ORA-28500: connection from ORACLE to a non-Oracle system returned this message: ORA-02063: preceding line from OWB_75

Question

ORA-28500: connection from ORACLE to a non-Oracle system returned this message: ORA-02063: preceding line from OWB_75
Scenario:
I am having difficulty getting ODBC connection between Oracle OWB app with an 11gR2 DB (running on a VirtualBox Linux) and SQL Server 2008 running directly on the host. (Windows 8)
I am trying to take a SQL Server 2008 feed into Oracle Ware house Builder, and think(!) I have read everything and configured it in accordance (but I presume not given 3 days of failed attempts to fix it). I have also read several blogs, hence there might be a few more settings in the configuration files than the formal documentation says, but these have come from blogs that have “Solved” problems for other similar situations.
The environments:
HOST:
Name: RESOLVEIT-PC
IP: 192.168.1.80
Windows 8 (64bit) , with system DSN ODBC connection ACME_POS created with 32 bit ODBC set up (This setting still shows up fine in the 64 bit ODBC).
GUEST VM:
Name: OraDBSvr.com
GUES fixed IP Address: 192.1.200
Oracle VirtualBox (4.2.16)
Oracle Redhat Linux 6 (x86)
Oracle 11gR2 Enterprise Edition (11.2.0.1.0)
ODBC: Freetds driver
Configuration files:
initacmepos.ora
HS_FDS_CONNECT_INFO = 192.168.1.80/SQLEXPRESS/ACME_POS
HS_FDS_TRACE_LEVEL = 0
HS_FDS_SUPPORT_STATISTICS=FALSE
HS_RPC_FETCH_REBLOCKING= OFF
HS_FDS_FETCH_ROWS = 1
HS_FDS_SHAREABLE_NAME = /usr/local/lib/libtdsodbc.so
set ODBCINI=/opt/odbc/odbc.ini
# set <envvar>=<value>
odbc.ini
[ACME_POS]
Driver     = FreeTDS
Description = ODBC Connection via FreeTDS
Trace       = 1
Servername  = 192.168.1.80
Database    = dbo
odbcinst.ini
[PostgreSQL]
Description                        = ODBC for PostgreSQL
Driver                   = /usr/lib/psqlodbc.so
Setup                    = /usr/lib/libodbcpsqlS.so
Driver64                              = /usr/lib64/psqlodbc.so
Setup64                              = /usr/lib64/libodbcpsqlS.so
FileUsage                           = 1
[MySQL]
Description                        = ODBC for MySQL
Driver                   = /usr/lib/libmyodbc5.so
Setup                    = /usr/lib/libodbcmyS.so
Driver64                              = /usr/lib64/libmyodbc5.so
Setup64                              = /usr/lib64/libodbcmyS.so
FileUsage                           = 1
[FreeTDS]
Discription             = TDS driver (Sybase / MS SQL)
Driver                           = /usr/local/lib/libtdsodbc.so
# Setup                         = /usr/local/lib/libtdsS.so
FileUsage                           = 1
CPTimeout               =
CPReuse                 =
[oracle@oraDBsvr etc]$
freetds.conf
#   $Id: freetds.conf,v 1.12 2007-12-25 06:02:36 jklowden Exp $
# This file is installed by FreeTDS if no file by the same
# name is found in the installation directory. 
# For information about the layout of this file and its settings,
# see the freetds.conf manpage "man freetds.conf". 
# Global settings are overridden by those in a database
# server specific section
[global]
        # TDS protocol version
;              tds version = 4.2
               # Whether to write a TDSDUMP file for diagnostic purposes
               # (setting this to /tmp is insecure on a multi-user system)
;              dump file = /tmp/freetds.log
;              debug flags = 0xffff
               # Command and connection timeouts
;              timeout = 10
;              connect timeout = 10
               # If you get out-of-memory errors, it may mean that your client
               # is trying to allocate a huge buffer for a TEXT field.
               # Try setting 'text size' to a more reasonable limit
               text size = 64512
# A typical Sybase server
[egServer50]
               host = symachine.domain.com
               port = 5000
               tds version = 5.0
# A typical Microsoft server
[ACME_POS]
  host = 192.168.1.80
  port = 60801                                # also tried 1433
  instance = SQLEXPRESS
  tds version = 8.0
  client charset = UTF-8
tsql -LH 192.168.1.80
     ServerName RESOLVEIT-PC
   InstanceName SQLEXPRESS
    IsClustered No
        Version 10.50.4000.0
            tcp 60801
             np \\RESOLVEIT-PC\pipe\MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS\sql\query
            via RESOLVEIT-PC,0:1433
Oracle listener:
[oracle@oraDBsvr log]$ cat /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/network/admin/listener.ora
# listener.ora Network Configuration File: /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/network/admin/listener.ora
# Generated by Oracle configuration tools.
SID_LIST_LISTENER =
(SID_LIST =
(SID_DESC =
(SID_NAME = acmepos)
(ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1)
(PROGRAM = dg4odbc)
(HS = OK)
LISTENER =
(DESCRIPTION_LIST =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = oraDBsvr)(PORT = 1521))
ADR_BASE_LISTENER = /u01/app/oracle
[oracle@oraDBsvr log]$ lsnrctl status
LSNRCTL for Linux: Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on 16-SEP-2013 13:57:41
Copyright (c) 1991, 2009, Oracle.  All rights reserved.
Connecting to (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=oraDBsvr)(PORT=1521)))
STATUS of the LISTENER
Alias                     LISTENER
Version                   TNSLSNR for Linux: Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production
Start Date                16-SEP-2013 13:50:34
Uptime                    0 days 0 hr. 7 min. 7 sec
Trace Level               off
Security                  ON: Local OS Authentication
SNMP                      OFF
Listener Parameter File /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/network/admin/listener.ora
Listener Log File /u01/app/oracle/diag/tnslsnr/oraDBsvr/listener/alert/log.xml
Listening Endpoints Summary...
(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=oraDBsvr)(PORT=1521)))
Services Summary...
Service "acmepos" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "acmepos", status UNKNOWN, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "dw" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "dw", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "dwXDB" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "dw", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
The command completed successfully
Oracle tnsnames.ora
[oracle@oraDBsvr admin]$ cat tnsnames.ora
# tnsnames.ora Network Configuration File: /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/network/admin/tnsnames.ora
# Generated by Oracle configuration tools.
dw =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))
(CONNECT_DATA =
(SERVER = DEDICATED)
(SERVICE_NAME = dw)
acmepos  =
(DESCRIPTION=
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=localhost)(PORT=1521))
(CONNECT_DATA=(SID=acmepos)
(HS=OK)
Oracle sqlnet.ora
[oracle@oraDBsvr admin]$ cat sqlnet.ora
# sqlnet.ora Network Configuration File: /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/network/admin/sqlnet.ora
# Generated by Oracle configuration tools.
NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH= (EZCONNECT, TNSNAMES)
ADR_BASE = /u01/app/oracle
I can connect from the linux server to SQL Server, and query the database:
[oracle@oraDBsvr etc]$ tsql -S acme_pos -U acme_dw_user -P acme1234
locale is "en_US.utf8"
locale charset is "UTF-8"
using default charset "UTF-8"
1> select last_name from dbo.employees;
2> go
last_name
Davolio
Fuller
Leverling
Peacock
Buchanan
Suyama
King
Callahan
Dodsworth
(9 rows affected)
1>
However, I can’t get a response through Oracle OWB , and I get:
ORA-28500: connection from ORACLE to a non-Oracle system returned this message: ORA-02063: preceding line from OWB_75
In the hs log file I get:
[oracle@oraDBsvr log]$ cat acmepos_agt_3821.trc
Oracle Corporation --- MONDAY    SEP 16 2013 13:51:22.170
Heterogeneous Agent Release
11.2.0.1.0
HS Gateway:  NULL connection context at exit
[oracle@oraDBsvr log]$
I am really stuck now and going round in circles and can’t see the wood for trees! Can anyone please help?!!
Many Thanks.
Rafe.

