Re: Differences between Oracle JDBC thin and thick drivers

This is my understanding as well. So if you wanted to use the thick driver, you would need to install SQL*Net on each of your clients. If your clients are all internal and already use SQL*Plus, for example, you should be all set. Otherwise you may have some difficulties with this option.

Marc Perkowitz
Senior Consultant
TWJ Consulting, LLP

• Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L" <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 4:03 PM

> Hi
>
> I believe the difference is that the OCI drivers use SQL*Net
> or NET8 or whatever they call it now, whereas the thin driver
> does not require SQL*Net on the client machine.
>
> Ben Poels
> Sr. Technical Analyst
> Queen's University
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Avrami
> Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 4:29 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
>
>
>
>
> Hello all,
>
> I have a question concerning the Oracle JDBC thin vs. thick drivers
> and how they might affect operations from an application perspective.
>
>
> We're in a Solais 8/Oracle 8.1.7.2 environment. We have several
> applications on several servers connecting to the Oracle database.
>
>
> For redundancy, we're looking into setting up TAF (transparent
> application failover). Currently, some of our apps use the Oracle
> JDBC thin drivers to talk to the database, with a connection
> string that like this:
>
> jdbc:oracle:thin:@host:port:ORACLE_SID
>
> In a disaster recovery mode, where we would switch the database
> from one server to another, the host name in the above string
> would become invalid. That means we have to shut down our application
> servers and restart them with an updated string.
>
> Using the Oracle OCI (thick) driver though, allows us to connect
> to a Net8 service instead of a specific server:
>
> jdbc:oracle:oci8:@NET8_SERVICE_NAME
>
> Coupled with the FAILOVER=ON option configured in Net8, it is
> then possible to direct a connection from the first server to
> the failover database on another server. This is exactly what
> we would like to do.
>
> My question is, from an application perspective, how is the Oracle
> thick driver different from the thin driver? If everything
> else is "equal" (i.e. the thick driver is compatible with the
> app servers) would there be something within the the thick/OCI
> driver that could limit functionality vs. the thin driver?
>
> My understand, which obviously is sketchy, is that the thick
> driver is a superset of the thin driver. If this is the case,
> and for example if all database connections were handled through
> a configuration file with the above OCI connection string, then
> theoretically the thick driver should work.
>
> If anyone has any info on this that they can share, it would
> be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Lou Avrami
>
>
>
>
> --
> Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
> --
> Author: Louis Avrami
> INET: avramil_at_concentric.net
>
> Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051
> San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
> to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
> the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
> (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may
> also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
>
>
> --
> Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
> --
> Author: Ben Poels
> INET: poelsb_at_post.queensu.ca
>
> Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051
> San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
> to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
> the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
> (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may
> also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).

-- 
Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
-- 
Author: Marc Perkowitz
  INET: mperkowitz_at_twjconsulting.com

Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051
San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
(or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may
also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).