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Introducing Oracle8i Client

This chapter introduces you to Oracle8i Client.Specific topics discussed are:

• Supported Operating Systems

• New on Windows in this Release

• What Documentation Do I Read First?

Supported Operating Systems

Oracle8i client software operates on a personal computer (PC) running the following Microsoft Windows operating systems:

• Windows NT Workstation 4.0

• Windows NT Server 4.0

• Windows NT Server Enterprise Edition 4.0

• Windows 95

• Windows 98

• Windows 2000

  Attention: Windows 2000 production versions were not available during the development and testing of release 8.1.6 products. Oracle Corporation has used the Release Candidate versions of Windows 2000 for development and testing. See the READMEDOC.HTM file at the top level of the CD-ROM for the latest information on certification and support of release 8.1.6 products on Windows 2000.

New on Windows in this Release

This table describes the new components of release 8.1.6 specific to Windows.

New Product	Description	See...
Oracle Provider for OLE DB	OLE DB is an open standard data access methodology that utilizes a set of interfaces for accessing and manipulating all types of data. These interfaces are available from various database providers. The Oracle Provider for OLE DB interfaces offer high performance and efficient access to Oracle data by applications, compilers, and other database components.	Oracle Provider for OLE DB User's Guide
Active Directory support	Active Directory is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)-compliant directory server included with Windows 2000. Active Directory stores all Windows 2000 information, including users, groups, and policies. Oracle8i release 8.1.6 enables users to store database service and Net8 net service names as directory objects in Active Directory. Integration with Active Directory enables: Oracle objects representing databases and net service names to be created in Active Directory and used by various Oracle applications when connecting to an Oracle8i database A single, centralized location to store net service name information, which eliminates the need for maintaining a separate TNSNAMES.ORA file on each client computer An administrator to create and store enterprise users and roles for the Oracle8i database in Active Directory, which helps centralize the administration of users and roles across multiple databases	Chapter 4, "Using Oracle8i Client Directory Server Features with Active Directory" of Oracle8i Client Administrator's Guide for Windows

Additional Information: See Getting to Know Oracle8i for the list of new components and features common to all operating systems.

What Documentation Do I Read First?

Your Oracle documentation set is described in Appendix E, "Getting Started with Your Documentation". This appendix provides:

• A list of available online documentation formats

• A list of documentation available on your CD-ROM

Oracle Corporation recommends that you read or review the following documentation before you begin installing Oracle components. This helps ensure that you make the correct decisions during Oracle component installation.

For Information About...	See...
How to obtain customer support	Oracle Customer Support Guide
Important last-minute installation and configuration information	READMEDOC.HTM file located at the top of the product CD-ROM for last-minute additions not included in the Release Notes Release Notes Note: After installation, all README files are accessible from the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\RELNOTES directory.
Installing Oracle components into multiple homes on a single computer	Chapter 3 of Oracle8i Client Administrator's Guide for Windows
Installing all Oracle components available on the CD-ROM	Chapter 5, "Installing Oracle Components" of this guide
Networking concepts and administration	Net8 Administrator's Guide
Oracle Enterprise Manager concepts and administration	Oracle Enterprise Manager Concepts Guide Oracle Enterprise Manager Administrator's Guide Oracle Enterprise Manager Configuration Guide

Viewing Documentation on the CD-ROM

The Oracle8i Online Documentation is included on a separate CD-ROM. When you insert your CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, the Autorun window automatically appears. This window provides easy access to the Oracle8i Online Documentation. Follow these instructions to view the documentation.

To view the documentation on the CD-ROM:

1. Insert the Oracle8i Online Documentation CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.

   The Autorun window appears. If the Autorun window does not appear:

   1. Choose Start > Run.

   2. Enter the following:

      DRIVE_LETTER:\AUTORUN\AUTORUN.EXE
      

   The Autorun window appears.

2. Click Browse Documentation to view the Oracle8i Online Documentation for all components. These documents are in HTML and PDF formats. The Oracle Information Navigator, a Java-based search and navigation applet, also starts.

3. Review the documentation described in the table in "What Documentation Do I Read First?" and any other documentation appropriate to your environment.

   Note: You can also install your Oracle8i Online Documentation. See "Installing the Oracle8i Online Documentation" for instructions.

   Note: You can also access your Oracle8i Online Documentation without using the Autorun window. To do this: Exit the Autorun window. Go to the DOC directory at the root of the Oracle8i Online Documentation CD-ROM. Click either INDEX.HTM (to start both your Oracle8i Online Documentation and the Oracle Information Navigator, a Java-based search and navigation applet) or PRODUCTS.HTM (to start your Oracle8i Online Documentation without the Oracle Information Navigator).