Oracle Network Products Getting Started for Windows Platforms

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Configuration Files

Understanding the TNSNAMES.ORA File
Understanding the SQLNET.ORA File
Understanding the LISTENER.ORA File

Note Oracle only supports configuration files created by Oracle Network Manager or SQL*Net Easy Configuration. The TNSNAMES.ORA file does not exist if Oracle Names is configured with Oracle Network Manager.

Understanding the TNSNAMES.ORA File

The TNSNAMES.ORA file is used by clients and distributed database servers to identify potential server destinations.

A sample file is shown in Figure E-1:

################

# Filename......: tnsnames.ora

# Name..........: LOCAL_REGION.world

# Date..........: 04-DEC-96 13:50:40

################

<service_name>.world = <---world is the domain name

  (DESCRIPTION =

    (ADDRESS_LIST =

        (ADDRESS =  <---listener address

          (COMMUNITY = TCP.world)

          (PROTOCOL = TCP)

          (HOST = <server _name>) <---or, use IP address of NT server

          (PORT = 1521) <---must match port in LISTENER.ORA file

    (CONNECT_DATA =

      (SID = <SID>))  		<---database name, default is ORCL

      (SOURCE_ROUTE=yes)

Figure E¯1 TNSNAMES.ORA Configuration File

Note On Windows, it is possible to have system and local versions of TNSNAMES.ORA. The system version is located in the ORAWIN\NETWORK\ADMIN directory. A local version can exist in the current working directory where the application is running. For example, if you start SQL*Plus® in ORAWIN\BIN, then SQL*Net looks for a local TNSNAMES.ORA in ORAWIN\BIN. If you start SQL*Plus in \PLUS, then SQL*Net looks for a local TNSNAMES.ORA in \PLUS. A consequence of this is that you can have multiple local TNSNAMES.ORA files in the various directories from which you start applications. In most cases, it is recommended from that only one TNSNAMES.ORA files exists in the ORACLE_HOME\NETWORK\ADMIN directory.

TNSNAMES.ORA is comprised of two parts:

Specifying Service Names (or database aliases)
Specifying Connect Descriptors

These elements are described in the following sections.

Specifying Connect Descriptors

Every service requires a connect descriptor. For a database, a connect descriptor describes the location of the network listener and the system ID (SID) of the database to which to connect. Connect descriptors are stored in the TNSNAMES.ORA client configuration file. The TNSNAMES.ORA file is installed in the Oracle7 home directory under ORACLE_HOME\NETWORK\ADMIN. Database connect descriptors typically consist of two sections:

ADDRESS
CONNECT_DATA SID keyword

ADDRESS

The application address is the information required to reach the application within a given protocol environment. It includes the

community in which the destination resides
protocol it uses
protocol-specific parameters

SQL*Net Easy Configuration and Oracle Network Manager automatically provides the correct protocol specific parameters for any protocol you use, but you must provide the appropriate values. For information about the parameter values of a given protocol, see the section "Configuring Listener Addresses for Oracle Protocol Adapters" in this appendix.

Note: If you specify a TCP/IP address prefixed with a 0, it is assumed to be an octal number, not a decimal number. For example, 39.223.72.44 is a decimal number, but 039.223.72.44 is an octal number.

CONNECT_DATA SID Keyword

SQL*Net uses the CONNECT_DATA keyword to denote the SID of the remote database. When SQL*Net on the server side receives the connection request, TNS passes the CONNECT_DATA contents to the network listener, which identifies the desired database.

For SQL*Net use, sample CONNECT_DATA contents can look like:

(CONNECT_DATA =

   (SID = ORCL) 



Parameter

Description

CONNECT_DATA 

Indicates that application-specific data is supplied at connect time.


SID 

Specifies the SID of the database server. You must specify the SID in the CONNECT_DATA section of the connect descriptor

Connect Descriptor Syntax

Below is the connect descriptor syntax of the TNSNAMES.ORA file.

<Alias>.world =

  (DESCRIPTION =

    (ADDRESS_LIST =

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = community_name)

          (protocol adapter information)

    (CONNECT_DATA =

      (SID = SID)

See Table E-1, "Oracle Protocol Adapter Parameters" in this appendix for a description of the keywords.

