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CHAPTER 15. Overview of Native Naming Adapters

This chapter provides an overview of the Oracle Native Naming Adapters. It describes the following:

Why Use Native Naming Adapters?

In any computer network, there must be a system to map service names to their network addresses. SQL*Net provides two ways to identify services for clients, so that they can use simple names to reach services at complex addresses:

However, if your organization already uses another network name service, you may want to include Oracle services in that same name service. Oracle Native Naming Adapters enable you to integrate Oracle service names and addresses into your existing non-Oracle name services.

Native Name Services and Oracle Names

You can use native name services in addition to or instead of Oracle Names or the TNSNAMES.ORA file. All these services provide basic name to address mapping.

There are advantages to using Oracle Names, however. Oracle Names provides automatic database links between all the Oracle databases on a network. Also, Oracle Names includes the Dynamic Discovery Option (DDO). If you use DDO, the services in your network register themselves with well-known names servers, and clients can locate services through the well-known names servers with minimal configuration information.

You may set up your network to use more than one names service, as described in the following section.

How to Configure Native Name Services in Your SQL*Net Network

To use a native name service for your Oracle services, you must install a Native Naming Adapter and you must include the names service in the NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH parameter of the SQLNET.ORA file.

Within the NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH parameter, you list the name services you wish to use in the order you wish to use them. By default, the names services listed are TNSNAMES.ORA, ONAMES. This means that the client will first look at the TNSNAMES.ORA file to find the address of a service. If that file is unavailable, the client will look for an Oracle Names server. If a native names service is in the list of values, that naming service is also consulted. The first naming service listed has first priority, the second has second priority, and so forth.

Example of the Default NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH Parameter

An example of the NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH parameter follows:

NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH = (TNSNAMES, ONAMES)

This parameter, which is the default, would cause the client to look for the service address in TNSNAMES.ORA first, and from an Oracle Names server next.

Example of a NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH Parameter with a Native Name Service

In the following example, the native name service NIS would be the first place the client would look to resolve a service name. If that failed, the client would then look in the TNSNAMES.ORA file.

 NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH = (NIS, TNSNAMES)

How to Set the NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH Parameter

Use Oracle Network Manager to create the configuration files for the network. You manipulate the NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH parameter by adding or removing name services from the Selected list on the Names Services page of the Client Profile property sheet. You also change the order of priority of the names services by selecting and demoting them on the Selected list.

Note: You can use different name services for different clients by creating different Client Profiles with different SQLNET.ORA files.

For further information about setting this parameter, see the Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide.

When Oracle Network Manager generates configuration files, it includes a configuration file called NATIVE.ORA. The NATIVE.ORA file contains the same information as the TNSNAMES.ORA file. That is, it lists Oracle service names and addresses. The NATIVE.ORA file is used to insert the service names and addresses into the appropriate file for the native name service you are using.

Individual Native Naming Adapters

For specific information about individual Native Naming Adapters, go to the following chapters:


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