Release 8.0.4 for Windows NT and Windows 95
A55913-01
 Library |
 Product |
 Contents |
 Index |
| Net8 Getting Started Release 8.0.4 for Windows NT and Windows 95 A55913-01 |
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This chapter describes Net8 components and features.
Specific topics discussed are:
The table below lists each component of Oracle Network Products and the platform on which it can be installed.
| Net8 Products | NT as Oracle Server | NT as Oracle Client | 95 as Oracle Client | Separately Installable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net8 Client |
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
| Net8 Server |
yes |
no |
no |
yes |
| Oracle Protocol Adapters |
|
|
|
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
|
yes |
yes |
no |
yes |
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes3 |
no |
|
| Configuration Tools |
|
|
|
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
no |
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
| Oracle Names Server |
yes |
no |
no |
yes |
| Oracle Connection Manager4 |
yes |
no |
no |
yes |
| NetWare Directory Services (NDS) Native Naming Adapter |
no |
yes |
yes |
no |
| Authentication Adapters |
|
|
|
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
no |
|
| Oracle Advanced Networking Option Products5 |
|
|
|
|
|
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
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yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
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yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
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yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
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yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
|
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yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
The Net8 products are described below:
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
| Net8 Client |
Provides products that allow client connection to databases across a network. A client-side application sends a request to Net8 to be transported across the network to the server. |
| Net8 Server |
Provides products that allow the network listener, through an Oracle Protocol Adapter, to accept connections from client applications on the network. |
| Oracle Protocol Adapters |
The following Oracle Protocol Adapters are available: |
|
Enables client/server conversation over a network using TCP/IP and Net8. This combination of Oracle products enables an Oracle application on a client to communicate with remote Oracle databases through TCP/IP (if the Oracle database is running on a host system that supports network communication using TCP/IP). |
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Enables client/server conversation over a network using SPX/IPX and Net8. This combination of Oracle products enables an Oracle application on a client to communicate with remote Oracle databases through SPX/IPX (if the Oracle database is running on a host system that supports network communication using SPX/IPX). This protocol is predominantly used in Novell Netware environments. |
|
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Enables client/server conversation over a network using Named Pipes and Net8. This combination of Oracle products enables an Oracle application on a client to communicate with remote Oracle databases through Named Pipes (if the Oracle database is running on a host system that supports network communication using Named Pipes). The Named Pipes Protocol Adapter is a high-level interface providing interprocess communications between clients and servers (distributed applications). One process (the server side of the application) creates the pipe, and the other process (the client side) opens it by name. What one side writes, the other can read, and vice versa. Named Pipes is specifically designed for PC LAN environments. |
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The adapter is part of the IBM Advanced Program-to-Program Communication (APPC) architecture. APPC is the IBM peer-to-peer (program-to-program) protocol for a System Network Architecture (SNA) network. SNA is an IBM reference model similar to the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model of the International Standards Organization (ISO). APPC architecture lets the client and host communicate over an SNA network without forcing the client to emulate a terminal (as in terminal-to-host protocols). APPC architecture allows peer-to-peer communication; the client can initiate communication with the server. An SNA network with the LU6.2 and Physical Unit Type 2.1 (PU2.1) protocols provides APPC. The LU6.2 protocol defines a session between two application programs; LU6.2 is a product-independent LU-type. The LU6.2 Protocol Adapter enables an Oracle application on a PC to communicate with an Oracle database. This communication occurs over an SNA network with the Oracle database on a host system that supports APPC. |
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Enables clients to retrieve information from the database without using the network listener. The Bequeath Adapter internally spawns a server thread for each client application. In a sense, it does the same operation that a remote network listener does for your connection, yet locally. The Bequeath Protocol Adapter:
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| Configuration Tools |
Net8 has a number of new features that simplify configuration and administration of the Oracle network: |
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This Java-based tool enables you to set up service names n the TNSNAMES.ORA file. Use this tool for configuring simple networks and testing the configuration. For more information, see "Using the Local Naming Method" in Chapter 6, "Configuring the Network" |
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Oracle Net8 Assistant helps you to configure and administer:
For more information, see: |
|
| Oracle Names Server |
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. For more information, see "Using the Oracle Names Method" in Chapter 6, "Configuring the Network". |
| Oracle Connection Manager |
The Oracle Connection Manager provides three capabilities for Oracle8: |
|
Allows you to multiplex multiple logical client sessions through a single transport connection to an Oracle server destination. This permits large numbers of users to access a single database which is running in Multi-Threaded Server (MTS) mode, and thus increases the server's scalability. To enable connection concentrations, add the following parameter to the INTISID.ORA configuration file for that server: For more information, see: |
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Provides a proxy for denying or allowing access to a database server. This feature, implemented only over the TCP/IP protocol, provides network filtering similar to that offered with a firewall. For more information, see: |
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Replaces the Multi-Protocol Interchange. Allows client and database servers operating on different protocol stacks to communicate with each other. For more information, see:
|
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| NetWare Directory Services (NDS) Native Naming Adapter |
Enables you to integrate Oracle service names (or database aliases) and addresses into your existing non-Oracle name services. This feature allows users from multiple points to use a single login to access a multi-server and multi-database network, and view the entire network under a single directory tree. The NDS Native Naming Adapter uses the NDS naming environment to store service names and addresses of Oracle8 Server for NetWare databases. This environment allows users to connect to Oracle8 databases on NetWare servers whose server name is defined as an NDS object name. To use the NDS Naming Adapter, you must configure your Windows client machine to a Novell NetWare 4.x Workstation. |
| Authentication Adapters |
Net8 offers the following authentication adapters: |
|
Allows a single login access a multi-server and multi-database network and view the entire network under a single NDS directory tree. |
|
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Allows operating system authentication to be performed between a client and an Oracle server on Windows NT. |
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| Oracle Advanced Networking Option |
See "Oracle Advanced Networking Option Products" in this chapter. |
The table below lists the supported protocol vendor for each Oracle Protocol Adapter.
