This module introduced you to the features of Oracle Network Services.
You should now be able to:
Identify new features of the Net listener
Describe Oracle enhancements for scalability
Identify the new features for partitioned tables
Describe Oracle enhancements and new features that improve connectivity
Describe Oracle enhancements that improve manageability of network/database tasks
Describe Oracle enhancements that improve and simplify security
As you have seen, Oracle connectivity has constantly evolved from its earliest version. Oracle is now concentrating on adding new features that increase the functionality of its existing framework.
In this module, you were introduced to the following glossary terms:
Advanced Queuing: A pre-defined package enabling you to store messages into queues for deferred retrieval and processing by the Oracle server.
Cache fusion: A diskless data transfer method for Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) that moves information from the cache of one database instance to the cache of another database instance.
Multiplexing: Combining several individual transmissions and sending them across a single connection to and from a database.
Partitioned table: A table containing data in multiple physical tables. This divides large amounts of data into smaller segments.
RADIUS: Acronym for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service, a client-server security protocol that is used primarily with the Internet.
Snapshot: A replica of a table or part of a table that resides on another database instance. Snapshots can be read-only or updateable.
Transparent application failover (TAF) : A feature in Net to seamlessly move a user’s session from one instance to another when the original instance fails.
The next module covers the changes in Net installation and configuration.
Oracle Networking Concepts
The following paragraph discusses Network Services functions with the tools that are used to implement the functions.
sqlnet.ora: a) Main Oracle Net configuration file b) On both Client and Server
listener.ora a) Configuration for the Net Listener b) On Server only
tnsnames.ora:
Contains Connect Name to Descriptor mappings,
Used by the TNSNames Naming adapter,
On both Client and Server
ldap.ora, a) Contains LDAP configuration information, b) Used the LDAP Naming adapter, c) On both Client and Server
Security
RADIUS
Connectivity
Multiplexing
Manageability
Shared repository
Partitioning
Row movement
Net enables services and their applications to reside on different computers and communicate as peer applications.
The main function of Net is to establish network sessions and transfer data between a client machine and a server or between two servers.
Net is located on each machine in the network and once a network session is established, Net acts as a data courier for the client and the server.
Basic Client-to-Server Connection
Database Connection Features
The connection between the client and the database server is a key component of the overall architecture. The database connection is responsible for supporting all communications between an application and the data it uses. Oracle includes a number of features that establish and tune your database connections. We have divided the discussion into two categories:
database networking and
Oracle Application Server.
Database Networking
Database users connect to the database by establishing a network connection. You can also link database servers via network connections. Oracle provides a number of features to establish connections between users and the database and/or between database servers, as described in the following subsections.