Open Client architecture

Note

This chapter describes the Sybase Open Client programming interface for SQL Anywhere. The primary documentation for Sybase Open Client application development is the Open Client documentation, available from Sybase. This chapter describes features specific to SQL Anywhere, but it is not an exhaustive guide to Sybase Open Client application programming.

Sybase Open Client has two components: programming interfaces and network services.

DB-Library and Client Library

Sybase Open Client provides two core programming interfaces for writing client applications: DB-Library and Client-Library.

Open Client DB-Library provides support for older Open Client applications, and is a completely separate programming interface from Client-Library. DB-Library is documented in the Open Client DB-Library/C Reference Manual, provided with the Sybase Open Client product.

Client-Library programs also depend on CS-Library, which provides routines that are used in both Client-Library and Server-Library applications. Client-Library applications can also use routines from Bulk-Library to facilitate high-speed data transfer.

Both CS-Library and Bulk-Library are included in the Sybase Open Client, which is available separately.

Network services

Open Client network services include Sybase Net-Library, which provides support for specific network protocols such as TCP/IP and DECnet. The Net-Library interface is invisible to application programmers. However, on some platforms, an application may need a different Net-Library driver for different system network configurations. Depending on your host platform, the Net-Library driver is specified either by the system's Sybase configuration or when you compile and link your programs.

Instructions for driver configuration can be found in the Open Client/Server Configuration Guide.

Instructions for building Client-Library programs can be found in the Open Client/Server Programmer's Supplement.