Setting the ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD environment variables

An environment variable is a named object that contains information used by one or more applications. They are global to their specific Operating Systems.The Firebird server recognizes and uses certain environment variables configured in Windows, Linux and many Unix systems.

The ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD environment variables in Firebird are designed to give SYSDBA access to the database from the commandline utilities and client applications to anyone who has access to a host machine.

Caution

When running command-line utilities like isql, gbak, gstat, and gfix, Firebird will search to see if the ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD environment variables are set. If you do not provide a username and password while connecting to a database locally, Firebird will let you log in without a password. So for security reasons make sure to configure the variables.

The ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD environment variables need to be set in order to start isql locally. To set the environment variables:

In Windows 2000 / XP, this is done in the Control Panel -> System -> Advance -> Environment Variables.
In Linux and Unix platforms, this depends on the type of shell being used and how the desktop is configured. Please refer to your Operating System documentation to set environmental variables.