Re: Is "free" oracle client connect possible?

>>> In article <17322116FCS86.CB5967A_at_american.edu>,
>>> "Christopher" == CB5967A_at_american.edu (Christopher Brunn) wrote:

Christopher> Does anyone know of a way to establish a database connection
Christopher> with Oracle without using SQLNET or other client license
Christopher> products?

  How about simply writing a data server program (talking a protocol you   define) which clients could connect to. The server program is the only   thing that directly accesses Oracle (using PRO*C or OCI). Provide access   to the server via a TCP/IP port, and your clients can happily get their   data without requiring licenses from Oracle.

  We're doing this here with our GIS remote-inquiry system. The server is   written in oraperl (perl with OCI extensions), and services requests on a   TCP/IP port. Clients just need to talk the protocol we have defined for   making requests & unpacking the replies.

  The drawback, of course, is that you have to define your own   remote-access protocol (and write the associated code), but it sounds   like you're already doing this in a rudimentary way with your   telnet/sqlplus interface.

  In fact, I don't see any reason why your remote-access protocol couldn't   support generalised SQL access (with sufficient work) and be a full-blown   alternative to SQL*NET. Maybe you could even write an ODBC driver for   it! Hell, I'd send you an Xmas card :-)

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