Oracle Name server

Hi,

I am using 3 Sun450 servers. for prod,dev,support. I am using oracle8i and oracle 9i instances on all these server, and nwo i ama maintaining a separate tnsnames.ora file for each box and for both 8i and 9i databases. Is it possible by using oracle names server my maintaneance will be minimal? If yes? how i can proceed?. Is Oracle names server a completely a new server?

I appriciate your advice.

Thanks
nat

- New info

I would like to knwo since i am using two Oracle versions oracle 8i and 9i which Names ctl i should use?

You need to install the Oracle Names software as part of the Oracle install.

The documentation is short and uncomplicated. Installing Names and configuring 10 databases should take a half a day at the most. There is a GUI call netmgr that makes things simple.

I recommend that you have one master tnsnames and use tdist or some sort of centralized distribution to update all copies if you want them to be uniform.

Oracle name server comes with software.
In Oracle 8i, typical installation did not install oracle name server, you need to add name server software. In 9i, typical installation do install name server. Easy way to test if name server installed;
$ namesctl
will return
NAMESCTL>