Oracle Names Control Utility

Oracle "Directory Naming" does not directly utilize the `namesctl` utility used with the legacy "Oracle Names."
However, some functionalities of `namesctl` are partially replicated within the Directory Naming framework. Here is a breakdown:
namesctl:

• Functionality: Used to manage "Oracle Names" servers, including starting, stopping, and configuring them.
• Scope: Limited to managing "Oracle Names" servers and associated services.
• Deprecation: Marked as deprecated in Oracle 9i and no longer supported in later versions.

Directory Naming:

• Functionality: Integrates with LDAP directory services and leverages LDAP tools for management.
• Scope: Manages directory services based on industry standards, including user accounts, groups, and resources.
• Support: Actively supported and continuously updated by Oracle.

While `namesctl` is no longer directly used, some of its functionalities are replicated within Directory Naming. For example:

• Starting and stopping services: Directory services within Directory Naming can be started and stopped using system administration tools or scripting instead of `namesctl`.
• Configuring parameters: Configuration options for Directory Naming services are typically managed through dedicated tools or configuration files, similar to how `namesctl` modified parameters.

However, it's important to note that `namesctl` was specifically designed for "Oracle Names" and doesn't offer the broader range of functionalities required for managing modern directory services like LDAP.

The Names control utility (namesctl) was a basic utility for controlling Oracle Names servers in Oracle 8i. This utility did not work on Net8 clients and was only used on the Oracle database server that contained the "Names" database. There were several common namesctl commands, including:

1. NAMESCTL RESTART: Restarts the Names server.
2. NAMESCTL SET PASSWORD: Registers passwords for privileged Names server operations such as RELOAD and STOP.
3. NAMESCTL SET SERVER: Changes the current Names server.
4. NAMESCTL SHOW SERVER: Displays name and version of current Names server.
5. NAMESCTL SHOW STATUS: Displays general status information about the Names server.
6. NAMESCTL SHOW TRACE_FILE_ NAME: Shows the name of the file to which the Names server writes the trace information.
7. NAMESCTL SHUTDOWN or STOP: Stops the Names server.
8. NAMESCTL START or STARTUP: Starts the Names server.
9. NAMESCTL STATUS: Displays the status of the current Names server.
10. NAMESCTL STOP: Stops one or more Names servers.

The namesctl utility was very similar to the lsnrctl utility in syntax.