The Advanced Networking Option (ANO) is an optional product that provides enhanced functionality to Net8. Its set of features provides enhanced security and authentication to your network, and enables integration with a Distributed Computing Environment (DCE).
ANO includes the following components:
Net8 supports very large scale mission-critical environments, offers a state-of-the-art security server and simplifies administration and configuration of all environments, large and small. The major enhancements in Net8 can be grouped into these areas:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Manageability |
Net8 has a number of features that simplify configuration and administration of the Oracle network: |
|
This Java-based tool enables you to graphically set up service names. This tool succeeds the previously available tool called SQL*Net Easy Configuration (SQL*Net Version 2.x). For more information, see "Using the Local Naming Method" in Chapter 6, "Configuring the Network". |
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This Java-based graphical configuration and management tool succeeds Oracle Network Manager, included in previous SQL*Net Version 2.x releases. Oracle Net8 Assistant helps you to configure and administer complex networks. For more information, see: |
|
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Formats level 16 (SUPPORT) traces into paragraphs that are easier to read than unformatted trace files. For more information, see: |
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| Naming Methods |
Net8 clients communicate with Oracle8 servers through service names, which are easy to remember aliases for database addresses. Net8 resolves service names using the following naming methods: |
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Resolves Oracle service names via the existing name resolution service in a TCP/IP network. This name resolution service might be Domain Name System (DNS) or simply a centrally-maintained set of /ETC/HOSTS files. Host naming allows users to connect to an Oracle server simply by using the host's network name. No client configuration is required to take advantage of this feature. For more information, see "Using the Host Naming Method" in Chapter 6, "Configuring the Network". |
|
|
Resolves service names using a local TNSNAMES.ORA configuration file. For more information, see "Using the Local Naming Method" in Chapter 6, "Configuring the Network".... |
|
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Resolves service names using Oracle Names Servers. Oracle Names is a distributed naming service for Oracle networks. Oracle Names helps administrators manage large numbers of clients and servers in their environments. For more information, see "Using the Oracle Names Method" in Chapter 6, "Configuring the Network". |
|
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Resolves service names using a supported third-party naming service. External naming is implemented with the NetWare Directory Services (NDS) Native Naming Adapter. For more information, see "Using the External Naming Method" in Chapter 8, "Performing Advanced Configuration".... |
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| Scalability |
Scalability refers to the ability to support simultaneous network access by a large number of clients to a single server. With Net8, this is accomplished by optimizing the usage of network resources by reducing the number of physical network connections a server must maintain. |
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The Oracle Connection Manager uses multiplexing to combine the network traffic from several clients onto a single physical connection to the server, therefore conserving server resources. Unlike connection pooling, client connections to the server are maintained continually. This makes it ideal for applications requiring continuous connectivity (such as process control or a stock ticker). This functionality is supported by Multi-Threaded Server (MTS) configurations. For more information, see: |
|
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Connection pooling is a feature implemented with Net8 clients and dispatchers for Multi-Threaded Server (MTS) configurations. It allows a limited number of (physical) transport connections to be shared among a large number of (logical) network sessions. This is achieved by using a time-out mechanism to temporarily release an idle transport connection while maintaining its network session. The transport connection is released only if it has been idle for the specified time-out period, all the transport connections in the pool are busy, and an active network session needs a transport connection. Use of connection pooling optimizes network resource utilization and increases the number of client-server sessions possible across a fixed number of physical server ports. It is ideal when many clients run interactive, "high idle/search time" applications, such as messaging or OLAP. Connection pooling is enabled by setting the MTS_DISPATCHERS parameter to the INTISID.ORA initialization file in ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE. Note: Connection pooling is only available with MTS on TCP/IP networks. For more information, see:
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Distributes the number of incoming sessions over multiple network listeners for a single database or for two or more equivalent databases. This feature is configured by defining multiple network listeners for each database. To enable multiple network listeners for Multi-Threaded Server (MTS), add the MTS_MULTIPLE_LISTENERS=TRUE parameter to the INTISID.ORA initialization file in ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE. For more information, see:
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Net8 supports the MTS in TCP/IP network environments. For more information, see:
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This release of Net8 supports both the WINSOCK 1.1 and WINSOCK2 socket interface. Net8 automatically detects WINSOCK2 on Windows NT and uses it if it is available. WINSOCK2 is a standard feature of the Windows NT Version 4.0 operating system. Oracle uses these WINSOCK2 features in Net8:
WINSOCK2 support enables Net8 features such as: |
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| Security |
Net8 offers the following security features: |
|
Supports authentication and authorization in an Oracle network environment using public-key cryptography. The Oracle Security Server is a separate product bundled with Oracle8 and Net8. For more information see the Oracle Security Server Guide. |
|
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Incorporates a Net8 application proxy for implementing firewall-like functionality. For more information, see "Configuring Oracle Connection Manager" in Chapter 6, "Configuring the Network". |
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| Enhancements for Developers |
Net8 offers the following enhancement for developers: |
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Net8 OPEN is an application programming interface (API) that allows users to write applications that use Net8 for connectivity. Net8 OPEN:
For more information, see Oracle Net8 Administrator's Guide. |