Specifying Service Names

All connect descriptors are assigned service names (or database aliases) in the TNSNAMES.ORA file. The user specifies the service name--a single word rather than the lengthier connect descriptor--to identify the database to which to connect. The TNSNAMES.ORA file consists of a series of service names mapped to TNS connect descriptors.

If you are using Oracle Names, the service name for a database must be exactly the same as the global database name defined by the system administrator. SQL*Net limits the total length of a global database name to 64 characters. Of these, up to eight are the DB_NAME as defined by the database administrator, and the remainder show the service's place in the domain hierarchy (DB_DOMAIN). The name part of the service name can be longer than eight characters only if the DBA changes the name of the database with a RENAME GLOBAL_NAME parameter. The total global database name, or service name, must remain at or below 64 characters.

Additional Information See Oracle7 Server Distributed Systems, Volume I for more information on creating a global database name.

Alternate service names can be assigned to a database service through the TNSNAMES.ORA file. The alternate service names can be names you choose because you find them convenient and easy to remember. For example, if a database is used by two different divisions of a company, Human Resources and Finance, you can map two different service name aliases, hr and finance to the database. The TNSNAMES.ORA file has three separate entries:

service name that is the same as the global database name
two aliases, mapped to the same connect descriptor

Note Although you can have multiple aliases for the same database service, you cannot have multiple listeners for the same database service.

Configuring Listener Addresses for Oracle Protocol Adapters

This section describes:

Table E-1 describes the parameters used by the Oracle Protocol Adapters. Refer to this table for definitions as you review the syntax examples provided throughout this section.

Table E¯1 Oracle Protocol Adapter Parameters

Oracle Protocol Adapter	Parameter	Description
All	COMMUNITY	Specifies the network community of the TNS-based application. The COMMUNITY keyword is included by Oracle Network Manager, but its use is optional. A COMMUNITY is a group of computers using the same protocol, such as SPX or TCP/IP.
All	PROTOCOL<	Indicates the type of network on which the TNS-based application resides.
All	SID	The name for the Oracle SID of the database server to which to connect. The TNSNAMES.ORA file uses the same SID defined in the server's LISTENER.ORA file. The SID for the LU6.2 protocol is not defined in any LISTENER.ORA file.
Bequeath	PROGRAM	Identifies the Oracle7 executable.
Bequeath	ARGV0	Identifies the Oracle SID.
Bequeath	ARGS	Identifies the source of the connection (local client).
TCP/IP	HOST and PORT	Identifies the server and its listener port number for TNS-based applications on the network. Ask your network administrator for the host names and port numbers of TNS-based applications on your TCP/IP network.
SPX	SERVICE	Defines the name of the TNS-based application on the network. (Mandatory for server and client.) Ask your network administrator for the service names of TNS-based applications on your network.
Named Pipes	SERVER	Indicates the name of your Oracle7 Server computer.
Named Pipes	PIPE	Indicates the pipe name you use to connect to your Oracle7 Server (the same PIPE keyword you specified on your Oracle7 Server with Named Pipes).
DECnet	NODE	Defines the DECnet node name of the Oracle7 Server as defined in the DECnet node database. Ask your network administrator for the node name.
DECnet	OBJECT	Identifies the DECnet database listener as specified in the LISTENER.ORA file.
NetBIOS	NTBNAME	Defines the name of the TNS-based application on the network. In the case of SQL*Net, NTBNAME always identifies the name of an Oracle7 Server listener with NetBIOS.
LU6.2	LU_NAME	Identifies the Oracle7 Server; must be a fully qualified name. Available for Windows 3.1x.
LU6.2	LLU or LOCAL_LU	Identifies the local LU alias. This parameter cannot be used with LLU_NAME. Not available for Windows 3.1x.
LU6.2	LLU_NAME or LOCAL_LU_NAME	Specifies the local LU name; must be a fully qualified name. This parameter cannot be used with LLU.
LU6.2	MODE or MDN	Identifies the log mode entry of the LU6.2 session; the value is typically ORAPLU62.
LU6.2	PLU or PARTNER_LU_NAME	Identifies the Oracle7 Server; must be a fully qualified name.This parameter cannot be used with PLU_LA.
LU6.2	PLU_LA or PARTNER_LU_LOCAL_ALIAS	Identifies the partner LU alias of the Oracle7 Server. This parameter cannot be used with PLU.
LU6.2	TP_NAME or TPN	Identifies the transaction program name of the host machine. This parameter is not required for a connection to an MVS host.

