not connecting to Oracle

[kirchoff]

I have a Windows 7 virtual desktop. I was able to get Oracle Instant Client configured and PL/SQL Developer 10.0.5.1710 working.

I extracted Oracle instant client into a folder.
Set these variables:
TNS_ADMIN - points to the location of my sqlnet.ora and ldap.ora and listner.ora files (we use ldap to connect to db's)
ORACLE_HOME - location of Oracle Instant Client
NLS_LANG - set to AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8MSWIN1252
Path - added location of Oracle Instant client to beginning.

This all works on my virtual desktop.

However, on a coworkers virtual desktop it is not working. Am I missing something? He keeps getting TNS connection error. He has the same ldap, sqlnet and listener ora files as I do.

Any thoughts?

Thank you very much
Alan

 

[mike]

Some other things I always check when my Co-workers cannot connect.

1. Make sure there is a 32 bit client. You can have both 64 bit and 32 bit if you like, but PL/SQL Developer needs a 32 bit client.

2. If there are multiple Oracle clients, and it won't connect, look at the Connection/Oracle Home preference in PL/SQL Developer. Try each one and see if one of them works.

3. See if the windows version of SQL+ works for the 32 bit client. If it does, that's a good sign that the Oracle client is installed and working.

If it still doesn't work, then I'm out of ideas.

 

[Marco Kalter]

Also, on Windows 7, make sure that you are using Oracle Client version 11g or 12c.

 

[kirchoff]

Well, here's where we are.

We are using Oracle Instant Client 11g. File name: instantclient-basic-nt-11.2.0.4.0
It's 32bit.

He used the same files I did and he gets TNS connection error. My next course of action is to verify his virtual Windows 7 desktop can ping the ldap server.

Since we used the Instant Client there is no SQL*Plus or tnsping.

Please post if anyone has any other ideas. I'll let everyone know the outcome.

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Marco Kalter]

There is an additional instantclient-sqlplus-nt-11.2.0.4.0.zip package (757,034 bytes) to add SQL*Plus to your Instant Client:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/winsoft-085727.html

 

[limsk]

We have had random issues with connections running plsql developer in Windows 7, especially with machines that have multiple Oracle clients installed (32 bit for plsql developer and 64 bit for Oracle Forms).

On some machines setting the home and OCI location in plsql developer Tools/Preferences works.

On other machines (with both 32 and 64bit clients) only the 64bit home appears in the drop down list and the 32bit home cannot be selected. We did notice that for machines that display this behavior, the plsql developer was installed in "C:\Program Files\PLSQL Developer" instead of "C:\Program Files (x86)\PLSQL Developer" as one would expect of a 32bit application.

For these machines we made a small .bat file to set the ORACLE_HOME to the location of the 32bit client and then call plsql developer. Not particularly elegant but it seems to work.

Example:
SET ORACLE_HOME=

 

[kirchoff]

We got this issue resolved. Turned out there were issues with the virtual desktop set up. Once the virtual desktop was re-done the developer followed the same steps and everything worked fine.

Thanks everyone.
Alan