SUMMARY: ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve service name

From: Jason Martin <jhmartin_at_bifrost.dhs.org>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:36:53 -0800
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.33L2.0111271229570.19228-100000@services.bifrost.dhs.org>

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As it turns out, the tnsnames.ora file is very sensitive to spacing. My file (slightly munged here) was:

somedbalias=
(DESCRIPTION=
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=the.database.host)(PORT=1521))
(CONNECT_DATA=(SID=xyz))

)

I couldn't tnsping it either, although I could telnet to the database port. The database server was on a remote host.

The trick was that I had to add spaces before all lines other then 'somedbalias', ie:

somedbalias=

(DESCRIPTION=

      (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=the.database.host)(PORT=1521))
      (CONNECT_DATA=(SID=xyz))

)

One usually assumes the spacing is for readabiilty only, instead of being crucial to operation.

Oracle 8.0.4.0.0/SUN
- -Jason Martin
- --
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