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Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591856]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:15

Amine
Messages: 376
Registered: March 2010

Senior Member

Hi all,
We are running a 9.2.0.8 with client-server application (Forms and Reports 6i).
The forms and reports (*.fmx and *.rep) are located in a shared folder "app" on the machine "serv1".
Clients run the application by mapping a network drive s:\ on \\serv1\app.
To connect to the DB, clients have a TNSNAMES.ORA located on there machine (the TNSNAMES of the forms Runtime).

What I want to do now is to centralize they way they connect to the DB.
I want to put a TNSNAMES.ora on \\serv1\app and force the clients to use this TNSNAMES.ora.

With some clients, the connection was successful but with some others they still use there own TNSNAMES.ora.

How to centralize them all ?
Thanks in advance,

Amine

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Re: Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591857 is a reply to message #591856]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:24

BlackSwan
Messages: 26766
Registered: January 2009
Location: SoCal

Senior Member

Oracle client software will look for tnsnames.ora file in directory defined by TNS_ADMIN environmental variable.

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Re: Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591858 is a reply to message #591857]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:28

Amine
Messages: 376
Registered: March 2010

Senior Member

So no way to centralize then ?

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Re: Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591859 is a reply to message #591858]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:33

BlackSwan
Messages: 26766
Registered: January 2009
Location: SoCal

Senior Member

>So no way to centralize then ?
if every client can access the same folder, then only single copy of tnsnames.ora file needs to exist within that single folder.

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Re: Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591860 is a reply to message #591859]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:39

Amine
Messages: 376
Registered: March 2010

Senior Member

Every client can access \\serv1\app. I want to centralize the connection to the DB to make the clients TNSNAMES.ORA obsolete.
The clients will still have the service (the application) but they don't know where the data is saved.

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Re: Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591861 is a reply to message #591860]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:41

BlackSwan
Messages: 26766
Registered: January 2009
Location: SoCal

Senior Member

SET TNS_ADMIN=\\SERV1\APP

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Re: Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591862 is a reply to message #591861]

Wed, 31 July 2013 18:57

Amine
Messages: 376
Registered: March 2010

Senior Member

Good. But how to force the clients to set this variable ? I mean they can set it to something else than \\SERV1\APP, how to be sure they point to MY TNSNAMES ?
We can imagine a *.bat file that does it before launching the first *.fmx something like :
SET TNS_ADMIN=\\SERV1\APP
ifrun60.exe app.fmx user/pwd@db

But for now, all the clients have a shortcut to app.fmx. It will be so hard to modify the entry point of all users (about 900 users).

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Re: Centralized TNSNAMES.ORA [message #591863 is a reply to message #591862]

Wed, 31 July 2013 19:12

BlackSwan
Messages: 26766
Registered: January 2009
Location: SoCal

Senior Member

Realize that by refusing to upgrade, you suffer the high cost to support out-dated technology.

The bottom line is that when TNS_ADMIN is not correct, the application ceases to function.
Anyone who willfully breaks the application should just be summarily terminated.
Not every problem requires a technical solution. Personnel policies & procedures can be effective.

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