sh, python, Applescript, C, and more. For more information about BRU Server pre and post scripts, please see the Miscellaneous Setup Considerations section in the BRU Server Admin Guide. How to Choose the Correct BRU Server Software Package As a true client/server product, BRU Server is composed of three distinct components. The Server Component is installed on the machine that will be attached to the storage device (tape or disk). The Agent Component is installed on any machines that are to be backed up as clients of the BRU Server server machine, including the machine with the Server Component installed if that machine is to be backed up as well. The GUI Management Console is installed on any machine, Mac, Linux or Windows that can communicate with the BRU Server server machine on the network and is used to manage and control all operations of BRU Server.
It is not required to run the BRU server console app on the BRU Server server system. BRU Server software packages are identical in operation and are only differentiated by the number of included clients with the initial package purchased. All BRU Server packages, except for the single system support BRU Server Desktop Edition, may have additional clients added as the need for more systems to be backed up grows.
The client machines may be any OS supported by BRU Server and version of the OS (desktop or server) makes no difference to BRU Server. BRU Server, out of the box backs up an unlimited amount of data with no additional fees. BRU Server works with existing hardware or cloud services and is also available bundled with tape and disk storage hardware in TOLIS Group's for single source shopping, warranty and support help on all items related to the backup/archiving task. For our Media and Entertainment Customers looking for Digital/Media Asset Management options, please visit our. BRU Server Destkop Edition provides the full BRU Server functionality for single system backups.
Choose this option if you are backing up one system and do not plan to back up additional systems as clients of the BRU Server machine. BRU Server Desktop Edition is selected most often by customers pulling data from a central repository and backing that data up to another storage source such as tape. Pricing Option 1: BRU Server Desktop Edition with single system support, includes 30 days of support help and free product updates. Linux Part #60048 $499USD macOS Part# 60029 $499USD Pricing Option 2: BRU Server Desktop Edition with single system support, includes 12 months of support help and free product updates. When this option is selected, a savings of $180 over ordering support separately applies, if support is ordered later, full price of support applies. Linux Part #60048-S $598USD macOS Part# 60029-S $598USD Extended Support (includes unlimited phone and ticket system help), part # 60044 $279USD/12 months, renewal discounts apply Upgrade from a previous version of BRU or different version of BRU, please call 480-505-0488 or email For Education, Government, ORG discounts or bulk licenses purchases, please call 480-505-0488 or email Ready to order? Pick the part # desired!
TOLIS Group accepts Visa and MasterCard. BRU Server Basic Edition provides the base level entry for full BRU Server functionality with small networks and ships with 2 client licenses. Additional clients may be added, however, users expecting to have more than 7 client systems should look at Network Edition with 25 clients or the Enterprise Edition with 200 clients depending on their client needs. Pricing Option 1: BRU Server Basic Edition with 2 clients, includes 30 days of support help and free product updates.
Linux Part #60049 $599USD macOS Part# 60030 $599USD Pricing Option 2: BRU Server Basic Edition with 2 clients, includes 12 months of support help and free product updates. When this option is selected, a savings of $180 over ordering support separately applies, if support is ordered later, full price of support applies. Linux Part #60049-S $698USD macOS Part# 60030-S $698USD Extended Support (includes unlimited phone and ticket system help), part # 60044 $279USD/12 months, renewal discounts apply Upgrade from a previous version of BRU or different version of BRU, please call 480-505-0488 or email For Education, Government, ORG discounts or bulk licenses purchases, please call 480-505-0488 or email Ready to order?
Pick the part # desired! TOLIS Group accepts Visa and MasterCard.
BRU Server Network Edition provides full BRU Server functionality with medium networks and ships with 25 client licenses. Additional clients may be added. Pricing Option 1: BRU Server Network Edition with 25 clients, includes 30 days of support help and free product updates. Linux Part #60050 $1,099USD macOS Part# 60031 $1,099USD Pricing Option 2: BRU Server Basic Edition with 25 clients, includes 12 months of support help and free product updates. When this option is selected, a savings of $270 over ordering support separately applies, if support is ordered later, full price of support applies.
