It's Apples and Oranges. TNSNAMES.ORA essentially just defines how to access a particular Oracle instance. It's much like a TCP hosts file. It allows me to define, for example, that DATABASE1 is the Oracle instance DB1 on the server at 127.0.0.1 on port 1234 which uses TCP/IP to connect. So now I can simply use DATABASE1 as my connection string, instead of providing all of the other details.
Now, setting up a DSN is a whole different thing, providing a number of different options. Obviously, we need to tell CF (or .NET) which database we want to connect to, so as part of the DSN we specify that (generally using the name defined in TNSNAMES.ORA). We are also, however, defining which user we are connecting as, and a variety of other parameters that are connection specific, and NOT typically defined in the TNSNAMES.ORA file. You also have to do this in .NET. The difference is that, unlike ColdFusion, in .NET you define these parameters in your code when you create a connection object, as opposed to defining them in a common place as with the CF Administrator. (Yes, I know you can also put this in one of the XML config files in .NET, or via some other method. There's just not a "standard" place for it, unless something has changed) If you show your DBA the DSN setup screen in CF, with the advanced options expanded, and ask him "which of these parameters are defined in TNSNAMES.ORA", it should clear things up for him. > -----Original Message----- > From: So Kenfused [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 8:20 AM > To: CF-Talk > Subject: TNSNames.ORA vs. ColdFusion DSN > > We have recently started using .NET. The DBAs are questioning why we have > to have DSN in ColdFusion while .NET is using the TNSNames.Ora file. > > Is it possible to configure COldFusion to use the TNSNAMES.ORA file rather > than creating essentially duplicate entries in ColdFusion via DSN? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Upgrade to Adobe ColdFusion MX7 Experience Flex 2 & MX7 integration & create powerful cross-platform RIAs http:http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;56760587;14748456;a?http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/flex2/?sdid=LVNU Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Talk/message.cfm/messageid:268192 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Talk/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.4
