Xref: alice comp.databases.oracle.server:40574
Path: alice!news-feed.fnsi.net!netnews.com!newspeer1.nac.net!news.new-york.net!uunet!ffx.uu.net!in1.uu.net!nntp.snet.net!usenet
From: Gerry Sinkiewicz <sinkiege@snet.net>
Newsgroups: comp.databases.oracle.server
Subject: Re: Where Oracle client looks for tnsnames.ora file ?
Date: Sun, 14 Feb 1999 13:46:43 -0500
Organization: "SNET dial access service"
Lines: 39
Message-ID: <36C71A13.909A63FC@snet.net>
References: <36C6C753.A3CDBABA@mercury.co.il>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (WinNT; U)
X-Accept-Language: en

I believe there is the option of using a TNS_ADMIN enivronment variable.
I also seem to remember something about .tnsnames in your personal home
directory.  Most of these require some kind of file replication to properly
maintain and a replication server to do the maintenance.   

But if I understand your requirements, the best answer would be the 
Oracle Name Server.

Although at this time we do no use it (tnsnames.ora in network/admin) 
we are planning on evaluating it later this spring (it is going
to be my task).  Then the logistical problems with finding and 
maintaining tnsnames.ora disappear.  With oracle names server you 
just have to make sure you have a backup server somewhere in case
your primary does not respond. There is also the idea fo a well 
known names server.

 

Igor Karasik wrote:
> 
>     Hi,
> 
> Do anybody know about way to specify to Oracle client where look for
> tnsnames.ora  file ?
> 
> I know that by default Oracle client looks tnsnames.ora file in current
> directory and in
> $ORACLE_HOME/net80/admin,  but I want to use tnsnames.ora
> from different place. (I have many different Oracle clients versions and
> 
> I don't want to change tnsnames.ora in each installation)
> 
> Please reply by E-Mail:   ikar@usa.net
> 
>             Thanks,  Igor

-- 
Gerry Sinkiewicz
sinkiege@snet.net