Linux Part #60050-S $1,398USD macOS Part# 60031-S $1,398USD Extended Support (includes unlimited phone and ticket system help), part # 60042 $569USD/12 months, renewal discounts apply Upgrade from a previous version of BRU or different version of BRU, please call 480-505-0488 or email For Education, Government, ORG discounts or bulk licenses purchases, please call 480-505-0488 or email Ready to order? Pick the part # desired! TOLIS Group accepts Visa and MasterCard. BRU Server Enterprise Edition provides full BRU Server functionality with larger networks and ships with 200 client licenses.
Additional clients may be added. Pricing Option 1: BRU Server Enterprise Edition with 200 clients, includes 30 days of support help and free product updates. Linux Part #60052 $4,999USD macOS Part# 60032 $4,999USD Pricing Option 2: BRU Server Enterprise Edition with 200 clients, includes 12 months of support help and free product updates.
When this option is selected, a savings of $629 over ordering support separately applies, if support is ordered later, full price of support applies. Linux Part #60052-S $5,799USD macOS Part# 60032-S $5,799USD Extended Support (includes unlimited phone and ticket system help), part # 60046 $1,429USD/12 months, renewal discounts apply Upgrade from a previous version of BRU or different version of BRU, please call 480-505-0488 or email For Education, Government, ORG discounts or bulk licenses purchases, please call 480-505-0488 or email Ready to order? Pick the part # desired!
TOLIS Group accepts Visa and MasterCard. BRU Server Media and Entertainment Edition provides full BRU Server functionality to users with creative assets to protect, and when DAM/MAM is in use.
CatDV, DAX Broadcast Archive, and Axle are currently supported DAM/MAM packages, and TOLIS Group also sells our integrated hardware/software bundles for single source shipping, warranty and support help for all items. Additional BRU Server clients may be added as needed to back up additional machines on the network, or our media and entertainment customers may instead choose the 2 client (Basic Edition), 25 client (Network Edition), or 200 client (Enterprise Edition) as their BRU Server choice for a larger immediate client count integration, while providing the same functionality. Pricing Option 1: BRU Server Media and Entertainment Edition, with 1 client and 30 days of support help and free product updates. Linux Part #60048-ME $499USD macOS Part# 60029-ME $499USD Pricing Option 2: BRU Server Media and Entertainment Edition with 1 client, includes 12 months of support help and free product updates. When this option is selected, a savings of $180 over ordering support separately applies, if support is ordered later, full price of support applies.
Linux Part #60048-MS $598USD macOS Part# 60029-MS $598USD Extended Support (includes unlimited phone and ticket system help), part # 60044 $279USD/12 months, renewal discounts apply Upgrade from a previous version of BRU or different version of BRU, please call 480-505-0488 or email For Education, Government, ORG discounts or bulk licenses purchases, please call 480-505-0488 or email Ready to order? Pick the part # desired! TOLIS Group accepts Visa and MasterCard. BRU Server Additional clients are available for any client OS BRU supports.
We do not differentiate between client/desktop/server versions of an OS, to BRU a client is only a machine. Part# 60034 1-4 clients $100USD each Part# 60035 5 pack $375USD ($75USD each) Part# 60036 10 pack $550USD ($55USD each) Part# 60037 25 pack $1,050USD ($42USD each) Part# 60038 50 pack $1,900USD ($38USD each) Part# 60039 100 pack $3,000USD ($30USD each) For Education, Government, ORG discounts or bulk licenses purchases, please call 480-505-0488 or email Ready to order? Pick the part # desired! TOLIS Group accepts Visa and MasterCard.
