Release 8.0.3
A51576_01
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| Net8(TM) Administrator's Guide Release 8.0.3 A51576_01 |
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Net8 is the follow-on networking product to SQL*Net version 2 enabling the underlying network connectivity between remote client applications and Oracle8 and Oracle7 servers across any network.
The new name reflects enhanced capabilities of the product that go beyond sending just SQL statements across a network. Following this release, all future networking products will synchronize version numbers with Oracle8 to eliminate any confusion regarding product compatibility.
This chapter introduces the Net8 release 8.0.3 product, and provides an overview of its main applications, features, and functionality. It contains the following sections:
Net8 enables the machines in your network to "talk" with one another. It facilitates and manages communication sessions between a client application and a remote database. Specifically, Net8 performs three basic operations:
For more information on these operations, refer to Chapter 2, "Understanding Net8".
Net8 is part of the standard Oracle networking package. This package also includes:
Oracle Names is a distributed naming service developed for Oracle environments to help simplify the setup and administration of global, client/server computing networks. Oracle Names does this by establishing and maintaining an integrated system of Names Servers. Names Servers work like a directory service storing addresses for all the database services on a network and making them available to clients wishing to make a connection.
Oracle Names provides an alternative to file-based or `local' name resolution methods, where service names and addresses must be configured and maintained with each individual client. By maintaining this information in a central administrative location, Oracle Names reduces the work effort associated with adding or relocating services.
For more information on connecting clients to servers, refer to Chapter 2, "Understanding Net8". For more information on configuring your network using Oracle Names, refer to Chapter 4, "Configuring Network Clients" and Chapter 5, "Configuring Network Services".
Oracle Connection Manager is a new application that is available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition. It provides support for the following features:
For more information on the Oracle Connection Manager, refer to Chapter 2, "Understanding Net8".
Net8 OPEN is an application programming interface that allows users to write applications that use Net8 for connectivity. This enables you to use Net8 for your own applications, even if they do not access a database, or even use SQL. For more information about Net8 OPEN, refer to Chapter 9, "Net8 Enhancements for Programmers".
Net8 provides the following benefits to users of networked applications:
Net8 transports data both to and from client and server in a manner that is transparent to the application user. This means that one can write a database application without regard for network intricacies. Additionally, it is possible to change the network structure beneath the application without changing the application itself, whether this means changing the network protocol or adding network services.
Net8 enables Oracle applications to run over any supported network protocol by using the appropriate Oracle Protocol Adapter. Applications can be moved to another protocol stack by installing the necessary Oracle Protocol Adapter and the industry protocol stack. Oracle Protocol Adapters provide Net8 access to connections over specific protocols or networks. On some platforms, a single Oracle Protocol Adapter will operate on several different network interface boards, allowing you to deploy applications in any networking environment.
For more information about Oracle Protocol Adapters, refer to your Oracle operating system-specific documentation.
When Net8 passes control of a connection to the underlying protocol, it inherits all media and/or topologies supported by that network protocol stack. This allows the network protocol to use any means of data transmission, such as Ethernet, Token Ring, or other, to accomplish low level data link transmissions between two machines.
Oracle's client-server and server-server models provide connectivity between multiple network protocols using Oracle Connection Manager.
By enabling you to use advanced multiplexing and connection pooling features, Net8 makes it possible for thousands of concurrent users to connect to a server.
Net8 release 8.0.3 features several enhancements that extend scalability, manageability and security for large, mission-critical environments. They include:
Multiplexing is the ability to have multiple logical sessions between two processes share the same transport connection. Net8 manifests this feature by routing connection requests through Oracle Connection Manager, which funnels all incoming sessions over a single transport connection to the database. This allows the database to use fewer connection end-points for its sessions, and thereby save resources utilized on the server. This will allow larger numbers of users to access a server. For more information, refer to Chapter 2, "Understanding Net8".
Connection pooling is another scalability feature that allows you to maximize the number of physical network connections to a server. With connection pooling enabled, the server will release idle physical network connections to new incoming sessions, in the event that no additional connections are available. This essentially "recycles" server resources that would otherwise be unavailable for use. Using connection pooling, the server maintains a logical connection with the idle session, so that it may re-establish the physical connection upon request. Both connection pooling and multiplexing are used in conjunction with the multi-threaded server. For more information, refer to Chapter 3, "Planning Your Network".
The Net8 listener allows new classes of service such as Multiple Parallel Processing (MPP) servers to use additional load balancing methods. For more information, refer to Chapter 3, "Planning Your Network".
Net8 has the ability to store network addresses received from a Names Server in a client cache process. If a client wishes to re-connect to a server, Net8 can recall the address information from the cache to establish the connection. This conserves both time and resources normally required to re-connect to the Names Server. The cached information periodically checkpoints its data store to the local file system ensuring that the information stays current. This feature is available on most multi-tasking platforms.
For more information about the client cache daemon process, refer to Chapter 2, "Understanding Net8".
Net8 allows you to start your network components and to establish a connection with a server with minimal configuration. In addition, Oracle Names version 8 has extended its discovery features to further ease the configuration of Names Servers. For more information, refer to Chapter 2, "Understanding Net8".
Net8 release 8.0.3 introduces the Oracle Net8 Assistant, a tool set that works stand alone or in conjunction with a Names Server. By providing a graphical user interface that is easy to use, the Oracle Net8 Assistant eases the burden of configuring and administering a distributed network. These tools are implemented in Java and as such, are available on any platform where Net8 is installed.
The Oracle Net8 Assistant replaces most of the functionality previously provided by Oracle Network Manager and the Easy Configuration Tool, which were supported only on Windows platforms. For more information, refer to Chapter 4, "Configuring Network Clients".
Net8 includes Trace Assistant, which formats and analyzes trace data from a SQL*Net version 2 or Net8 trace file. It assists the user to understand the nature of the network traffic generated by an application. For more information about the Trace Assistant, refer to Chapter 8, "Troubleshooting Net8".
Net8 provides you with native naming adapters previously available only with Oracle Advanced Networking Option, allowing you to make use of your existing native naming services. For more information, refer to Chapter 3, "Planning Your Network" and Appendix D, "Native Naming Adapters".
Through Oracle Connection Manager, you can either allow or deny access to a defined list of clients to a given database. This allows the network administrator to control network access based on a connection's source, its destination, and the specific Oracle database requested. For more information, refer to Chapter 2, "Understanding Net8".
Additional security enhancements are also available with the Oracle Security Server which uses public-key cryptography, and Oracle Advanced Networking Option which uses other methods of authentication. For more information, refer to the Oracle Security Server and Oracle Advanced Networking Option documentation.
Net8 has incorporated several enhancements for programmers: an application programming interface called Net8 OPEN that allows users to develop portable non-SQL, non-database applications; and operating system dependent (OSD) calls that assist with UNIX signal handling. For more information, refer to Chapter 9, "Net8 Enhancements for Programmers".
Several complementary products further extend and enhance the functionality of Net8:
For more information about Net8's related Oracle products, refer to Chapter 10, "Extending Net8 Functionality".
