Oracle Net8 Configuration and Troubleshooting

Defining Net Service Names in an LDAP Directory

Oracle’s documentation on the use of the Oracle Internet Directory/LDAP with Net8 is, to be polite, a bit vague. We’re sure it will improve with subsequent releases, but it took quite a bit of experimenting before we figured out just how to configure an LDAP directory to support Net8 name resolution. This section talks about what we learned, and walks you through the process of configuring the OID to resolve the net service names nick and luke shown earlier in Figure 6.2.

Prerequisites and Process

As a prerequisite to using LDAP for net service name resolution, you need to have the Oracle Internet Directory (or some other LDAP directory server) installed. You also need to have the LDAP schema for Net8 in place. This schema comprises the LDAP object classes on which the entries defining net service names are based. The LDAP schema for Net8 is installed by default when you install OID.

With the prerequisites in place, the process for using OID for name resolution is as follows:

1. Create an administrative context, which includes an OracleContext entry.

2. Create an LDAP user for use with Net8 Assistant.

3. Configure your client to use LDAP.

4. Create a net service name using the Net8 Assistant.

5. Verify connectivity from the client.

Steps 1 and 2 can be performed using the Oracle Directory Manager (ODM). ODM is a GUI utility, similar to the Net8 Assistant, that allows you to create and manage entries in an LDAP directory. Step 3 is performed by editing your ...