Re: connecting to Oracle/ODBC via winsock partly solved

In article <msains.419.2DF6BFCE_at_sunbird.ru.ac.za> msains_at_sunbird.ru.ac.za (Malcolm Sainsbury) writes:

>The VB ODBC still does not connect to our remote Oracle database.
>Obviously this is a Microsoft ODBC problem of only connecting via
>the FTP Inc TCP stack.

It may be "obvious" but your conclusion is incorrect.

>Does anyone know if Microsoft has a later ODBC driver that will
>recognise winsock, so that we can connect to remote databases
>from VB over ODBC and winsock ??

In fact, the ODBC driver REQUIRES winsock.dll to function, it does not work with the underlying stack. Unfortunately, all winsocks are not created equal due to differing interpretations of "unclarities" in the Winsock 1.1 specification. The Trumpet winsock, for all its goodness, does work a tad bit differently than FTP's due to these differing interpretations. There are plenty of examples of winsock-based applications (freeware, shareware and commercial) that work with one and not the other (goes both ways).

There is a later version of Microsoft's (Page Ahead's) ODBC driver than the one distributed with VB, but it only resolves a couple of minor bugs and removes the 2000-character restriction on the length of SQL statements.

Which version of SQL*Net for Windows are you using? We have found that the only one that works reliably (with FTP's winsock, at least) is 1.1.7.7b. Version 1.1.7.8 is buggier than an anthill and we have had to "downdate" to 1.1.7.7b in order to get anything working correctly.

--
Bill Meahan,  Senior Developer  |        wmeahan_at_ef0424.efhd.ford.com 
Electrical & Fuel Handling Division, Ford Motor Company
      "Computers are the most stupid machines in the world -
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