First of all, I personally don't think if MS Access database works on UNIX, but one of our client asked me to enable PHP's ODBC extension so that he could be able to run his Microsoft Access Database.

He was referring to this URL: http://modwest.com/help/kb5-99.html

But http://www.unixodbc.org/doc/FreeTDS.html states that ODBC extension is used to access Microsoft SQL Server Database, which would of course be running on a Windows Server.

I would like to ask if someone had experience of using Access DB on UNIX and if you could clear this point?

Thanks in advance.

I used to program MS Access. The ODBC driver does not let you
put MS Access on UNIX. What it does it allow MS Access to talk
to a regular UNIX database. So you run MS Access on your
desktop machine and it talkes to the UNIX database on the UNIX
machine.

The MS Access database is then referred to as the "front end"
and the UNIX database is the "back end". You, in effect, use
MS Access and do not have to be aware of the UNIX database
on the UNIX machine.

The ODBC stuff would be supplied by the UNIX database, not
the MS Access database.

Hope this helps.

Bruce

If you enable ODBC support in php, you can access Access database (which really is just mdb file) using mdbtools http://mdbtools.sourceforge.net/

Bunch of linux desktop apps use that library and it alway provides "read only" access so I do not think there is much benefit to it other then parsing mdb file and dumping data in mysql or postgres database.

If I am in the same situation as you are, I would be fair to my client and tell them that they will not be able to fully utilize Access database on linux and they should look for windows hosting.