Specifying TCP/IP Addresses

When using the TCP/IP Protocol Adapter, specify the address of a TNS-based application in the following format:

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = TCP.world)

          (PROTOCOL = TCP)

          (HOST = server_name)

          (PORT = port_number)  



 Additional Information

See "Verifying TCP/IP Protocol Adapter Setup" for further TCP/IP setup information for the Windows 3.1x platform.

SQL*Net Example on a TCP/IP Network

The entry below is taken from a client machine that connects to a single Oracle7 Server named GREENWOOD on a TCP/IP network.

GREEN.world =

  (DESCRIPTION =

    (ADDRESS_LIST =

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = TCP.world)

          (PROTOCOL = TCP)

          (HOST = GREENWOOD)

          (PORT = 1521)

    (CONNECT_DATA =

    (SID = ORCL)

Specifying SPX Addresses

When using the Oracle SPX Protocol Adapter, specify the address as follows:

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = SPX.world)

          (PROTOCOL = SPX)

          (SERVICE = tns_application)    



 Additional Information

See "Verifying SPX Protocol Adapter Setup" for further SPX setup information for the Windows 3.1x platform.

SQL*Net Example on a SPX/IPX Network

The entry below is taken from a client machine that connects to a single Oracle7 Server named GREENWOOD on an SPX/IPX network.

GREEN.world =

  (DESCRIPTION =

    (ADDRESS_LIST =

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = SPX.world)

          (PROTOCOL = SPX)

          (SERVICE = ORCL_LSNR)

    (CONNECT_DATA =

    (SID = ORCL)

Specifying Named Pipes Addresses

When using the Oracle Named Pipes Protocol Adapter, specify the address of a TNS-based application as follows:

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = NMP.world)

          (PROTOCOL = NMP)

          (SERVER = server_name)

          (PIPE = pipe _name)

SQL*Net Example on a Named Pipes Network

The entry below is taken from a client machine that connects to a single Oracle7 Server named GREENWOOD on a Named Pipes network.

GREEN.world =

  (DESCRIPTION =

    (ADDRESS_LIST =

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = NMP.WORLD)

          (PROTOCOL = NMP)

          (SERVER = GREENWOOD)

          (PIPE = dbpipe0)

    (CONNECT_DATA =

    (SID = ORCL)

Specifying DECnet Addresses

When using the Oracle DECnet Protocol Adapter, specify the address of a TNS-based application as follows:

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = community_name)

          (PROTOCOL = DECNet)

          (NODE = DecNet_node_name)

          (OBJECT = database_alias)

SQL*Net Example on a DECnet Network

The entry below is taken from a client machine that connects to a single Oracle7 Server named ORACLE7 on a DECnet node named ORACLE.

testdnt.sample =

  (DESCRIPTION															 =

     (ADDRESS_LIST =

      (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = desktopdecnet.sample)

          (PROTOCOL = DECnet)

          (NODE = 19.470)

          (OBJECT = ORACLE733)

       (CONNECT_DATA =

       (SID = ORACLE7)

Specifying NetBIOS Addresses

When using the Oracle NetBIOS Protocol Adapter for Windows, specify the address of a TNS-based application as follows:

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = NTB.world)

          (PROTOCOL = NTB)

          (NTBNAME = ntb_name)    



 Additional Information

See "Verifying NetBIOS Protocol Adapter Setup" for further NetBIOS setup information for the Windows 3.1x platform.

SQL*Net Example on a NetBIOS Network

The entry below is taken from a client machine that connects to a single Oracle7 Server named GREENWOOD on a NetBIOS network.

GREEN =

  (DESCRIPTION =

    (ADDRESS_LIST =

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = NTB.world)

          (PROTOCOL = NTB)

          (NTBNAME = GREENWOOD)

    (CONNECT_DATA =

    (SID = ORCL)

Specifying LU6.2 Addresses

Note With the Oracle LU6.2 Protocol Adapter for Windows must be configured by using Oracle Network Manager to create the TNSNAMES.ORA file or editing the NSD.INI file. Oracle LU6.2 Protocol Adapter for Windows NT must be configured manually using a text editor by editing the TNSNAMES.ORA and the LISTENER.ORA files.

