Connect Autonomous Database Using a Client Application
Autonomous Database is preconfigured to support Oracle Net Services (a TNS listener is installed and configured to use secure TCPS and client credentials).
The client computer must be prepared to use Oracle Net Services to connect to Autonomous Database.
About Connecting to Autonomous Database Using a Client Application
Applications can connect to Autonomous Database using any of the connection types supported by Oracle Net Services.
Consult your application documentation for details about how your application connects to Oracle. The following steps describe the process of connecting to Autonomous Database using a client application:
-
Determine what connection type your application uses, (for example OCI, ODBC, JDBC Thin, and so on).
-
Prepare your client computer for the type of connection used by your application. See the following sections.
-
Within your application, set up the connection.
The steps required to prepare the client computer depend on the type of connection used by the client application. In all cases, client credentials in the form of the wallet file must be downloaded to the client.
Prepare for Oracle Call Interface (OCI), ODBC, and JDBC OCI Connections
Preparing for any type of Oracle Call Interface(OCI) connection requires the installation of client software, downloading client credentials, and configuring certain files and environment variables.
New Oracle Client Installation
The following steps assume Oracle client software has not
already been installed on the client computer. If Oracle client software has already been installed
and there are working copies of sqlnet.ora
and
tnsnames.ora
, see Updating an Existing Oracle Client
Installation.
Before making an Oracle Call Interface(OCI), ODBC, or JDBC OCI connection, do the following:
-
Install Oracle Client software on your computer. Use either the full Oracle Database Client 11.2.0.4 (or higher) or the Oracle Instant Client 12.1.0.2 (or higher). The Instant Client contains the minimal software needed to make an Oracle Call Interface connection. The Instant Client 12.1.0.2 (or higher) is sufficient for most applications.
-
Download client credentials and store the file in a secure folder on your client computer. See Download Client Credentials (Wallets).
-
Unzip/uncompress the credentials file into a secure folder on your client computer.
-
Edit the
sqlnet.ora
file in the folder where you unzip the credentials file, replacing"?/network/admin"
with the name of the folder containing the client credentials.For example, edit
sqlnet.ora
as follows:WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE = (METHOD = file) (METHOD_DATA = (DIRECTORY="?/network/admin"))) SSL_SERVER_DN_MATCH=yes
To (UNIX/Linux example):
WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE = (METHOD = file) (METHOD_DATA = (DIRECTORY="/home/adb_credentials"))) SSL_SERVER_DN_MATCH=yes
To (Windows example):
WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE = (METHOD = file) (METHOD_DATA = (DIRECTORY="D:\\myapp\\adb_credentials"))) SSL_SERVER_DN_MATCH=yes
-
Create the
TNS_ADMIN
environment variable and set it to the location of the credentials file.Use this environment variable to change the directory path of Oracle Net Services configuration files from the default location of
ORACLE_HOME\network\admin
to the location of the secure folder containing the credentials file you saved in Step 2. Set theTNS_ADMIN
environment variable to the directory where the unzipped credentials files are, not to the credentials file itself.For example, on UNIX/Linux set
TNS_ADMIN
to the full path of the directory where you unzipped the client credentials:export TNS_ADMIN=/home/adb_credentials
For example on Windows:
set TNS_ADMIN=d:\myapp\adb_credentials
Connections with an HTTP Proxy
If the client is behind a firewall and your network configuration
requires an HTTP proxy to connect to the internet, then perform the following steps to update the
sqlnet.ora
and tnsnames.ora
files.
Note:
Connections through an HTTP proxy are only available with Oracle Client software version 12.2.0.1 or later.-
Add the following line to the
sqlnet.ora
file to enable connections through an HTTP proxy:SQLNET.USE_HTTPS_PROXY=on
-
Add the HTTP proxy hostname and port to the connection definitions in
tnsnames.ora
. You need to add thehttps_proxy
andhttps_proxy_port
parameters in the address section of connection definitions. For example, the following sets the HTTP proxy toproxyhostname
and the HTTP proxy port to80
; replace these values with your HTTP proxy information:ADB1_high = (description= (address= (https_proxy=proxyhostname)(https_proxy_port=80)(protocol=tcps)(port=1522)(host=adb.example.oraclecloud.com) ) (connect_data=(service_name=adb1_high.adb.oraclecloud.com) ) (security=(ssl_server_cert_dn="adb.example.oraclecloud.com,OU=Oracle BMCS US,O=Oracle Corporation,L=Redwood City,ST=California,C=US") ) )
Note:
Configuringsqlnet.ora
and tnsnames.ora
for the HTTP proxy may not be enough
depending on your organization's network configuration and security policies. For example, some
networks require a username
and password
for the HTTP proxy. In
such cases contact your network administrator to open outbound connections to hosts in the
oraclecloud.com domain using port 1522 without going through an HTTP proxy.
For
more information on SQLNET.USE_HTTPS_PROXY
, see Net Services
Reference.
For information on HTTPS_PROXY
and
HTTPS_PROXY_PORT
, see Protocol Address
Section.
Updating an Existing Oracle Client Installation
If you have an existing Oracle Client installation,
you already have sqlnet.ora
and tnsnames.ora
files and the
TNS_ADMIN
environment variable. In this case, do the following:
-
Update your
sqlnet.ora
file by adding the following:WALLET_LOCATION = (SOURCE = (METHOD = file) (METHOD_DATA = (DIRECTORY="/home/adb_credentials")))
-
Copy the entries in the
tnsnames.ora
file provided in the Autonomous Database wallet to your existingtnsnames.ora
file.
Prepare for JDBC Thin Connections
Applications that use JDBC Thin connections include the software necessary to make an Oracle Net Services connection. It is not necessary to download and install Oracle Client software.
Some applications use the JDK installed on your computer while others use a JDK that is embedded in the application installation. If your application uses the JDK installed on your computer and that JDK is version 8, 8u161 or later, no additional preparation is required. If your computer does not have JDK version 8, 8u161 or later, already installed then install the latest JDK first. You can download JDK version 8 from https://www.java.com/.
If your application is using a JDK version 8, prior to 8u161, then the JCE Policy Files must be updated within your application.
See JDBC Thin Connections and Wallets for the steps required to use JDBC Thin connections to connect to an Oracle Database server.
Using Applications with Support for Wallets
Some applications allow you to choose a credentials file as part of the connection properties.
For example, in SQL Developer 18.3 and higher, in the Connection Type field select the value Cloud Wallet that allows you to enter a credentials file in the Configuration File field. SQL Developer then presents a list of the available connections in the Service field (the connections are included in the credentials files).
If your application provides support for wallets or provides specific support for an Autonomous Database connection, for example, Oracle SQL Developer, Oracle recommends that you use that type of connection.

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