How to run a win32 native application that requires sql server native client on MacOSX with winebottler?

Question

I am experimenting with WineBottler and I would like to try to run my win32 native application written in Delphi on OSX.

The application runs, but I stop at login screen since I cannot connect to SQL Server.

Does anyonw know how to install and configure SQL Server native client on OSX so that it is usable with WineBottler?

Note: I put "wine" as tag since "winebottler" is not available.

Answer 1

I have a Delphi application that uses MDAC 2.8 for ADO connection to the Jet provider. I use Winetricks to install MDAC 2.8, and it works great. If you can't get SQL Server Native Client to install, perhaps your application can use the OLEDB SQL Server provider by tweaking your connection strings. Are you using any features that are only in SQL Server Native Client?

Answer 2

You would have a lot less trouble if you put in some middleware like kbmMW, Remote Objects, or DataSnap. All of them can use plain TCP/IP (via http or like higher level protocol), and don't require client side libs. You will need an extra server, but it is easy to create one that just forwards your SQL and data between clients and SQL server. Note that SQL server licensing remains.

On the other hand, you can try to install SQL Server native client, some older version of it - eg. for SQL Server 2005, in that "bottle" with your application. Yet, I'm not sure if that is legal thing to do. I think that MS prohibits native client installation on OS other than Windows.

There is FreeTDS native client that works with MSSQL from unices, but it is not ported to be usable from Delphi (like dbx driver).