FreeTDS Development Group

["James K. Lowden" <jklowden AT freetds.org>]

Garudappa, Gangegowda (iGATE) wrote:
> We are migrating one of the legacy Unix application to Windows VS .Net
> environment. 

We come from different places, you and I.  Where I come from, Windows is
the legacy platform.  You may want to adopt my slogan, 

        "Building tomorrow's legacy systems, today!"

> We are planning to use freeTDS8.2/6.4 and we have downloaded it. But we

I know what you mean, but those are not valid version numbers.  Getting
your facts wrong will not increase the odds of getting your answers right.
 

> did not see any options for compiling/building freeTDS application on
> Win 2003 Server using VS .NET.

Cf. the win32 directory and win32/build_dsw.pl.  I would hope that would
get you started.  

> 1) Are there already a database stubs/libraries/functions available in
> Microsoft/Visual Studio(VC++) for connecting and performing database
> operations on Sybase database running on Solaris box.

I'm confused by "already".  Is this a FreeTDS question?  Sybase sells such
a library.  

> 2) Is it possible to use existing HPUX open-client libraries on Windows
> side to perform Sybase database operations running on Solaris box. 

Possible yes, feasible, no.  Reminds me of another slogan of mine, 

        "It's a computer.  You can program it."  

>       2. The application runs and connects to database from : Windows
> 2003 Server Visual Studio with        .Net 2005 environment using VC++

Look, that just isn't true, or, if it is, it would be the first of its
kind.  Do you really mean to say "the application runs ... *using* VC++"? 
Or do you mean it's built with VC++ and runs in Windows 2003 Server?  

> Please let us know if there is any alternative mechanism or different
> open source code/libraries available to implement the same.

It's hard to know how to advise you because the phrasing of your questions
indicates the road will be rocky no matter what.  

What you would like to do, if I understand aright, is port your
Sybase-connecting HP/UX application to Windows.  (Porting to Linux would
almost certainly be better, but I doubt that was your choice to make.) 
You have two options:

1.  Port the code to Windows.  
2.  Emulate the UNIX environment on Windows.  

Option #1 will entail building FreeTDS as a DLL (probably) and making your
application work in Windows.  You asked how to do the first part, which is
assuredly the *easy* part.  After all, FreeTDS already compiles and works
on Windows.  The second part (your application) will require addressing
any differences between HP/UX and Windows. Depending on what it does and
how, that will be trivial or difficult.  

Option #2 requires Cygwin or Microsoft's Services for Unix to create a
POSIX environment on Windows.  That's a nontrivial task in itself
(although it requires no programming), but should make porting the
application easier.  

Either way, you have the option of using FreeTDS or Sybase's libraries
(available from Sybase, for a price).  Either way, but especially if you
use FreeTDS, you may well encounter behavioral differences that will take
time to diagnose and correct.  (The correction may take the form of
problem reports to this list or changes to the application.)  Note also
that while option #2 will reduce porting effort, it won't eliminate it,
and the emulation environment itself is something to learn and manage.  

HTH.  

--jkl