Re: Can't connect MS Access to 8i

On Thu, 06 Apr 2006 05:54:11 +0000, ANC wrote:

> I'm not an Oracle expert but I do know a bit about ODBC. I'm trying to link
> to an Oracle 8i table. I built the DSN using the Microsoft Driver for
> Oracle. I have a valid user/pass/server... but I get some obscure TNS error
> that I looked up and told me nothing (I forget the number... it's a common
> one.)
>
> Do I need to have the Oracle ODBC driver on my WinXP machine? I looked at a
> million postings and sites on the web about connecting to Oracle and I
> can't figure out if I need this. (I know it's free and on the Oracle site.)
>
> Also, what is/was SQL*Net which became Net8 later on? Do I need that too?
>

Oracle has an interesting way of handling connection requests:

• a client application asks the SQL*Net (or Net8 or Oracle Networking) subsystem to request a connection to the database instance of interest;
• SQL*Net uses a variety of tricks to find the computer and ask the Oracle listener on that computer for a connection to the database service;
• if the listener knows of the database service, it asks the service to create a server process or thread on a stray port (dedicated server mode);
• if the server process is created, the listener tells the SQL*Net which port has been set up for the connection;
• from that point on SQL*Net becomes the network protocol between the client and the Oracle server.

Oracle listener tends not to listen for anything other than Oracle SQL*Net isued requests. (Although lately it's started listening for HTTP, FTP and RMI requests.)

You can use any ODBC drver you want, as long as it knows how to ask SQL*Net to make a connection request. And you also need SQL*Net (or it's newer cousins) if you want to get a database service connection.  

When asking questions here, telling us the 'obscure TNS error' number is really, really appreciated. It tends to stop us from guessing and preaching (about missing information, about self help at http://docs.oracle.com, about the Concepts manual, and other stuff.) Especially since the error number tells us what the problem actually could be - the docco tells us 'reason' and 'most probably resolution'

-- 
Hans Forbrich                           
Canada-wide Oracle training and consulting
mailto: Fuzzy.GreyBeard_at_gmail.com   
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