Oracle Net8 Configuration and Troubleshooting

Client Configuration for LDAP

Configuring a Net8 client to use LDAP for net service name resolution is a relatively simple and painless process. You need to do the following:

• Specify LDAP as a name resolution method.

• Identify an LDAP directory server on the network for the client to contact with name resolution requests.

• Specify a default administrative context to use for unqualified net service names.

The first item in the list—the name resolution method—is configured in your sqlnet.ora file. The other two items are configured by editing a file named ldap.ora. The ldap.ora file resides in the same directory as sqlnet.ora and all your other Net8 configuration files.

LDAP, Oracle, and the Future

It’s clear to us that LDAP can be used for net service name resolution. It’s equally clear that Oracle intends for OID/LDAP to supplant Oracle Names as a centralized net service name repository. If you’re an Oracle Names user, you should already be planning your switch to an OID/LDAP solution. To help ease the pain of transition, Oracle is developing the Oracle Names LDAP Proxy. You should see it soon, in a future Oracle release. The Oracle Names LDAP Proxy will make an LDAP repository look like Oracle Names so that you can transition your repository independently of your clients.

LDAP has applications well beyond net service name resolution, however. Database users can now be managed via LDAP, as can roles and the granting of roles. LDAP even transcends Oracle and can be used for email directories ...