In, Open Database Connectivity ( ODBC) is a standard (API) for accessing (DBMS). The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems. An application written using ODBC can be ported to other platforms, both on the client and server side, with few changes to the data access code. ODBC accomplishes DBMS independence by using an ODBC driver as a translation layer between the application and the DBMS. The application uses ODBC functions through an ODBC driver manager with which it is linked, and the driver passes the to the DBMS. An ODBC driver can be thought of as analogous to a printer driver or other driver, providing a standard set of functions for the application to use, and implementing DBMS-specific functionality. An application that can use ODBC is referred to as 'ODBC-compliant'.
Any ODBC-compliant application can access any DBMS for which a driver is installed. Drivers exist for all major DBMSs, many other data sources like systems and, and even for text or (CSV) files. ODBC was originally developed by and during the early 1990s, and became the basis for the (CLI) standardized by in the and field. ODBC retained several features that were removed as part of the CLI effort.
Full ODBC was later ported back to those platforms, and became a considerably better known than CLI. The CLI remains similar to ODBC, and applications can be ported from one platform to the other with few changes.
Contents. History Before ODBC The introduction of the -based during the 1970s led to a proliferation of data access methods. Generally these systems operated together with a simple command processor that allowed users to type in English-like commands, and receive output. The best-known examples are from and from the project. These systems may or may not allow other applications to access the data directly, and those that did use a wide variety of methodologies. The introduction of aimed to solve the problem of language standardization, although substantial differences in implementation remained. Also, since the SQL language had only rudimentary programming features, users often wanted to use SQL within a program written in another language, say.
This led to the concept of, which allowed code to be embedded within another language. For instance, a SQL statement like SELECT. FROM city could be inserted as text within C source code, and during it would be converted into a custom format that directly called a function within a that would pass the statement into the SQL system. Results returned from the statements would be interpreted back into C data formats like char.
using similar library code. There were several problems with the Embedded SQL approach. Like the different varieties of SQL, the Embedded SQLs that used them varied widely, not only from platform to platform, but even across languages on one platform – a system that allowed calls into 's would look very different from one that called into their own. – Another key problem to the Embedded SQL concept was that the SQL code could only be changed in the program's source code, so that even small changes to the query required considerable programmer effort to modify.
The SQL market referred to this as static SQL, versus dynamic SQL which could be changed at any time, like the that shipped with almost all SQL systems, or a programming interface that left the SQL as plain text until it was called. Dynamic SQL systems became a major focus for SQL vendors during the 1980s. Older mainframe databases, and the newer based systems that were based on them, generally did not have a SQL-like command processor between the user and the database engine. Instead, the data was accessed directly by the program – a programming library in the case of large mainframe systems, or a or interactive forms system in the case of and similar applications. Data from dBASE could not generally be accessed directly by other programs running on the machine.
Those programs may be given a way to access this data, often through libraries, but it would not work with any other database engine, or even different databases in the same engine. In effect, all such systems were static, which presented considerable problems. Early efforts By the mid-1980s the rapid improvement in microcomputers, and especially the introduction of the and data-rich like led to an increasing interest in using personal computers as the client-side platform of choice in computing. Under this model, large mainframes and would be used primarily to serve up data over to microcomputers that would interpret, display and manipulate that data. For this model to work, a data access standard was a requirement – in the mainframe field it was highly likely that all of the computers in a shop were from one vendor and clients were talking directly to them, but in the micro field there was no such standardization and any client might access any server using any networking system. By the late 1980s there were several efforts underway to provide an abstraction layer for this purpose.
Some of these were mainframe related, designed to allow programs running on those machines to translate between the variety of SQL's and provide a single common interface which could then be called by other mainframe or microcomputer programs. These solutions included IBM's Distributed Relational Database Architecture and 's.
Much more common, however, were systems that ran entirely on microcomputers, including a complete that included any required networking or file translation support. One of the early examples of such a system was 's, initially known as Blueprint. Blueprint, developed for 1-2-3, supported a variety of data sources, including SQL/DS, DB2, and a variety of similar mainframe systems, as well as microcomputer systems like and the early Microsoft/Ashton-Tate efforts that would eventually develop into. Unlike the later ODBC, Blueprint was a purely code-based system, lacking anything approximating a command language like SQL.
