PLATFORM:
I am usig Oracle 8i (server) on my Windows 2000 server and oracle 8i (client) on Win 2000 Professional.


FINDINGS HOST NAMING:

I am trying to configure host naming between client/server. Below you will find some of my practical exposure to HOST NAMING.

In the listener.ora file the GLOBAL_DBNAME=ORCL.On the client side i configured sqlnet.ora using Net8 Assistant.My SQLNET.ORA looks like


TRACE_LEVEL_CLIENT=OFF
SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES=(NTS)
NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH=(HOSTNAME)
NAMES.DEFAULT_DOMAIN=ORCL # It is the global #database name configured in listener.ora at server.

NAMES.DEFAULT_ZONE=ORCL


Now one more thing, on the client side in C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC there is file named hosts.
I edited that file as:

#................................................
#................................................
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

192.168.8.12 localhost
192.168.8.1 ORCL # Global database name


Now when i connect to database from client sql*plus as scott/tiger@orcl ...I get connected to database server.
To check that whether client is reading sqlnet.ora, i just changed its name (be informed that it is the only SQLNET.ORA
on my client)....mysteriously the client get connected with scott/tiger@orcl...without any errors....this implies that client is not reading SQLNET.ORA at all. It is only reading the HOSTS file..how? because when i changed its name..
i got TNS:Unable to resolve service name error.

The client is reading the server IP address and GLOBAL_DBNAME=ORCL from HOSTS file.This global database name MUST match GLOBAL_DBNAME in listener.ora. Just to check, i did one more thing..in the HOSTS file i edited as:

192.168.8.12 localhost
192.168.8.1 BOOM # Oracle database server

AND in listener.ora

SID_LIST_LISTENER =
(SID_LIST =
(SID_DESC =
(SID_NAME = PLSExtProc)
(ORACLE_HOME = C:\Oracle\Ora81)
(PROGRAM = extproc)
)
(SID_DESC =
(GLOBAL_DBNAME = BOOM)
(ORACLE_HOME = C:\Oracle\Ora81)
(SID_NAME = ORCL)
)
)


I issued this command at client sql*plus:

connect scott/tiger@BOOM
Now theoretically, i configured right. But practically i got this error:

TNS:Unable to resolve connect descriptor, Service name cannot be resolved.

This implies that it is also not reading GLOBAL_DBNAME from listener.ora but as far as i figured out that it is reading the GLOBAL_DBNAME from server Registry...

CONCLUSIONS:In host naming method, you only need to configure HOSTS file. The global database name will be
the only service thru which you can connect from client by using host naming.

How far i am correct? Please clarify.