In Oracle, you have a hosts file that contains all possible hosts that can be connected to. This file is called TNSNAMES.ORA and is found in the Oracle home folder in the Network\Admin [or Net80\Admin] sub-folder. You use the Net8 Easy Config software utility to setup your hosts. There are several parameters you have to provide to create a host -- SID [Oracle instance name, e.g., ORCL by default], IP address and port [usually 1521 or 1522]. The Oracle DBA should be able to set this up. Then you can create an ODBC DSN in the ODBC Administrator [see control panel], where you identify which host to use [Server parameter].

I recommend reading my article in the FAQs and downloading my ODBC DSN class in the Files section, Win32/API category.

>Hello,
>
>One of my potential clients says that their remote sites don't see any of the local servers like \\NTServer1, \\NTServer2, but instead see them as IP address and connect via TCP\IP. They want to use my c/s software with oracle as the backend and I am not sure how to get the local app to 'see' the backend database.
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>I noticed that in the SQL*Server ODBC set up there is a client configuration button which seems to allow TCP/IP connection to the server (seems to setup a IP address as a 'virtual servername', but I can seem to see the same type options in the MS ODBC for Oracle setup. The Oracle ODBC setup has a service name but the MS version does not.
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>Any clues for me -- or at least where I might find an answer? Of course the user does not have any remote sites accessing Oracle data already (and when I have the web interface done in a few months, I guess it won't be an issue...)
>
>Kevin