LU6.2 for Windows NT

When using the Oracle LU6.2 Protocol Adapter for Windows NT, specify the address of a TNS-based application as follows:

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY= LU62.world)

          (PROTOCOL=LU62)

          (TPN= tpn_name)

          (MODE=ORAPLU62)

          (PARTNER_LU_NAME = "partner_lu_name")

          (LLU_NAME = local_lu_name) 



 Note

LLU and PARTNER_LU_LOCAL_ALIAS can be used in place of LLU_NAME and PARTNER_LU_NAME. 






 Additional Information

See the Administrator's Guide in the Microsoft SNA Server Documentation folder for LU6.2 setup information.

SQL*Net Examples on an LU6.2 Network

Example to connect to IBM MVS instance:

mvs.world = (DESCRIPTION =

               (ADDRESS =

                 (COMMUNITY= LU62.world)

                 (PROTOCOL=LU62)

                 (TPN=RECVTP)

                 (MODE=ORAPLU62)

                 (PARTNER_LU_NAME = "ORACLE.TNSORAK")

                 (LLU = SENDLU)

               (CONNECT_DATA=(SID=ORCL)

Example to connect to Windows NT listener:

nt.world = (DESCRIPTION =

               (ADDRESS =

                 (COMMUNITY= LU62.world)

                 (PROTOCOL=LU62)

                 (TPN=RECVTP)

                 (MODE=ORAPLU62)

                 (PARTNER_LU_NAME = "ORACLE.HQEW001")

                 (LLU = SENDLU)

               (CONNECT_DATA=(SID=ORCL)

LU6.2 for Windows

LU6.2 can be specified in the TNSNAMES.ORA file or in the NSD.INI file.

To contact an Oracle7 server using the LU6.2 protocol, the following parameters are needed:

Parameter Description
PLU_LA

Set only if specifying an entry in the NSD.INI file.
Replace the LU_NAME, TP_NAME and MODE parameters with this parameter.

Logical unit (LU) partner name, LU_NAME

Set when the network is configured.

Named automatically.

Specifies network location of the desired Oracle7 Server.

Transaction program (TP) name, TP_NAME

Set when the Oracle7 Server is configured.

Named automatically.

Specifies the executable (at the location specified by the LU name) to establish communication

MODE

Set when NS/WIN is configured on the client.

Named by the network administrator.

Specifies the quality of service.

When using the Oracle LU6.2 Protocol Adapter for Windows 3.1x, specify the address of a TNS-based application as follows:

      (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY= LU62.world)

          (PROTOCOL = LU62)

          (LU_NAME = lu_name)

          (TP_NAME = tpn_name)

          (MODE = mode_name)

When using the NSD.INI file (for NS/WIN), specify the TNS-based application as follows:

If you choose NSD.INI file (for NS/WIN), the TP_NAME, LU_NAME, and MODE are taken from the PLU_LA alias, and your TNSNAMES.ORA entry is simpler:

      (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY= LU62.world)

          (PROTOCOL = LU6.2)

          (PLU_LA = partner_lu_alias)

TP_NAME, LU_NAME, and MODE are specified in the NSD.INI file.

Additional Information See "Verifying LU6.2 Protocol Adapter for IBM NS/WIN Setup" for further LU6.2 setup information for the Windows 3.1x platform.

Specifying Bequeath Addresses

When you configure TNSNAMES.ORA and specify the Bequeath Protocol Adapter, the following address appears in TNSNAMES.ORA:

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = beq.world)

          (PROTOCOL = BEQ)

          (PROGRAM = oracle73)

          (ARGV0 = oracle73SID)

          (ARGS = `(DESCRIPTION=(LOCAL=YES)(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=beq)))') 



 Note

When connecting with the Bequeath Protocol Adapter on a local Windows NT server, you only need to specify the SID. Use the default entry of local host for the service name, since the Windows NT server is a local machine.

SQL*Net Example on a Bequeath Network

The entry below is taken from a server machine that connects to a single Oracle7 Server named GREENWOOD on a Bequeath network.

GREEN.world =

  (DESCRIPTION =

    (ADDRESS_LIST =

          (COMMUNITY = beq.world)

          (PROTOCOL = BEQ)

          (PROGRAM = oracle73)

          (ARGV0 = oracle73SID)

          (ARGS = `(DESCRIPTION=(LOCAL=YES)(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=beq)))')

    (CONNECT_DATA =

      (SID = ORCL)

Understanding the SQLNET.ORA File

The SQLNET.ORA file is used by all clients and the server on the network. The SQLNET.ORA file contains information about Oracle Names such as the:

default domain for service names stored in Oracle Names
list of preferred Names Servers

It can also contain optional logging and tracing, and security parameters.

