Cannot connect to database?

Hey all-

Okay, first off, I'm (obviously) new to Oracle. I have RTFM (till my eyes hurt), but I cannot for the life of me figure out what will seem trivially simple.

I have installed 8.1.5 on NT server that is using dhcp (but I know the ip address and i can do anything I want using the actual name, i.e. I can get a valid repsonse back from 'ping orabox'). Everything is up and running there, and I can fire up SQLPlus and connect to the database just fine.

Now I go to my workstation (also a dhcp client) and use Net8 Easy Config, and enter all the right info ... the hostname, SID, port, etc. Everything is as it should be. I go to test the connection with the standard 'system/manager' password, and I get ORA-12154: TNS could not resolve service name.

I've tried entering the name of the machine 'orabox', the ip address, etc. Nothing. I check the tnsnames.ora file, and it's there and everything looks good, but SQLPlus can't see it (same error). I only have the one tnsnames.ora and sqlnet.ora.

There are other Oracle installations on other machines, which I can connect to from SQLPlus. Also, we are running an oracle name server, so I have the following in the sqlnet.ora:

NAMES.PREFERRED_SERVERS =
  (ADDRESS_LIST =
    (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = box1)(PORT = 1575))  (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = box2)(PORT = 1575))  )

NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH= (ONAMES,TNSNAMES,HOSTNAME) I added HOSTNAME myself after reading in the manual that it makes the client check the tnsnames.ora file.

But all in all, I cannot connect to my database. Is there anything else I should check?

Thanks for any information. Received on Mon Sep 11 2000 - 17:23:01 CDT