Answer 1

Let us rewrite your ODBC DSN a little bit... Your current odbc.ini looks like:
[ACME_POS]
Driver     = FreeTDS
Description = ODBC Connection via FreeTDS
Trace       = 1
Servername  = 192.168.1.80
Database    = dbo
Let us change it a little bit so that we only need one config file - no odbcinst.ini nor freetds.conf file anymore:
[ACME_POS]
Driver =/usr/local/lib/libtdsodbc.so
Server = 192.168.1.80
Database
= dbo     ####  I have some doubts that you have a SQL Server database called dbo - one database that always exists is master - so as a test use master here or get the real database name of the SQL Server database you want to connect
Port = 60801 ## make sure it really is the correct port - best would be to check on the SQL server and then try telnet <ip> <port> if you can connect to the SQL server
TDS_Version = 8.0
QuotedId=YES
Especially the last 2 parameters are mandatory. TDS_Version specifies the TDS Version you have to use to connect to the SQL Server and QuotedID is required for DG4ODBC as it surrounds objevt names by double quotes.
What happens now when you try to connect with for example isql - the ODBC test utility shipped with the ODBC Driver manager?
In addition, could you please do me another favour and check the word size of DG4ODBC and the ODBC Driver Manager as well as the ODBC Driver - just execute:
file /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/bin/dg4odbc
file /usr/local/lib/libtdsodbc.so
file < the patch to your libodbc.so library>/libodbc.so
and post the output.