very bad documentation

Please help:

We are running Oracle 7.2.2 on Solaris 2.4, but using Transarc's Encina for managing transactions across heterogeneous products. We cannot get Oracle to cooperate. Here is what we've learned:

(1) We need the Oracle 'Distributed Database Option' to run an Encina
application server. However the RECO process does not start with Oracle, even though the software has been installed from CD-ROM and DISTRIBUTED_TRANSACTIONS is set to 50.

(2) We did not install SQL*Net v.2.2.2, because we Encina is providing
the listener application. However, some people we asked suggested that RECO will not start unless SQL*Net is installed. Others said this is not true. The hundreds of pages of Oracle documentation that I have read in the past week is silent on this issue.

(3) In desparation, I have tried to install SQL*Net. SQL*Net
Administrator's Guide, v 2.0 tells us to run net_conf. This is a Forms application and we have not installed Forms. However this is not a problem because net_conf is missing from our CD-ROM.

(4) Understanding SQL*Net v.2.2, which is on the documentation CD-ROM,
tells me to run the Oracle Network Manager. This product is only available for MS-Windows. I do not have easy access to a Windows PC. But this is not a problem because the Oracle Network Manager is missing from the software that has been distributed to me.

(5) I tried to create my own LISTENER.ORA file, following the template
in the book. When I run 'LSNRCTL START lsnrname', it fails because I do not have write permission for the log file to the $ORACLE_HOME subtree.
(The Oracle7 Server Administrator's Guide says no one but the 'oracle'
user id should have write access to this subtree.) The LOG_DIRECTORY_LISTENER parameter is being ignored.

(5.1) Somewhere, the documentation says that I must have the TNS_ADMIN
environment variable set, but nowhere can I find documentation about what are the valid values.

(6) Oracle has sent me 5 CD-ROM's labeled Support Notes. I thought may
be there is a hint on one of these. However there is no documentation for accessing the materials on these CD-ROM's.

(7) Last week, I called Oracle World Wide support. I was assigned TAR
9240090.6. Someone was supposed to call me back. I called again and have spent much time on hold.

These problems are delaying our project. I hear that Oracle is a world class software company. They have yet to demonstrate this to me.

-Chris Received on Tue Dec 12 1995 - 00:00:00 CET