ITM Agent Insights: How to Configure Connection String for Oracle Database Extended Agent

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In this blog I will explain how to configure the connection string for the Oracle Database Extended Agent version 6.3.1.

There are three kinds of connection string for the agent configuration.

1) easy connect path as "//<host>:<port>/<service>", for example:
     //tivp56.cn.ibm.com:1521/oradb

Note: this requires the easy connection mode(ezconnect) is enabled in the listener configure file sqlnet.ora.
NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH=(ezconnect, tnsnames)

2) full description path as

"(DESCRIPTION=(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=<servicename>))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=<hostname or ip>)(PORT=1521)))"
for example:
(DESCRIPTION=(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=oradb))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=9.123.98.85)(PORT=1521)))

3) TNS service name like ORCL.
The service name entry should be defined in the file tnsnames.ora and the user needs to set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to specify the path of tnsnames.ora before starting the agent.

The user can also verify if the connection string is valid by the Oracle utility $ORACLE_HOME/bin/tnsping.

Command: tnsping <connection string>
for example:
#su - oracle
[oracle@tivpc027 ~]$ tnsping "//tivpc027:1521/oradb"
TNS Ping Utility for Linux: Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on 19-SEP-2012 22:43:08
Copyright (c) 1997, 2009, Oracle.  All rights reserved.

Used parameter files:
Used HOSTNAME adapter to resolve the alias
Attempting to contact (DESCRIPTION=(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=oradb))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=9.123.98.85)(PORT=1521)))
OK (10 msec)
[oracle@tivpc027 ~]$ tnsping "(DESCRIPTION=(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=oradb))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=9.123.98.85)(PORT=1521)))"

TNS Ping Utility for Linux: Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on 19-SEP-2012 22:44:37

Copyright (c) 1997, 2009, Oracle.  All rights reserved.

Attempting to contact (DESCRIPTION=(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=oradb))(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=9.123.98.85)(PORT=1521)))
OK (0 msec)

[oracle@tivpc027 ~]$ tnsping ORADB

TNS Ping Utility for Linux: Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on 19-SEP-2012 22:44:41
Copyright (c) 1997, 2009, Oracle.  All rights reserved.

Used parameter files:

Used TNSNAMES adapter to resolve the alias Attempting to contact
(DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = tivpc027.cn.ibm.com)(PORT = 1521)) (CONNECT_DATA = (SERVER = DEDICATED) (SERVICE_NAME = oradb)))
OK (0 msec)

Additional ITM Agent Insights series of IBM Tivoli Monitoring Agent blogs are indexed under ITM Agent Insights: Introduction.

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