Note The SQLNET.ORA file is automatically installed on the server and the clients in ORACLE_HOME\NETWORK\ADMIN.

A sample file is shown in Figure E-2

################

# Filename......: sqlnet.ora

# Name..........: TCP.world

# Date..........: 04-DEC-96 13:50:40

################

AUTOMATIC_IPC = OFF <---set this to OFF if you do not wish to use IPC

TRACE_LEVEL_CLIENT = OFF <---set this to 16 if tracing is required

names.directory_path = (TNSNAMES)

names.default_domain = world

name.default_zone = world

Figure E¯2 SQLNET.ORA Configuration File

This section covers the following SQLNET.ORA configuration issues:

Specifying Dead Connection Detection

The optional server parameter, SQLNET.EXPIRE_TIME, determines how often the listener sends a probe to verify that a client-server connection is still active. If a client is abnormally terminated, a connection remains open indefinitely unless identified and closed by the system. If you specify this parameter, the listener sends a probe periodically to determine whether there is an invalid connection to terminate. If the listener finds a dead connection, or a connection no longer in use, it returns an error, causing the server process to exit. This parameter must be set in the SQLNET.ORA file on the server.

Specify this parameter in the Connection Expire Time field of the Client Profile property sheet of Oracle Network Manager for Windows. Enter the time, in minutes, between probes for a dead connection. The range of possible values is from one to a very large number. However, a value of approximately 10 is recommended. If no value is entered in this field, the broken connections remain indefinitely.

Note: The time set in this parameter is not necessarily the amount of time a dead connection remains. This parameter sets the time between probes for dead connections. Depending on the underlying protocol, shutting down a dead process can take longer.

Dead connection detection has costs associated with it:

Additional network traffic is generated to probe for dead connections. A probe packet is very small, but one is sent on each connection at the interval specified in the SQLNET.EXPIRE_TIME parameter in the SQLNET.ORA file.
When dead connection detection is enabled, the Oracle7 Server needs to do additional processing to distinguish the connection probing event from other events. You can test the performance of your application with or without the dead connection detection feature enabled.
For some protocols, the generic SQL*Net dead connection detection feature is no better than the native mechanism available in the underlying transport protocol. In that case, it is not necessary to enable it.

In short, evaluate carefully whether you benefit from enabling the dead connection detection feature. Turn it on only if necessary.

Using Logging and Tracing Parameters

The following logging and tracing parameters are automatically added to the SQLNET.ORA file.

Parameter	Description
LOG_FILE_CLIENT	Sets the name of the log file for the listener.
LOG_DIRECTORY_CLIENT	Establishes the destination directory for log files by the client.
TRACE_LEVEL_CLIENT	Indicates the level of detail the trace facility records. The trace level value can either be a value within the range of 0 to 16 (where 0 is no tracing and 16 represents the maximum amount of tracing) or a value of OFF, ADMIN, USER, or SUPPORT. OFF (equivalent to 0) provides no tracing USER (equivalent to 4) traces to identify user-induced error conditions ADMIN (equivalent to 6) traces to identify installation-specific problems SUPPORT (equivalent to 16) provides trace information for troubleshooting information for support.
TRACE_FILE_CLIENT	Establishes the name of the file to which trace information is written.
TRACE_DIRECTORY_CLIENT	Sets the directory where the trace file is placed.

Note: Log and trace file names have a maximum limit of eight characters.

Additional Information See the Oracle Network Products Messages Manual for valid parameters values.

All errors that occur in SQL*Net are written to log files, while detailed sequences of events as they happen are written to trace files. Trace files provide more information than log files.

You can also manually add the following optional tracing parameters for the TNSPING utility to SQLNET.ORA. TNSPING determines whether or not a service (such as a database, Oracle Names Server, or other TNS services) on a SQL*Net network can be successfully reached.

TNSPING.TRACE_LEVEL
TNSPING.TRACE_DIRECTORY

Additional Information See the Oracle Network Products Troubleshooting Guide for more information about the logging and tracing parameters in SQLNET.ORA.

