Light-weight client/server DB?

Question

I like the simplicity of SQLite, but by design, it doesn't support concurrent access. The apps I write don't have heavy needs, so I'd like to avoid heavier solutions like MySQL that are more difficult to deploy (remote customers with usually no computer personnel).

Does someone know of a good solution that would offer the following features?

• Client available for VB.Net applications
• The server itself doesn't have to be a .Net application. Actually, I'd rather a bare-metal server so that it can run even on embedded Linux hosts with less RAM/CPU than regular PC's
• Easy install: the client part should either be statically linked inside the client application or be available as a single DLL, and the server should just be a single EXE listening for queries, à la Fossil (http://www.fossil-scm.org)
• clients can locate the server on the LAN by broadcasting data picked up by the server, so users don't have to write down the IP address and paste it into each client
• open-source, or moderately priced closed-source

Answer 1

I would recommend Firebird SQL http://www.firebirdsql.org

Can be embedded and can work as a separate server. Very little footprint with high capabilities.