Re: I can't find a SETUP.EXE in the SQL Plus Client ??

From: James Dennett <jdennett_at_acm.org>
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 19:54:26 -0700
Message-ID: <DDnmg.5735$6w.1587_at_fed1read11>

DA Morgan wrote:

> D. Patrick wrote:
>> "DA Morgan" <damorgan_at_psoug.org> wrote in message 
>> news:1150755139.673102_at_bubbleator.drizzle.com...

>>> D. Patrick wrote:

>>>> "DA Morgan" <damorgan_at_psoug.org> wrote in message 
>>>> news:1150747758.818897_at_bubbleator.drizzle.com...
>>>>> D. Patrick wrote:
>>>>>> I am not used to Oracle, sorry.  I need the client tool to access 
>>>>>> someone else's server for testing some SELECT statements I'm 
>>>>>> writing for them.  I went to:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/sql_plus/index.html
>>>>>>
>>>>>> and I downloaded the "SQL Plus Instant Client".   I just want a 
>>>>>> free client because I don't own the Oracle license.   I downloaded 
>>>>>> it, but there are just DLLs and 2 JAR files.  I don't see any 
>>>>>> SETUP.EXE file to start the install.  What am I missing?  How do I 
>>>>>> get a free Oracle client installed, if possible, so I can test 
>>>>>> some SQL statements.
>>>>> You do something you may be unfamiliar with since you aren't used to
>>>>> Oracle: You READ the documentation.
>>>>>
>>>>> But to flesh this out a bit more ... how are you going to connect 
>>>>> to the
>>>>> server? The web? TCP/IP? Through a firewall? What version? Your 
>>>>> post is
>>>>> dangerously short of information that might affect the answer.
>>>>>
>>>>> Whoever owns the server you are connecting to ... BTW with Oracle you
>>>>> don't connect to servers ... should be able to get you a copy of 
>>>>> SQL*Plus. Alternatively you might be able to use the free download of
>>>>> SQL*Developer available at http://otn.oracle.com. Hard to tell.
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> Daniel A. Morgan
>>>>> University of Washington
>>>>> damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
>>>>> (replace x with u to respond)
>>>>> Puget Sound Oracle Users Group
>>>>> www.psoug.org
>>>>
>>>> There is no documentation with that download.  There is just a 2 
>>>> sentence read-me file which doesn't address anything but a bug.
>>>>
>>>> I will connect through TCP/IP through a firewall.
>>>>
>>>> I just want to install the SQL Plus client tool for executing a few 
>>>> SQL statements.  I can't get any software from the remote person 
>>>> because my contact is not technical, and it shouldn't matter if the 
>>>> client tool is available for download anyway.  Can anyone help?

>>> Based on what you've written you have absolutely no business trying to
>>> connect (I'd use the word hack or crack) into the server. If the people
>>> that paid for the Oracle license can't provide a technical person to
>>> provide you with the correct tool and the required configuration file
>>> you are in need of being referred to law enforcement officials not
>>> Oracle resources.

>>>

>>> This may be a bit of an over-reaction to what you wrote but I take
>>> security seriously, I hope everyone does, and a non-technical person
>>> has no business authorizing you to do anything. Only a DBA should be
>>> giving you server names/IP addresses and only a DBA should give you a
>>> user-id and password.

>>>

>>> I encourage everyone else to not help this poster unless there is some
>>> reason to believe this is anything but an attempt at a break-in.
>>> --
>>> Daniel A. Morgan
>>> University of Washington
>>> damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
>>> (replace x with u to respond)
>>> Puget Sound Oracle Users Group
>>> www.psoug.org

>>
>>
>> Wow.  Next time you need help, just remember how you dish it out 
>> yourself. I'm only asking about which is the right file to download 
>> because this one had no SETUP.EXE file.   I didn't realize I was 
>> asking for your kids' names and social security numbers!
>>
>> By the way, if a DBA set up a user account and password for a hacker, 
>> they have bigger problems than me.  And if a hacker was as dumb with 
>> Oracle as me, then there is no risk.   So:  will someone please just 
>> tell me what file to download that has a setup file I can run? 
> 
> My point was, and remains, that if you are supposed to be accessing
> the database then the DBA should be involved and would provide you
> with the appropriate tool and connection information.
> 
> If you can't ask the DBA for help it equates, in my mind, with being
> a hacker. I've yet to meet the DBA that didn't want to make sure
> someone connecting to their database had the correct tools and the
> correct configuration.
> 
> If the DBA won't help you ... there is a reason. Likely a good one.

[Quoted] [Quoted] Your experience of DBAs clearly differs from mine, in a wide variety of companies. I would not expect a DBA to provide any assistance except possibly in creating a suitable account, and would not expect that in general they be would be competent to help with tools.

[Quoted] I'm quite happy to accept that you work in organizations which have highly competent DBAs who are familiar with a huge number of different tools, but I've yet to come across such a place.

The point is that organizations vary more than any one of us has seen, and that guessing based on your own experience about how things will work in an organization with which you are unfamiliar will often lead to incorrect conclusions (such as thinking that someone is hacking, just because they don't go through a DBA to get database access set up).

[Quoted] (Most organizations with databases tend, in my experience, not even to have a full-time DBA. Large organizations will differ from that profile.)

• James

Received on Thu Jun 22 2006 - 04:54:26 CEST