service registration

A feature by which instances and dispatchers automatically register information with a listener. Because this information is registered with the listener, the listener.ora file does not need to be configured with this static information.

During database startup, service registration provides the listener with information about:

• Service names for each running instance of the database

• Instance names of the database

• Service handlers (dispatchers and dedicated servers) available for each instance

• Dispatcher, instance, and node load information

These enable the listener to direct a client request appropriately.

This load information enables the listener to determine which dispatcher can best handle a client connection request. If all dispatchers are blocked, the listener can spawn a dedicated server for the connection.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

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service name

A logical representation of a database, which is the way a database is presented to clients. A database can be presented as multiple services and a service can be implemented as multiple database instances. The service name is a string that is the global database name, that is, a name comprised of the database name and domain name, entered during installation or database creation. If you are not sure what the global database name is, you can obtain it from the combined values of the SERVICE_NAMES parameter in the initialization parameter file.

Connect descriptors used by clients to connect to an Oracle9i or Oracle8i database should be configured with the SERVICE_NAME (without an S) parameter.

Related Topics

Database Identification by Service Name

Oracle Net Services Overview

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shared server

A server that is configured to allow many user processes to share very few server processes, so the number of users that can be supported is increased. With a shared server configuration, many user processes connect to a dispatcher. The dispatcher directs multiple incoming network session requests to a common queue. An idle shared server process from a shared pool of server processes picks up a request from the queue. This means a small pool of server processes can serve a large number of clients. Contrast with dedicated server.

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Oracle Net Services Overview

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Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

single sign-on

A set of processes that allows:

• A user to authenticate to all the appropriate applications by entering a user name and password only once.

• An administrator to manage in one central location the user name and password combinations for all users in an enterprise.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

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Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

sqlnet.ora file

A configuration file for the client or server that specifies:

• Client domain to append to unqualified service names or net service names

• Order of naming methods the client should use when resolving a name

• Logging and tracing features to use

• Route of connections

• Preferred Oracle Names servers

• External naming parameters

• Oracle Advanced Security parameters

The sqlnet.ora file must reside in one of the following locations:

1. The directory specified by the TNS_ADMIN environment variable If the TNS_ADMIN environment variable is not defined as a variable on Windows NT, it may be in the registry.

2. The $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin directory on UNIX or the ORACLE_HOME \network\admin directory on Windows operating systems.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

Copyright © 1996, 2009, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

source routing

Specifies that all network routes are used. Source routing is typically in used environments where a large number of connections need to access the same service. Oracle Net offers a routing through Oracle Connection Manager.

For information about Oracle Connection Manager, see Chapter 1, Networking Challenges in the Internet Age, in the Oracle10i Net Administrator's Guide.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

Configure a Connect Descriptor for Connections to Oracle Connection Manager

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Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

tnsnames.ora file

A configuration file that contains net service names mapped to connect descriptors. This file is used for the local naming method.

The tnsnames.ora file must reside in one of the following locations:

1. The directory specified by the TNS_ADMIN environment variable If the TNS_ADMIN environment variable is not defined as a variable on Windows NT, it may be in the registry.

2. The node's global configuration directory. For Sun Solaris, this directory is /var/opt/oracle. Windows NT does not have a central directory.

3. The $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin directory on UNIX or the ORACLE_HOME \network\admin directory on Windows operating systems.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

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Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

time-to-live (TTL)

Length of time for information to live.

For more information, see Oracle Advanced Security Administrator's Guide.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

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Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Statically Configure Database Service Information

In order for the listener to accept client requests to an Oracle8 or Oracle7 database, the listener.ora file must be configured with information about the database.

If the database is an Oracle9i or Oracle8i database, static service information is not required in the listener.ora file. Service information is registered with the listener automatically through service registration. However, if you are using Oracle Enterprise Manager, static information for an Oracle8 i database is required.

To configure database service information for a listener:

1. In the navigator pane, expand Oracle Net Configuration > Local > Listeners.

2. Select a listener.

3. From the list in the right pane, select Database Services.

4. Choose Add Database. A new Database tab appears.

5. Enter the global database name in the Global Database Name field, location of the Oracle home directory in the Oracle Home Directory field, and the Oracle System Identifier (SID) of the database in the SID field.

6. Choose File > Save Network Configuration.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

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Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Testing Connectivity

You can verify connectivity of a selected service naming object to a database service by performing a connectivity test. During a connectivity test, a connection to the database service is made by using configured connect descriptor information.

To verify network connectivity information:

1. Ensure the listener and database are running.

2. In the navigator pane, expand Oracle Net Configuration > Directory or Local > Service Naming.

3. Choose an existing net service name or database service.

4. Choose the database symbol from the toolbar, or choose Command > Test Service. The Connection Test dialog box displays and updates as the test results are generated. A successful test results in the following message:

The connection test was successful.

For information on starting the components, see Chapter 15, Establishing a Connection and Testing the Network, in the Oracle10i Net Administrator's Guide.

Related Topics

Oracle Net Services Overview

Copyright © 1996, 2009, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.
Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.