Oracle in a Nutshell

Configuration Files

The operation of Oracle Net Services is shaped by the information stored in its configuration files. These files are:

TNSNAMES.ORA

This client file contains text definitions for Oracle service names. It provides all the information needed to translate local service names into network addresses that can be used by Oracle Net Services, as well as information needed for some of the special features supported by Oracle Net Services. You don’t need to use this file if you are using an external naming service or host naming or if you are using Oracle Names or LDAP (directory naming).

SQLNET.ORA

This file contains configuration information for Oracle Net Services. It includes information such as:

• The list of naming methods to use and the order in which to try them

• The default domain

• The directory and filename to use for network trace files

• The directory and filename to use for network log files

LISTENER.ORA

This server file contails configuration information about the Oracle listener(s) on the server.

LDAP.ORA

This parameter file contains information about the LDAP server that will be used. It is new with Oracle8i.

NAMES.ORA

This parameter file is used only if you are running Oracle Net Services with Oracle Names. It contains configuration details used to control the operation of the Oracle Names server. Oracle is phasing out Oracle Names, and only a small subset of Oracle users currently implement this product, so this book does not include detailed information on NAMES.ORA. For ...