Create sqlnet.ora

Question:  I've been told that I need to modify some settings in my sqlnet.ora file, but I cannot find a sqlnet.ora file on my system.  Isn't the sqlnet.ora file created during the Oracle install?  If now, how do I create the sqlnet.ora file?  Once created, how do you edit the sqlnet.ora file?

Answer:  The sqlnet.ora file is not necessarily created during the Oracle install.  In fact, many Oracle networking products can run without the sqlnet.ora file because they use the default options.  The sqlnet.ora file is the profile configuration file, and it resides on the client machines and the database server.

The sqlnet.ora file is created by running the Network Configuration Assistant (NETCA).  The sqlnet.ora is a text file that contains basic configuration details used by SQL*Net.  The sqlnet.ora file is normally found in the ORACLE_HOME/network/admin directory on Windows systems.  For UNIX systems, the sqlnet.ora is located by default in $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin. 

If you have run NETCA and cannot locate the sqlnet.ora file, check to see if the tns_admin  parameter has been set to specify a different directory.  If you have not run NETCA, do so to create the sqlnet.ora file.

A sqlnet.ora file can also be created/edited in a text editor on your PC and copied or FTP'd to the appropriate location.

A sample sqlnet.ora file for newer Oracle systems might look like this:

names.directory_path = (LDAP, TNSNAMES, HOSTNAME)
names.default_domain = WORLD
trace_level_client = OFF
sqlnet.expire_time = 30

A sample sqlnet.ora file for older Oracle systems might look like this:

automatic_ipc = ON
trace_level_client = OFF
sqlnet.expire_time = 0   
sqlnet.authentication_services = (ALL)
names.directory_lookup = (TNSNAMES,ONAMES)
names.default_domain = world
name.default_zone = world

Where the following sqlnet.ora parameters are included:

• automatic_ipc:  Useful on database servers, SQL*Net will bypass the network layer and make direction connections to the database when set to ON.  For PC's, this should be set to OFF.  This parameter is not used in recent releases of Oracle and is unsupported.

• names.default_domain:  If the net service name does not have a domain specified, this parameter value is appended to the service name.

• names.default_zone:  This is a variant of the names.default.domain parameter.  It is not used in recent releases of Oracle and is desupported.

• names_directory_path:  This parameter specifies the order of naming methods used when a client attempts a connection to a database. Possible values include: LDAP; TNSNAMES; HOSTNAME; ONAMES; and EZCONNECT.

• sqlnet.expire_time:  This parameter, set on the server, enables dead connection detection.  After the specified time interval, expressed in minutes, the server checks to see if the client is still connected. If the client is not still connected, the server process exits.

• sqlnet.authentication_services: This parameter is used to enable one or more authentication services.  There is no default setting, so if authentication has been installed, it this parameter should be set to either NONE for no authentication methods or ALL for all authentication methods.

• trace_level_client:  This parameter enables tracing unless it is set to OFF or 0, which is the default.  Use the following values to set tracing levels: USER (4); ADMIN (10); and SUPPORT (16).

Additional sqlnet.ora parameters for Oracle 11gR2 include:

• BEQUEATH_DETACH
• DEFAULT_SDU_SIZE
• DISABLE_OOB
• NAMES.LDAP_AUTHENTICATE_BIND
• NAMES.LDAP_PERSISTENT_SESSION
• RECV_BUF_SIZE
• SDP.PF_INET_SDP
• SEC_USER_AUDIT_ACTION_BANNER
• SEC_USER_UNAUTHORIZED_ACCESS_BANNER
• SEND_BUF_SIZE
• SQLNET.ALLOWED_LOGON_VERSION
• SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_KERBEROS5_SERVICE
• SQLNET.CLIENT_REGISTRATION
• SQLNET.CRYPTO_CHECKSUM_CLIENT
• SQLNET.CRYPTO_CHECKSUM_SERVER
• SQLNET.CRYPTO_CHECKSUM_TYPES_CLIENT
• SQLNET.CRYPTO_CHECKSUM_TYPES_SERVER
• SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_CLIENT
• SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_SERVER
• SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_TYPES_CLIENT
• SQLNET.ENCRYPTION_TYPES_SERVER
• SQLNET.INBOUND_CONNECT_TIMEOUT
• SQLNET.KERBEROS5_CC_NAME
• SQLNET.KERBEROS5_CLOCKSKEW
• SQLNET.KERBEROS5_CONF
• SQLNET.KERBEROS5_KEYTAB
• SQLNET.KERBEROS5_REALMS
• SQLNET.OUTBOUND_CONNECT_TIMEOUT
• SQLNET.RADIUS_ALTERNATE
• SQLNET.RADIUS_ALTERNATE_PORT
• SQLNET.RADIUS_ALTERNATE_RETRIES
• SQLNET.RADIUS_AUTHENTICATION
• SQLNET.RADIUS_AUTHENTICATION_INTERFACE
• SQLNET.RADIUS_AUTHENTICATION_PORT
• SQLNET.RADIUS_AUTHENTICATION_RETRIES
• SQLNET.RADIUS_AUTHENTICATION_TIMEOUT
• SQLNET.RADIUS_CHALLENGE_RESPONSE
• SQLNET.RADIUS_SECRET
• SQLNET.RADIUS_SEND_ACCOUNTING
• SQLNET.RECV_TIMEOUT
• SQLNET.SEND_TIMEOUT
• SSL_CERT_REVOCATION
• SSL_CERT_FILE
• SSL_CERT_PATH
• SSL_CIPHER_SUITES
• SSL_CLIENT_AUTHENTICATION
• SSL_SERVER_DN_MATCH
• SSL_VERSION
• TCP.CONNECT_TIMEOUT
• TCP.EXCLUDED_NODES
• TCP.INVITED_NODES
• TCP.VALIDNODE_CHECKING
• TCP.NODELAY
• TNSPING.TRACE_DIRECTORY
• TNSPING.TRACE_LEVEL
• USE_CMAN
• USE_DEDICATED_SERVER
• WALLET_LOCATION
• WALLET_OVERRIDE

Check these other pages for information on sqlnet.ora.

Check these pages for more information on creating and editing listener.ora and tnsnames.ora.

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