Re: OCI - not for Java??

I found some more information in another Oracle document (Application Developers Guide) and can thus phrase my own question more specifically:

Holger Peine wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
> I am considering to add n(=3)-tier-authentication and lightweight
> user sessions to an existing Oracle-8.1.7 / Bea Weblogic 6.1 application
> (with the application on the Bea server implemented in Java).
>
> The Oracle Call Interface (OCI) seems to provide just that (and more).
> However, when reading the OCI Programmer's Guide at
>http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/A87860_01/doc/appdev.817/a76975/toc.htm
> I'm confused whether OCI is really available, since it says there (in the
> "Overview" section):
>
> OCI supports the datatypes, calling conventions, syntax, and semantics
> of a number of third-generation languages including C, C++, COBOL and
> FORTRAN.
>
> That is, no mentioning of using OCI from Java. I cannot quite believe
> this. Is there another way to do this from Java?

Well, OCI is indeed not avaible per se (e.g. as a Java package), but the various JDBC drivers for Java offers access to OCI functionality to varying extent.
Specifically, there is the JDBC OCI driver, which provices full OCI access. Unfortunately, I am limited to the JDBC thin driver, which supports only a limited subset (e.g. probably no external authentication services, at least not as of Oracle 8.1.6).

So, my question is now:

• Does the JDBC thin driver support proxy authentication and lightweight user sessions? ***

Thanks for your advice,
Holger.

-- 
Dr. Holger Peine
Fraunhofer IESE, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Phone +49-6301-707-134, Fax -200 (shared)
www.iese.fraunhofer.de/Staff/peine -- PGP key on request or via pgp.mit.edu