Net8 Getting Started 
Release 8.0.5 for Windows NT and Windows 95/98 
A64419-01
 
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2
Introducing Net8 Products

This chapter describes Net8 components and features.

Specific topics discussed are:

Net8 Products

The table below lists each component of Oracle Networking Products and the platform on which it can be installed.

Net8 Products   NT as Oracle Server  NT as Oracle Client  95/98 as Oracle Client  Separately Installable? 
Net8 Client1 

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 

yes4 

no 

Configuration Tools 

 

 

 

 

 

yes 

yes 

yes5 

no 

 

yes 

yes 

yes5 

yes 

Oracle Names Server 

yes 

no 

no 

yes 

Oracle Connection Manager6 

yes 

no 

no 

yes 

Oracle SNMP Agent 

yes 

no 

no 

yes 

NetWare Directory Services (NDS) Native Naming Adapter 

no 

yes 

yes7 

no 

Authentication Adapters 

 

 

 

 

 

no 

yes 

yes7 

no 

 

yes 

yes 

yes 

no 

Oracle Advanced Networking Option Products8 

 

 

 

 

Network Security and Single Sign-On 

yes 

yes 

yes 

yes 

  • CyberSAFE Authentication Adapter 
 

yes 

yes 

yes 

yes 

  • Identix (Biometric) Authentication Adapter 
 

yes 

yes 

yes 

yes 

  • Kerberos Authentication Adapter 
 

yes 

yes 

yes 

yes 

  • SecurID Authentication Adapter 
 

yes 

yes 

yes 

yes 

DCE Integration 

yes 

yes 

yes 

yes 

 
1 If you choose to install only the Net8 Client software, Oracle Net8 Assistant and Oracle Net8 Easy Config configuration tools will not be installed on your system. To install these configuration tools, choose Custom Install, and select Oracle Net8 Assistant from the Available Products list in Oracle Installer. 
2 Microsoft SNA Server version 3.0 is required for LU6.2 on Windows NT. 
3 The local, non-network Bequeath Protocol Adapter is automatically installed with Net8 on Windows NT and is available for 32 bit applications, allowing client applications to communicate with a database server running on the same machine. 
4 Bequeath only works on Windows 95/98 for connections to a Personal Oracle8 database. 
5 We were not able to qualify these Java based products on Windows 98 for this release, as an officially supported version of Java is not yet available for Windows 98. No problems were found using these tools on Windows 98 during testing. 
6 Oracle Connection Manager is only available in the Oracle8 Enterprise Edition CD-ROM. 
7 NDS Authentication and Naming Adapters are not supported for Windows 98 in this release. 
8 The Advanced Networking Option is packaged separately from Net8.

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: 

  • TCP/IP Protocol Adapter 
 

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). 

  • SPX Protocol Adapter 
 

Enables client/server conversation over a network using SPX and Net8. This combination of Oracle products enables an Oracle application on a client to communicate with remote Oracle databases through SPX (if the Oracle database is running on a host system that supports network communication using SPX). This protocol is predominantly used in Novell Netware environments. 

  • Named Pipes Protocol Adapter 
 

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. 

  • Logical Unit Type 6.2 (LU6.2) Protocol Adapter 
 

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. 

  • Bequeath Protocol Adapter 
 

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: 

  • does not use a network listener (therefore, no network listener configuration is required) 
  • is used for local connections where an Oracle client application (such as SQL*Plus) communicates with an Oracle server running on the same machine 
  • only works in Dedicated Server mode. It cannot be used in a Multi-Threaded Server (MTS) mode. 
  • is supported on Windows NT for 32-bit applications. It also works on Windows 95/98 for connections to a Personal Oracle8 database for 32-bit applications. 
  • is installed by default with Net8 Client 
 
Configuration Tools  

Net8 has a number of new features that simplify configuration and administration of the Oracle network: 

  • Net8 Easy Configuration Tool 
 

This Java-based tool enables you to set up service names in 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" 

  • Oracle Net8 Assistant 
 

Oracle Net8 Assistant helps you to configure and administer: 

  • Service Names -- The tool enables the user to create or edit the local naming file (TNSNAMES.ORA). 
  • Profile -- The tool enables the user to create or edit the local configuration file (SQLNET.ORA) on the local machine. 
  • Network Listeners -- The tool enables the user to create or edit the local configuration file (LISTENER.ORA) on the local machine. 
  • Oracle Names Servers -- The tool enables the user to configure and control a Names Server from the local machine, and to control other Names Servers on remote machines. 

