The Preferred Names Servers tab allows you to identify a list of preferred Oracle Names servers. A preferred Oracle Names server is preferred by a client for names resolution. If you are using Oracle Names, you will need to locate where Names servers exist on the network in order to obtain information from them. Net8 will initially attempt to contact the first preferred Oracle Names server in the list.

Preferred Oracle Names servers are stored in the SQLNET.ORA file.

Note: This is an alternative to using the Discover Oracle Names Servers option, a newer feature that creates a list of Oracle Names servers in a SDNS.ORA file. The SDNS.ORA file is based on what is available throughout the network, ranked in the order of fastest response time. Preferred Oracle Names servers override any other Oracle Names servers found in the discovery process. Once you have initially discovered an Oracle Names Server and generated an Oracle Names server list file, you may want to delete preferred Oracle Names Servers.

Protocol

From the drop-down list, select the protocol for the address. Depending on the protocol chosen, enter information in the fields as appropriate:

Protocol	Parameter	Description
IPC	KEY	Identifies the Oracle Names server.
Named Pipes	SERVER	Identifies the name of the Oracle Names server.
	PIPE	Identifies the pipe name to use to connect to the Oracle Names server (the same PIPE keyword you specified on the server with Named Pipes). This name can be any name.
SPX	SERVICE	Defines the name of the TNS-based application on the network.
TCP/IP or TCP/IP with SSL Note: Choosing the TCP/IP with SSL protocol configures a default implementation of SSL for this machine.	HOST	Identifies the Oracle Names server host name.
	PORT	Identifies the Oracle Names server listening port number. 1575 is the recommended and officially registered port.

New button:

Click this button to create a new preferred Oracle Names server. A new Preferred Server tab displays where you can select the protocol and enter protocol information in the fields.

Delete Address button:

Click this button to delete the preferred Oracle Names server in the current Preferred Server tab displayed.