Oracle Net Services

In the field of database computing, Oracle Net Services consists of sets of software which enable client applications to establish and maintain network sessions with Oracle Database servers. Since Oracle databases operate in and across a variety of software and hardware environments, Oracle Corporation supplies high-level transparent networking facilities with the intention of providing networking functionality regardless of differences in nodes and protocols.

Components

Oracle Corporation defines Oracle Net Services as comprising:^[1]

• Oracle Net
• listener
• Oracle Connection Manager
• Oracle Net Configuration assistant
• Oracle Net Manager

Oracle Net

Oracle Net,^[2] a proprietary networking stack, runs on both client devices and on Oracle database servers in order to set up and maintain connections and messaging between client applications and servers. Oracle Net comprises two software components:

1. Oracle Net Foundation Layer: makes and maintains connection sessions. The oracle net foundation layer establishes and also maintains the connection between the client application and server.

It must resides on the both client and server for peer to peer communication to occur.

1. Oracle Protocol Support: interfaces with underlying networking protocols such as TCP/IP, named pipes, or SDP.

The listener

The listener process(es) on a server detect incoming requests from clients for connection and manage network-traffic once clients have connected to an Oracle database. The listener implements a listener.ora configuration-file to help keep track of names, protocols, services and hosts. Apart from pre-defined and known statically-registered databases, a listener can also accept dynamic service registration from a database.

Oracle Connection Manager

The Oracle Connection Manager (CMAN) acts as a lightweight router for Oracle Net packets.^[3]

Oracle Net Configuration assistant

Oracle Net Manager

Oracle Net Manager, a GUI tool, configures Oracle Net Services for an Oracle home on a local client or server host.^[4] (Prior to Oracle 9i known as "Net8 Assistant".^[5])

Associated software

Utilities and tools

• tnsping: determines the accessibility of an Oracle net service.^[6]

Software suites

Oracle software integrating closely with and/or depending on Oracle Net Services includes:

• Oracle Clusterware
• Oracle Data Guard
• Oracle Enterprise Manager
• Oracle Internet Directory
• Oracle RAC (real application clusters)
• Oracle Streams

References

• Arun Kumar, John Kanagaraj and Richard Stroupe: Oracle Database 10g Insider Solutions. Sams, 2005. ISBN 978-0672327919

External links

• "Oracle Network Configuration"

Footnotes

1. ^ Glossary:Oracle Net Services, retrieved 2007-12-03
2. ^ Introduction to Oracle Net Services" in Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide 11g Release 1 (11.1), retrieved 2008-01-05
3. ^ Elizabeth Hanes Perry; et al. (June 2004). "Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference" (PDF). Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference 10g Release 1 (10.1). Oracle Corporation. pp. 24-2. http://winslab.cnu.ac.kr/Oracle%20API/java.101/b10979.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-12. "The Oracle Connection Manager is a lightweight, highly-scalable program that can receive Oracle Net packets and re-transmit them to a different server. To a client running Oracle Net, the Connection Manager looks exactly like a database server." 
4. ^ Strohm, Richard; et al. (July 2008). Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide 11g Release 1 (11.1). Oracle Corporation. http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B28359_01/network.111/b28316/admintools.htm#i483238. Retrieved 2010-02-15. "Oracle Net Manager enables you to configure Oracle Net Services for an Oracle home on a local client or server host." 
5. ^ Greenwald, Rick; Stackowiak, Robert; Stern, Jonathan (February 2004) [1999]. Russell, Deborah. ed. Oracle essentials: Oracle Database 10g (3 ed.). O'Reilly. p. 376. ISBN 0-596-00585-7. "In Oracle8, Oracle provided a GUI utility called the Net8 Assistant used to create the various configuration files required for Net8; this utility was renamed the Oracle Net Manager with the Oracle 9i release." 
6. ^ Mishra, Sanjay (2004). Oracle utilities: pocket reference. O'Reilly Series Pocket Reference. O'Reilly Media. p. 117. ISBN 9780596008994. http://books.google.com/books?id=D2WMC5XjoWYC. Retrieved 2010-02-11. "Use tnsping to determine whether an Oracle Net service can be successfully reached [...] specify a protocol address instead of a net service name to test connectivity to an Oracle Names server or Connection Manager instance."