%META:TOPICPARENT{name="SingleTierExpressPreinstallWin32"}%
= Pre-Installation Requirements for the Single-Tier "Express" Edition ODBC Driver for Firebird, for Windows=

%TOC%

== DBMS Requirements==

You need to know a variety of information pertaining to your Firebird DBMS:

* [[Firebird TCP port]]
* Hostname or IP address of the Firebird database server 
* Firebird database name and path

== Software Requirements ==

* You need to know whether the client application is 32-bit or 64-bit. The Single-Tier "Express" Edition ODBC Driver for Firebird must match the bit format of the client application.
* You must have a compatible and functional JVM (Java Virtual Machine) installed on the Windows host.
#* Generally, the latest JVM available from the [[http://www.java.com|Java Website]] is the best choice.
#* If using the 64-bit ODBC Driver, you must have the 64-bit JVM, which is only presented to 64-bit IE.
#* It is generally best to install both 32-bit JVM and 64-bit JVM on 64-bit Windows.

== Configuration Requirements ==

The path to the directory containing the {{{jvm.dll}}} must be included in your {{{%PATH%}}} Environment Variable. To do this, proceed as follows --
# Use the Windows Explorer's **Search** feature to locate the {{{jvm.dll}}}, and make note of the directory in which it is found.  If more than one is found, work with the most recent.
# **Start** -> **Control Panel** -> **System**
# Click to the **Advanced** tab.
# Click the **Environment Variables** button.
# In the **System variables** pane, locate and select the environment variable named **{{{PATH}}}**.
# Click **Edit** which will bring up a new dialog containing **Variable name** and **Variable value** fields.
# Add the directory path from step #1 to the **back end** of the already present "Variable value" field, taking care not to delete anything that is already present.  Directory paths are separated by a semi-colon ';', so you should usually put a semicolon before the path you're adding.  Typically, the new text will resemble --
{{{
;C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_03\bin\client
}}}
# Finally, click **OK** to accept the changes.

==Next...==
[[InstallFirebirdExpressWin32|Proceed to Installation Documentation]].