Instead, programmers used to store the query information, constructing a query by linking many of these structures together. Lotus referred to these compound structures as query trees. Around the same time, an industry team including members from (Tom Haggin), (Jim Gray & Rao Yendluri) and Microsoft (Kyle G) were working on a standardized dynamic SQL concept.
Much of the system was based on Sybase's DB-Library system, with the Sybase-specific sections removed and several additions to support other platforms. DB-Library was aided by an industry-wide move from library systems that were tightly linked to a specific language, to library systems that were provided by the and required the languages on that platform to conform to its standards. This meant that a single library could be used with (potentially) any programming language on a given platform. The first draft of the Microsoft Data Access API was published in April 1989, about the same time as Lotus' announcement of Blueprint. In spite of Blueprint's great lead – it was running when MSDA was still a paper project – Lotus eventually joined the MSDA efforts as it became clear that SQL would become the de facto database standard. After considerable industry input, in the summer of 1989 the standard became SQL Connectivity ( SQLC). SAG and CLI In 1988 several vendors, mostly from the and database communities, formed the (SAG) in an effort to produce a single basic standard for the SQL language.
At the first meeting there was considerable debate over whether or not the effort should work solely on the SQL language itself, or attempt a wider standardization which included a dynamic SQL language-embedding system as well, what they called a (CLI). While attending the meeting with an early draft of what was then still known as MS Data Access, Kyle Geiger of Microsoft invited Jeff Balboni and Larry Barnes of (DEC) to join the SQLC meetings as well.
SQLC was a potential solution to the call for the CLI, which was being led by DEC. The new SQLC 'gang of four', MS, Tandem, DEC and Sybase, brought an updated version of SQLC to the next SAG meeting in June 1990. The SAG responded by opening the standard effort to any competing design, but of the many proposals, only had a system that presented serious competition. In the end, SQLC won the votes and became the draft standard, but only after large portions of the API were removed – the standards document was trimmed from 120 pages to 50 during this time. It was also during this period that the name Call Level Interface was formally adopted. In 1995 SQL/CLI became part of the international SQL standard, ISO/IEC 9075-3.
The SAG itself was taken over by the group in 1996, and, over time, became part of 's. MS continued working with the original SQLC standard, retaining many of the advanced features that were removed from the CLI version. These included features like, and information queries. The commands in the API were split into groups; the Core group was identical to the CLI, the Level 1 extensions were commands that would be easy to implement in drivers, while Level 2 commands contained the more advanced features like cursors. A proposed standard was released in December 1991, and industry input was gathered and worked into the system through 1992, resulting in yet another name change to ODBC. JET and ODBC During this time, Microsoft was in the midst of developing their database system.
Jet combined three primary subsystems; an -based database engine (also named Jet, confusingly), a C-based interface allowing applications to access that data, and a selection of driver (DLL) that allowed the same C interface to redirect input and output to other ISAM-based databases, like. Jet allowed using one set of calls to access common microcomputer databases in a fashion similar to Blueprint, by then renamed DataLens. However, Jet did not use SQL; like DataLens, the interface was in C and consisted of and function calls. The SAG standardization efforts presented an opportunity for Microsoft to adapt their Jet system to the new CLI standard. This would not only make Windows a premier platform for CLI development, but also allow users to use SQL to access both Jet and other databases as well.
What was missing was the SQL parser that could convert those calls from their text form into the C-interface used in Jet. To solve this, MS partnered with to use their existing query processor, SIMBA. SIMBA was used as a parser above Jet's C library, turning Jet into an SQL database. And because Jet could forward those C-based calls to other databases, this also allowed SIMBA to query other systems. Microsoft included drivers for Excel to turn its spreadsheet documents into SQL-accessible database tables.
