How Other PCs connect to Database

Question

Hi,
I'm very new on Database. What I would like to do is install Database version 9i to a machine using Window XP Professional and let other PCs connect to this machine. How do I need to do? Please anyone kindly recommend how to do this.
Many thanks,
Santi B.

Answer 1

In the final configuration, you want one machine to be the 'server' and one to be the 'client'.
Server specification:
- network connectivity (these days, simple TCP/IP is pretty much good enough)
- a well known network name (well known implies it doesn't change often)
- a well known or easily resolvable network address (IP address in DNS or a hosts file)
- the server softwre installed and listening on the network.
Client specification:
- network connectivity
- a way to 'find' the server (etc/hosts or DNS)
- client software
Network connectivity - simple TCP/IP should do the trick. But you want to have constant and simple-to-use computer names instead of IP addresses to make the communication easier.
Analogy: You have a bunch of friends. You want to go to Fred's house. You look in your address book to translate "Fred's house" to "123 Anywhere Street".
When your client wants to connect to 'PC1' it looks up the IP address for PC1 in the /etc/hosts file (in Windows, look at C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. file) OR in a bigger organization, it uses a central DNS database to do this 'host name resolution'.
Server:
To install Oracle, a static or fixed address is 'required'. Most people with WIndows end up installing the Loopback Adapter to get a local IP address (127.0.0.1) However, that address is local to the machine. You need to add or use an address that is visible to the other machine as well. That is well documented on the 'net and is outside the scope of this forum.
Once the server's address is known, the information is made available to the client. The client should be able to 'ping' the server (on command line, enter 'ping servername').
The database server uses the database 'listener' to monitor the network. The listener must be
- up (Control Panel > Admin Tools > Services -or- command line 'lsnrctl start') ;
- listening on the network for the server, on a certain port (lsnrctl status)
Listening Endpoints Summary...
  (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=ipc)(PIPENAME=\\.\pipe\EXTPROC_FOR_XEipc)))
  (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=myserver)(PORT=1521)))where myserver is the server's name as found the the hosts file, 1521 is the port. This is controlled by the %ORACLE_HOME%\network\admin\listener.ora file. (A common problem is the mismatch of the host name in that file and the PC's host name.)
And the listener must be aware of the database once the database is started. Agains, from lsnrctl status
Service "TEST" has 1 instance(s).
  Instance "xe", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "XE_XPT" has 1 instance(s).
  Instance "xe", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "xe" has 1 instance(s).
  Instance "xe", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...which tells me that clients asking for access to service 'TEST' or to service 'xe' will be directed to the 'XE' database instance.
Client:
The client can be any machine on the network, including the server, as long as it has the appropriate client software installed.
Requirements:
- TCP/IP with a hosts file that resolves to (has an entry for) the server (or resolves using DNS)
- Oracle client install
- the %ORACLE_HOME%\network\admin\tnsnames.ora file that translates the 'database alias' to a {host + port + service} set. See Two Oracle base in the same server for a typical tnsnames.ora file.
When installed properly, the client should be able to (form the command line)
ping server <- server found in /etc/hosts and in host part of tnsnames.ora
tnsping database-alias <- database-alias found in tnsnames.ora on left of a DESCRIPTON
sqlplus system/password@database-alias
note that "sqlplus / as sysdba" needs additional config, but routine remote admin with sysdba is not a 'best practice'.
Hope that helps