Understanding Default Domains

The NAMES.DEFAULT_DOMAIN parameter indicates the domain from which the client most often requests names. When this parameter is set, the domain name is automatically appended to the service name.

Understanding Client Parameters for Use with Oracle Names Server

If you use Oracle Names Server without the DDO, another parameter, NAMES.PREFERRED_SERVERS, is required. This parameter includes one or more addresses of the Names servers in the order the client prefers to use.

Additional Information Several optional Oracle Names tracing parameters can also appear; they are described in the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide. Use Oracle Network Manager to create these parameters.

Understanding the IPC Parameter

The IPC (interprocess communication parameter), AUTOMATIC_IPC, determines if SQL*Net attempts to connect to a database locally or through the network first. If the parameter is set to ON, SQL*Net looks for an IPC address and then goes through the network; if the parameter is set to OFF, SQL*Net does not look for an IPC address and goes directly to the network.

To modify this parameter, use Oracle Network Manager (if SQLNET.ORA was originally configured with it), an editor (such as Notepad), or the SQLNET.ORA Editor.

Understanding Authentication, Encryption, and Checksumming Parameters

Authentication, data encryption, and checksumming parameters ensure secure transmission of data over networks. Authentication is available with or without ANO. Encryption and checksumming parameters are only available without ANO.

Additional Information See the Advanced Networking Option Administrator's Guide for specific configuration information on these parameters.

Understanding the LISTENER.ORA File

The LISTENER.ORA file is the configuration file for the listener. It resides on the server and defines:

the listener address
the SID of the database for which it listened
parameters that influence the listener's behavior, including tracing and logging

Note The LISTENER.ORA file is automatically installed on the server in ORANT\NETWORK\ADMIN.

A sample file is shown in Figure E-3:

###########

# FILENAME: listener.ora

# NAME....: Sever name

# Date..........: 04-DEC-96 13:50:40

###########

LISTENER =

  (ADDRESS_LIST =

        (ADDRESS=

          (PROTOCOL=IPC) <---IPC is the internal protocol

            (KEY= service_name) <---automatically added, but necessary

        (ADDRESS=

          (PROTOCOL=IPC)

          (KEY =SID)

        (ADDRESS =

          (COMMUNITY = TCP.world)

          (PROTOCOL = TCP)

          (HOST = host_name) <---or, use the IP address of NT server

          (PORT = 1521)

STARTUP_WAIT_TIME_LISTENER = 0

CONNECT_TIMEOUT_LISTENER = 10

TRACE_LEVEL_LISTENER = ADMIN

SID_LIST_LISTENER =

  (SID_LIST =

    (SID_DESC =

      (SID_NAME = SID) <---Database system identifier, default is ORCL

PASSWORDS_LISTENER = (oracle)

Figure E¯3 LISTENER.ORA Configuration File

This section covers the following LISTENER.ORA configuration issues:

Defining the Listener Name

You can create connections to multiple databases in two ways, using one or multiple network listeners:

you specifically configure one network listener to multiple databases
you configure multiple network listeners, each for a specific database. All the listeners on a single machine share one LISTENER.ORA file.

The listener name can be any easy-to-use name. The default listener name is LISTENER, which is the recommended name in a standard installation that requires only one listener on a machine. The listener name must be unique on the machine running Oracle7. If you have more than one listener on a machine, each requires a unique name. The TURTLE node, for example, might have three listeners with the names:

LSNR1_TURTLE
LSNR2_TURTLE
LSNR3_TURTLE

Defining the Listener Address

The listener usually listens both for internal connection requests and for connection requests from across the network.

IPC Addresses for the Listener (Windows NT Only)

The listener queries for IPC calls and for calls from other nodes. IPC addresses must be included in the LISTENER.ORA file. Oracle Network Manager generates the IPC entries automatically, without your input.

The IPC address format, which is the same across platforms, is as follows:

		(ADDRESS=

			(PROTOCOL=IPC) 

   			(KEY=string)

Oracle Network Manager and SQL*Net Easy Configuration create two IPC addresses for each database for which a listener queries. In one, the key value is equal to the service name. This IPC address is used for connections from other applications on the same node. Service names are described in the section "Understanding the TNSNAMES.ORA File" in this appendix. In the other IPC address, the key value is equal to the database SID, which is described in the next section. This IPC address is used by the database dispatcher to identify the listener.