Release and continued development ODBC 1.0 was released in September 1992. At the time, there was little direct support for SQL databases (versus ISAM), and early drivers were noted for poor performance. Some of this was unavoidable due to the path that the calls took through the Jet-based stack; ODBC calls to SQL databases were first converted from 's SQL dialect to Jet's internal C-based format, then passed to a driver for conversion back into SQL calls for the database. And both contracted to develop drivers for their databases as well. Circa 1993, shipped one of the first independently developed third-party ODBC drivers, for the, and soon followed with their UDBC (a cross-platform API equivalent of ODBC and the SAG/CLI) SDK and associated drivers for, Sybase, Oracle, and other DBMS, for use on Unix-like OS (, etc.), and other OS.
Meanwhile, the CLI standard effort dragged on, and it was not until March 1995 that the definitive version was finalized. By then, Microsoft had already granted a license to develop ODBC on non-Windows platforms. Visigenic ported ODBC to a wide variety of Unix platforms, where ODBC quickly became the de facto standard. 'Real' CLI is rare today.
The two systems remain similar, and many applications can be ported from ODBC to CLI with few or no changes. Over time, database vendors took over the driver interfaces and provided direct links to their products. Skipping the intermediate conversions to and from Jet or similar wrappers often resulted in higher performance. However, by then Microsoft had changed focus to their concept (recently reinstated ), which provided direct access to a wider variety of data sources from to text files. Several new systems followed which further turned their attention from ODBC, including (ADO) and, which interacted more or less with ODBC over their lifetimes.
As Microsoft turned its attention away from working directly on ODBC, the Unix field was increasingly embracing it. This was propelled by two changes within the market, the introduction of (GUIs) like that provided a need to access these sources in non-text form, and the emergence of database systems like and, initially under Unix. The later adoption of ODBC by Apple for using the standard Unix-side package (Jaguar) (which had been independently providing for Mac OS X 10.0 and even Mac OS 9 since 2001 ) further cemented ODBC as the standard for cross-platform data access. Used the ODBC system as the basis for their own open standard, (JDBC). In most ways, JDBC can be considered a version of ODBC for the programming language instead of. JDBC-to-ODBC bridges allow Java-based programs to access data sources through ODBC drivers on platforms lacking a native JDBC driver, although these are now relatively rare. Inversely, ODBC-to-JDBC bridges allow C-based programs to access data sources through JDBC drivers on platforms or from databases lacking suitable ODBC drivers.
ODBC today ODBC remains in wide use today, with drivers available for most platforms and most databases. It is not uncommon to find ODBC drivers for database engines that are meant to be embedded, like, as a way to allow existing tools to act as front-ends to these engines for testing and debugging. However, the rise of computing using as an intermediate format has reduced the need for ODBC. Many web development platforms contain direct links to target databases – MySQL being very common. In these scenarios, there is no direct client-side access nor multiple client software systems to support; everything goes through the programmer-supplied HTML application.
The virtualization that ODBC offers is no longer a strong requirement, and development of ODBC is no longer as active as it once was. Version history Version history:. 1.0: released in September 1992. 2.0: c. 1994.
2.5. 3.0: c. 1995, John Goodson of Intersolv and Frank Pellow and Paul Cotton of IBM provided significant input to ODBC 3.0. 3.5: c. 1997. 3.8: c. 2009, with Windows 7.
4.0: Development announced June 2016 with Drivers and Managers Drivers ODBC is based on the model, where the driver encapsulates the logic needed to convert a standard set of commands and functions into the specific calls required by the underlying system. For instance, a presents a standard set of printing commands, the API, to applications using the printing system. Calls made to those APIs are converted by the driver into the format used by the actual hardware, say.
In the case of ODBC, the drivers encapsulate many functions that can be broken down into several broad categories. One set of functions is primarily concerned with finding, connecting to and disconnecting from the DBMS that driver talks to. A second set is used to send SQL commands from the ODBC system to the DBMS, converting or interpreting any commands that are not supported internally. For instance, a DBMS that does not support can emulate this functionality in the driver.
