Lesson 1

Oracle Directory Naming and Internet Directory

The Oracle Internet Directory (OID) was introduced with Oracle8i. OID replaced Oracle Names used in prior database releases since it gives users a way to connect to an Oracle Server without having a client-side configuration file. OID is an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory and so it supports Oracle Net and other LDAP-enabled protocols.

Oracle Names has been deprecated since Oracle 9i "Oracle Names" was deprecated in Oracle 9i and is no longer supported. Oracle recommends using the "Net Service Names" feature instead. Here are some reasons why Oracle Names were deprecated:
- Complexity: Oracle Names were complex to configure and manage.
- Security: Oracle Names were not as secure as Net Service Names.
- Performance: Oracle Names could be slower than Net Service Names.
- Standards: Oracle Names did not comply with industry standards.
Net Service Names offer a number of benefits over Oracle Names, including:
- Ease of use: Net Service Names are easier to configure and manage.
- Security: Net Service Names are more secure than Oracle Names.
- Performance: Net Service Names can be faster than Oracle Names.
- Standards: Net Service Names comply with industry standards.
If you are currently using Oracle Names, you should migrate to Net Service Names as soon as possible. Oracle Names will not be supported as a centralized naming method and has been replaced by Directory Naming since Oracle 9i. Because no new enhancements are being added to Oracle Names, consider
1. using directory naming or
2. migrating an existing Oracle Names configuration to directory naming^[1].

This module investigates Directory Naming and how it is used to manage a distributed network of computers. The topics include:

A conceptual overview of Directory Naming
Proper use Directory Naming
Storing the configuration file for Oracle Names
An overview of the Names Control utility
Starting and stopping the Names server

Desupport of Oracle Names Control Utility for Oracle Net Services

The Oracle Names Control Utility is desupported and has not been available since Oracle 9.2, which was the last supported release. Starting with Oracle Database 10g the Oracle Names Control Utility is unsupported. This includes all the related control utility commands. Oracle Database clients cannot use a Names Server to resolve connect strings. Migrate your applications to Oracle Internet Directory with LDAP directory naming.

Deprecated and Desupported Parameters In Oracle Database 12c, some database parameters are deprecated and desupported, or removed. To obtain a current list of deprecated parameters, run the following query in SQL*Plus:

SQL> SELECT name from v$parameter 
		WHERE isdeprecated = 'TRUE' ORDER BY name;

The query returns a list of the deprecated parameters as of the date and time that you run it. The following example shows the query results that appear:

active_instance_count
background_dump_dest
buffer_pool_keep
buffer_pool_recycle
commit_write
cursor_space_for_time
fast_start_io_target
global_context_pool_size
instance_groups
lock_name_space
log_archive_start
max_enabled_roles
parallel_automatic_tuning
parallel_io_cap_enabled
parallel_server
parallel_server_instances
plsql_v2_compatibility
remote_os_authent
resource_manager_cpu_allocation
sec_case_sensitive_logon
serial_reuse
sql_trace
standby_archive_dest
user_dump_dest

Desupport of Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control

Starting with Oracle Database 12c, Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control is desupported and is no longer available. Oracle introduces Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express (Oracle EM Express) as a replacement. Oracle EM Express is installed when you upgrade to Oracle Database 12c.

Oracle Names History
Oracle Names is not required by any Oracle environment and was a management tool that simplified the maintenance of the Net8 parameter files (now Oracle Network Services) and database links.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Describe the architecture of Directory Naming
Describe how a request is resolved using Directory Naming
Store the overall topology
Use the basic names control commands

Let us begin our tour with a conceptual overview of Directory Naming.

[1] directory naming: In Oracle, "directory naming" refers to a method for resolving network service names to connect descriptors using an LDAP-compliant directory server, such as Oracle Internet Directory. This approach centralizes database connection information, simplifying administration and improving security by storing connect descriptors in a secure, hierarchical structure.