Note If the service name is the same as the SID, only one IPC address is needed, and Oracle Network Manager generates only one IPC address.

LU6.2 Addresses

The listener must have a fully qualified local lu name rather than a partner lu name that may be specified in the TNSNAMES.ORA. Below is a sample LU6.2 address:

        (ADDRESS=

          (PROTOCOL= LU62)

          (TPN = RECVTP)

          (LLU_NAME = "ORACLE.HQEW001")

          (MODE = ORAPLU62)

Describing the Databases on the Listener

The LISTENER.ORA file describes the database SIDs for which the listener queries. These are the same SIDs listed in the client's TNSNAMES.ORA file. LISTENER.ORA is made up of keyword-value pairs.

SID_LIST_listener_name=

   (SID_LIST =

      (SID_DESC =

         (SID_NAME = SID)

The SID is the Oracle SID of the database server.

       (SID_NAME = db2)

Defining Listener Prespawned Dedicated Server Processes

This release does not support Prespawned Dedicated Server Processes by the listener. Do not include the following parameters in each SID_DESC of the LISTENER.ORA file:

PRESPAWN_MAX
PROTOCOL
POOL_SIZE
TIMEOUT

Using Control Parameters

The following parameters control the behavior of the listener:

Parameter	Description
LOG_FILE_<listener_name>	Sets the name of the log file for the listener.
LOG_DIRECTORY_<listener_name>	Establishes the destination directory for the log file that is automatically generated for listener events.
PASSWORDS-<listener_name>	Allows one or more passwords. If this optional parameter specifies one or more passwords, then the use of one of these passwords is required to perform DBA tasks against the listener using the Listener Control Utility.
STARTUP_WAITTIME_--<listener_name>	Sets the number of seconds that the listener sleeps before responding to the first listener control status command.
TRACE_LEVEL_<listener_name>	Indicates the level of detail the trace facility records. The trace level value can either be a value within the range of 0 to 16 (where 0 is no tracing and 16 represents the maximum amount of tracing) or a value of OFF, ADMIN, USER, or SUPPORT. OFF (equivalent to 0) provides no tracing USER (equivalent to 4) traces to identify user-induced error conditions ADMIN (equivalent to 6) traces to identify installation-specific problems SUPPORT (equivalent to 16) provides trace information for troubleshooting information for support.
TRACE_FILE__--<listener_name>	Establishes the name of the file to which trace information is written.
TRACE_DIRECTORY__--<listener_name>	Sets the directory where the trace file is placed.

Note: Log and trace file names have a maximum limit of eight characters.

Additional Information See the Oracle Network Products Messages Manual for valid log and trace parameters values.

Using the Dynamic Discovery Option

Clients do no need a TNSNAMES.ORA file if the Oracle Names Server is used. If the TNSNAMES.ORA is created, the client first uses it to resolve the service name before resolving it through the Names Server's DDO. A SQL*Net server requires the following entries in the LISTENER.ORA file for a listener to register itself as a service to a well-known Oracle Names Server:

SID_LIST_listener_name=

   (SID_LIST =

      (SID_DESC =

         (SID_NAME = ORCL)

         (GLOBAL_DBNAME = ORCL.world)

  USE_PLUG_AND_PLAY_listener_name=ON

where listener_name is the name of the listener. LISTENER is the name of the default listener.

GLOBAL_DBNAME	Specifies the names of the database instance. It must be globally unique.
USE_PLUG_AND_PLAY	Instructs the listener to find and register with a well-known Oracle Names Server.

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Parameter	Description
CONNECT_DATA	Indicates that application-specific data is supplied at connect time.
SID	Specifies the SID of the database server. You must specify the SID in the CONNECT_DATA section of the connect descriptor

Parameter	Description
PLU_LA	Set only if specifying an entry in the NSD.INI file. Replace the LU_NAME, TP_NAME and MODE parameters with this parameter.
Logical unit (LU) partner name, LU_NAME	Set when the network is configured. Named automatically. Specifies network location of the desired Oracle7 Server.
Transaction program (TP) name, TP_NAME	Set when the Oracle7 Server is configured. Named automatically. Specifies the executable (at the location specified by the LU name) to establish communication
MODE	Set when NS/WIN is configured on the client. Named by the network administrator. Specifies the quality of service.