Is it possible to configure Net8 as a kind of "Proxy Server" ?

We are trying to configure Oracle Net8 listener in one Unix box (running Solaris 2.6) to provide a kind of "Proxy" service to allow the client from PCs
(running Oracle client on NT) to be able to access our database instances
(Oracle 7.3.2.3) located in another Unix machine.

We tried using SERVICE_LIST parameter, in stead of SID_LIST in "listener.ora" configuration, but "lsnrctl start" failed since it complained it couldn't find $ORACLE_HOME/bin/oracle executable file. We even tried using connection manager --"cman.ora" -- configuration, but still didn't work. There is no database instance running on this 'Proxy' Unix machine. The key thing here is every database-access request from PC client must go through this 'proxy' Unix machine to connect to the database instances in another Unix machine.

We talked to the Oracle Support about this issue, one analyst's anwser is you must have listener running in the same machine where the database instance is sitting. For some particular security reason, however, we need to put a kind of "Proxy" server in between. We just wonder, in current Oracle Net8, is there any possibility (maybe some oracle undocumented features) to use Net8 to support this kind of setup? Any insight is very appreciated !!!

Please email your answer, any idea, or any comments to: xu.yin_at_firstdatacorp.com

Thanks in advance.

• Xu Yin DBA, First Data Corporation (402) - 222- 8795 (o) xu.yin_at_firstdatacorp.com