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: 

  • Connection Concentration 
 

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:  

MTS_DISPATCHERS = (MULT=ON)  

For more information, see: 

 
  • Network Access Control (also known as firewall support
 

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: 

 
  • Multi-Protocol Support 
 

Replaces the Multi-Protocol Interchange. Allows client and database servers operating on different protocol stacks to communicate with each other. For more information, see: 

 
Oracle SNMP Agent  

Oracle SNMP Agent enables Oracle products running anywhere on an enterprise's network to be located, identified, and monitored by a management station running at one or more centrally located nodes.  

For more information, see Chapter 9, "Using the Oracle SNMP Agent"

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: 

  • NDS Authentication Adapter 
 

Allows a single login access a multi-server and multi-database network and view the entire network under a single NDS directory tree. 

  • Windows NT Native Authentication Adapter 
 

Allows operating system authentication to be performed between a client and an Oracle server on Windows NT. 

Oracle Advanced Networking Option 

See "Oracle Advanced Networking Option Products" in this chapter. 

 

Supported Protocol Stack Vendors

The table below lists the supported protocol vendor for each Oracle Protocol Adapter.

Oracle Protocol Adapter  Platform   Supported Vendor  

TCP/IP Protocol Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

Microsoft TCP/IP 

SPX Protocol Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

Microsoft NW Link  

Novell NetWare Client 32 version 4.1  

Novell IntranetWare Client version 4.1 for Windows NT  

Novell IntranetWare Client version 2.2 for Windows 95  

Note: For Microsoft NW Link, Client Service for NetWare must be installed. 

Named Pipes Protocol Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

Microsoft NETBEUI 

LU6.2 Protocol Adapter 

Windows NT 

Microsoft SNA Server version 3.0 

Host Naming Adapter 

Windows NT 

Microsoft TCP/IP 

NDS Native Naming Adapter  

 

Windows NT and Windows 95 

Novell NetWare Client 32 version 4.1  

Novell IntranetWare Client version 4.1 for Windows NT  

Novell IntranetWare Client version 2.2 for Windows 95/98  

Note: An Oracle7 Server release 7.2.2 or above for Netware release 4.1 is required. 

NDS Authentication Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95 

Novell NetWare Client 32 version 4.1  

Novell IntranetWare Client version 4.1 for Windows NT  

Novell IntranetWare Client version 2.2 for Windows 95/98  

Note: An Oracle7 Server release 7.2.2 or above for Netware release 4.1 is required. 

Windows NT Native Authentication Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

Microsoft 

ANO CyberSAFE Authentication Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

CyberSafe Application Security Toolkit version 1.0.4a 

ANO Identix (Biometric) Authentication Adapter 

Window NT and Windows 95/98 

Identix hardware and driver on an Oracle8 client. 

ANO Kerberos Authentication Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

No vendor software requirements on an Oracle8 client or server 

ANO SecurID Authentication Adapter 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

No vendor software requirements on an Oracle8 client or server, but a SecurID card is needed 

ANO DCE Integration 

Windows NT and Windows 95/98 

Gradient PC-DCE/32 Runtime Services Kit version 2.0 

 

Oracle Advanced Networking Option Products

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
:
Component  Description 

Network Security 

This Oracle network data encryption and checksumming service ensures secure transmission of data over networks. Network Security uses encryption and authentication engines from RSA Data Security, Incorporated.  

The following algorithms are supported:  

Encryption 

  • RC4_40 (US, Export & Upgrade versions of ANO) 
  • RC4_56 (US only) 
  • RC4_128 (US only) 
  • DES_56 (US & Upgrade) 
  • DES_40 (US, Export & Upgrade) 

Checksumming 

  • MD5 (US, Export & Upgrade) 
 

Single Sign-On 

Allows users to access multiple accounts and applications with a single password. This feature eliminates the need for multiple passwords for users and simplifies management of user accounts and passwords for system administrators.  

Centralized, secure authentication services allow you to have high confidence in the identity of users, clients, and servers in distributed environments. Network authentication services can also provide the benefit of single sign-on for users.  

The following adapters are supported: 

  • CyberSAFE Authentication Adapter 
  • Identix (Biometric) Authentication Adapter 
  • Kerberos Authentication Adapter 
  • SecurID Authentication Adapter 
 

DCE Integration 

Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) Integration enables users to transparently use Oracle tools and applications to access Oracle8 databases in a DCE environment. The Oracle DCE Integration product consists of two major components: 

  • DCE Communications/Security Adapter 
  • DCE CDS (Cell Directory Service) Naming Adapter 
 
 


Additional Information:  

See the Oracle Advanced Networking Option Administrator's Guide


 
 

Net8 Features

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:




 
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