Why is -gd all required for "Start and connect to a database on another computer"?

[Breck_Carter]

With 12.0.0.2601 dbsrv12 the default setting for the -gd option does NOT enable the ODBC Administrator - Login tab - Action: "Start and connect to a database on another computer" to work even when the user is connecting via DBA.

This contradicts the Help http://dcx.sybase.com/index.html#1200en/dbadmin/gd-database-dbengine.html which says "The default setting is all for the personal database server, and DBA for the network database server."

The explicit dbsrv12 -gd DBA option does not seem to help either.

Tests were performed using Sybase Central 12 to connect to a running database on the server, and then trying to start a second database on that server.

The "start a second database" connections failed with "Request to start/stop database denied" when -gd default and -gd DBA were used, but worked with -gd all.

Note that when -gd all is specified, no "first connection to the server from the same application" is required, and this warning from the Help topic above does NOT apply: "When this option is set to DBA, the client application must already have a connection to the database server to start or stop a database. Providing a DBA user ID and password on a new connection is not enough."

I.e., when -gd all is specified, the ODBC Administrator Test Connection button works, as does a single connection from Sybase Central 12.

===== Client DSN for connecting to a running database ddd12b.db on server computer...

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\ODBC\\ODBC.INI\\ddd12_on_Envy_connect_to_ddd12b]
"Driver"="C:\\\\PROGRA~1\\\\SQLANY~3\\\\Bin32\\\\dbodbc12.dll"
"UID"="dba"
"PWD"="sql"
"DatabaseName"="ddd12b"
"ServerName"="ddd12_on_Envy"
"Integrated"="NO"
"Host"="192.168.1.101:2638"

===== Client DSN for starting and connecting to a second database ddd12c.db on server computer...

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Software\\ODBC\\ODBC.INI\\ddd12_on_Envy_start_ddd12c]
"Driver"="C:\\\\PROGRA~1\\\\SQLANY~3\\\\Bin32\\\\dbodbc12.dll"
"UID"="dba"
"PWD"="sql"
"DatabaseName"="ddd12c"
"DatabaseFile"="ddd12c.db"
"ServerName"="ddd12_on_Envy"
"Integrated"="NO"
"Encryption"="NONE"
"Host"="192.168.1.101:2638"

[graeme_perrow]

The default setting is DBA and it is being enforced. You are attempting to start a database and then connect to it, but because -gd DBA is in effect, you are only allowed to start a database if you are already connected and have DBA authority. The fact that you will have DBA authority on the database once it starts is irrelevant because we'd have to start the database in order to know that. You need to execute the START DATABASE command from an existing DBA connection to the same server.

When you try to connect from Sybase Central, we are attempting to create a second connection unrelated to the first one and autostart the database. This fails for the reason I mentioned above.

[Breck_Carter]

Since when is Sybase Central not a "client application", as in "...the client application must already have a connection to the database server..."? Are you saying there is no way to demonstrate this connection path using software delivered in the box?

[graeme_perrow]

The documentation is misleading here. Simply having an existing DBA connection is not enough - you need to start the database from that connection using the START DATABASE statement. I will add a comment to dcx.