SQLPlus Default Database Connection

Question

I have two Oracle databases installed on the same LINUX server. One is a training database that is rarely even running.
When logging in through SQLPlus and only supplying userid and password, the database to which the connect is attempted varies depending on the userid I am currently logged in as under LINUX. Under one userid, SQLPlus even attempts to connect to the idle training database. The 8i documentation indicates that setting the default database for SQLPlus is OS specific. Does anyone know how this is specified under LINUX?

Answer 1

Joseph,
That was one of my guesses, as well, but it doesn't seem to behave consistently.
The .bash_profile files for both the oracle and mdm user are the same, however, the oracle user is able to default to the correct database, whereas mdm cannot.
Here's the profile for mdm:
$ cat .bash_profile
# .bash_profile
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi
# User specific environment and startup programs
DISPLAY=localhost:0.0; export DISPLAY
ORACLE_BASE=/usr/oracle; export ORACLE_BASE
ORACLE_HOME=/usr/oracle; export ORACLE_HOME
ORACLE_SID=pmisbk; export ORACLE_SID
#ORACLE_SID=oralin; export ORACLE_SID
ORA_NLS33=$ORACLE_HOME/ocommon/nls/admin/data; export ORA_NLS33
ORAENV_ASK=NO; export ORAENV_ASK
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib; export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
umask 022
NLS_LANG=american_america.EE8ISO8859P2; export NLS_LANG
#PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/ActivePerl-5.6/bin:$PATH:$HOME/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/bin
BASH_ENV=$HOME/.bashrc
USERNAME=""
export USERNAME BASH_ENV PATH
. /usr/local/bin/oraenv
and behavior:
$ echo $ORACLE_SID
pmis
$ sqlplus
SQL*Plus: Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production on Thu Apr 25 14:01:10 2002
(c) Copyright 1999 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
Enter user-name: mdm
Enter password:
ERROR:
ORA-01034: ORACLE not available
Enter user-name: mdm@pmisbk
Enter password:
Connected to:
Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.6.1.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production
SQL> exit
Disconnected from Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.6.1.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production
and the .bash_profile for oracle:
$ su - oracle
Password:
$ cat .bash_profile
# .bash_profile
# Get the aliases and functions
if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then
. ~/.bashrc
fi
# User specific environment and startup programs
DISPLAY=localhost:0.0; export DISPLAY
ORACLE_BASE=/usr/oracle; export ORACLE_BASE
ORACLE_HOME=/usr/oracle; export ORACLE_HOME
ORACLE_SID=pmis; export ORACLE_SID
#ORACLE_SID=oralin; export ORACLE_SID
ORA_NLS33=$ORACLE_HOME/ocommon/nls/admin/data; export ORA_NLS33
ORAENV_ASK=NO; export ORAENV_ASK
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib; export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
umask 022
NLS_LANG=american_america.EE8ISO8859P2; export NLS_LANG
CLASSPATH=.:$ORACLE_HOME/jdbc/lib/classes111.zip:$ORACLE_HOME/sqlj/lib/translator.zip; export CLASSPATH
PATH=/usr/local/ActivePerl-5.6/bin:$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin
BASH_ENV=$HOME/.bashrc
USERNAME=""
export USERNAME BASH_ENV PATH
. /usr/local/bin/oraenv
and the behavior:
$ sqlplus
SQL*Plus: Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production on Thu Apr 25 14:07:47 2002
(c) Copyright 1999 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
Enter user-name: mdm
Enter password:
Connected to:
Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.6.1.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production
SQL> exit
Disconnected from Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.6.1.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production
Perhaps this is because the Home directory for the oracle user is the same as $ORACLE_HOME.
You may have noticed the connect string for mdm was to pmisbk. That's the alias in the tnsnames.ora file, otherwise if you try using pmis you get:
Enter user-name: mdm@pmis
Enter password:
ERROR:
ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve service name
and have to enter:
Enter user-name: mdm@pmisbk
Enter password:
Connected to:
Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.6.1.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production
SQL> exit
If you specify pmisbk and the ORACLE_SID in the .bash_profile file, when you log into the server it prompts you:
ORACLE_HOME = [usr/oracle] ?
presumably because /etc/oratab does not contain an entry for pmisbk. You can respond with RETURN and the variable contains the correct path, but all the other behavior is as described above.