Re: user external authentication

If you log on to the OS as BLAH, then log onto the database as system/manager (or equivalent) and issue the command create user OPS$blah identified externally default tablespace x temporary tablespace y

UNLESS... If you set the OS_AUTHENT_PREFIX in the init.ora for your database to, say, DILBERT, then you'd create the user DILBERTBLAH using the above command. In other words, OPS$ is simply the *default* OS_AUTHENT_PREFIX, but you can set it to whatever you like (including an empty string if you feel like it).

Short answer is therefore that provided a data dictionary user exists whose name equals OS_AUTHENT_PREFIX+o/s logon name, it will work.

(If you change OS_AUTHENT_PREFIX, being an init.ora parameter, you will of course have to bounce the Instance before new settings take effect). Also note that creating a User doesn't mean they can log on: at the minimum, having created the User issue the 'grant create session to OPS$BL:AH' command -unless you've already granted create session to PUBLIC (which means all new Users get it automatically). And if you are tempted to resort to bad old ORacle 7 habits like 'grant connect, resource to OPS$BLAH', don't.

Names Server is a big issue. I'd take you through it, but not in this thread! All I can say is that if you are on 8.1.5, the positioning of brackets and indentations in the names.ora is absolutely crucial. In 8.1.6 it all gets much more forgiving. I've just finished giving a networking course (using 8.1.5) where none of the students could get the thing to work -until we added one space to a line in a file, and Lo! The whole thing suddenly sprang into life. Amazing (and sad) but true. Same goes for automatic registration with the Instance, CMAN, MTS and the rest of the course.... it was *extremely* hard work!

Regards
HJR <iluzn_at_my-deja.com> wrote in message news:93m59p$ka5$1_at_nnrp1.deja.com...
> i am having problems setting up a user whose
> authentication is based on OS. being new to
> oracle this is not likely to be a complicated
> issue but rather the lack of experience and
> knowledge of the system.
>
> i have:
> -oracle 8i
> -created my database
> -ensured that NTS is enabled in the profile
> parameters
> -created a user with the same login name as the
> one i use to login to my network domain based on
> external authentication
> -played around with OPS$ a little having no idea
> what i was doing
>
> the user i able to log in if auth'd with a
> password but not if defined externally. when
> defined externally i am able to log into sql etc
> but using VB when i try and open a connection to
> the database it gives me the error message that
> the password is not allowed to be null
>
> also i am unable to initialise the name server
> (through the use of net8 assistant)
>
> can anyone help ?
>
>
> Sent via Deja.com
> http://www.deja.com/
Received on Fri Jan 12 2001 - 08:42:54 CST