Finally, another set of commands, mostly used internally, is used to convert data from the DBMS's internal formats to a set of standardized ODBC formats, which are based on the C language formats. An ODBC driver enables an ODBC-compliant application to use a data source, normally a DBMS. Some non-DBMS drivers exist, for such data sources as files, by implementing a small DBMS inside the driver itself. ODBC drivers exist for most DBMSs, including, (but not for the ),.
Because different technologies have different capabilities, most ODBC drivers do not implement all functionality defined in the ODBC standard. Some drivers offer extra functionality not defined by the standard. Driver Manager Device drivers are normally enumerated, set up and managed by a separate Manager layer, which may provide additional functionality. For instance, printing systems often include functionality to provide functionality on top of the drivers, providing print spooling for any supported printer. In ODBC the Driver Manager (DM) provides these features. The DM can enumerate the installed drivers and present this as a list, often in a GUI-based form. But more important to the operation of the ODBC system is the DM's concept of a Data Source Name (DSN).
DSNs collect additional information needed to connect to a specific data source, versus the DBMS itself. For instance, the same driver can be used to connect to any MySQL server, but the connection information to connect to a local private server is different from the information needed to connect to an internet-hosted public server. The DSN stores this information in a standardized format, and the DM provides this to the driver during connection requests. The DM also includes functionality to present a list of DSNs using human readable names, and to select them at run-time to connect to different resources. The DM also includes the ability to save partially complete DSN's, with code and logic to ask the user for any missing information at runtime.
For instance, a DSN can be created without a required password. When an ODBC application attempts to connect to the DBMS using this DSN, the system will pause and ask the user to provide the password before continuing.
This frees the application developer from having to create this sort of code, as well as having to know which questions to ask. All of this is included in the driver and the DSNs. Bridging configurations A bridge is a special kind of driver: a driver that uses another driver-based technology. ODBC-to-JDBC (ODBC-JDBC) bridges An ODBC-JDBC bridge consists of an ODBC driver which uses the services of a to connect to a database. This driver translates ODBC function-calls into JDBC method-calls. Programmers usually use such a bridge when they lack an ODBC driver for some database but have access to a JDBC driver.
JDBC-to-ODBC (JDBC-ODBC) bridges A JDBC-ODBC bridge consists of a which employs an ODBC driver to connect to a target database. This driver translates JDBC calls into ODBC function calls. Programmers usually use such a bridge when a given database lacks a JDBC driver, but is accessible through an ODBC driver. Included one such bridge in the, but viewed it as a stop-gap measure while few JDBC drivers existed (The built-in JDBC-ODBC bridge was dropped from the JVM in Java 8 ). Sun never intended its bridge for production environments, and generally recommended against its use. As of 2008 independent data-access vendors deliver JDBC-ODBC bridges which support current standards for both mechanisms, and which far outperform the JVM built-in. Examples:,.
OLE DB-to-ODBC bridges An OLE DB-ODBC bridge consists of an Provider which uses the services of an ODBC driver to connect to a target database. This provider translates OLE DB calls into ODBC function calls. Programmers usually use such a bridge when a given database lacks an OLE DB provider, but is accessible through an ODBC driver.
Microsoft ships one, MSDASQL.DLL, as part of the, together with other database drivers, to simplify development in COM-aware languages (e.g. Third parties have also developed such, notably whose 64-bit OLE DB Provider for ODBC Data Sources filled the gap when Microsoft initially deprecated this bridge for their 64-bit OS. (Microsoft later relented, and 64-bit Windows starting with and have shipped with a 64-bit version of MSDASQL.) Examples:,. ADO.NET-to-ODBC bridges An ADO.NET-ODBC bridge consists of an which uses the services of an ODBC driver to connect to a target database. This provider translates ADO.NET calls into ODBC function calls.
Programmers usually use such a bridge when a given database lacks an ADO.NET provider, but is accessible through an ODBC driver. Microsoft ships one as part of the, together with other database drivers, to simplify development in. Third parties have also developed such.
See also. (JDBC).
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After more than 15 years since the last release, Microsoft is looking at updating the Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC) specification. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
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