Before You Begin

This guide is your primary source of introduction, installation, configuration, usage, and administration information for using Microsoft Transaction Server with Oracle8.

Specific topics discussed are:

Prerequisites

This guide assumes that you are familiar with Windows NT and have installed and tested it on your personal computer (PC) and network hardware.

Intended Audience

This guide is necessary for anyone using Oracle8 with Microsoft Transaction Server.

How This Guide Is Organized

This guide is organized as follows:

Chapter 1, "Using Microsoft Transaction Server with an Oracle8 Database"

This chapter describes the integration of Microsoft Transaction Server and an Oracle8 database.

Chapter 2, "Installing and Migrating Oracle Products"

This chapter describes installation and migration requirements for your Microsoft Transaction Server and Oracle8 database environments.

Chapter 3, "Creating a New Oracle Service for MTS"

This chapter describes how to create a new Oracle Service for MTS that uses the user name MTSSYS.

Chapter 4, "Using the Microsoft Application Demo"

This chapter describes how to use the sample Microsoft COM-based application demo that is integrated with Microsoft Transaction Server.

Chapter 5, "Programming with Microsoft Transaction Server and an Oracle8 Database"

This chapter describes how to program with Microsoft Transaction Server and an Oracle8 database.

Chapter 6, "Tuning Oracle Service for MTS Performance"

This chapter describes how to tune Oracle Service for MTS performance.

Chapter 7, "Troubleshooting"

This chapter describes how to troubleshoot Oracle Service for MTS problems.

Appendix A, "Manually Creating Oracle Service for MTS Users"

This appendix describes how to manually create the MTSSYS user, a custom user, or an operating system-authenticated user.

Appendix B, "Deleting or Modifying an Existing Oracle Service for MTS"

This appendix describes how to delete or modify an existing Oracle Service for MTS.

Documentation and Code Conventions Explained

The following conventions are used in this guide:

Convention Example Meaning

All uppercase plain

C:\ORACLE\ORA81

Indicates command names, SQL reserved words, and keywords, as in ALTER DATABASE. All uppercase plain is also used for directory names and file names.

Italic

Italic is used to indicate a variable:

file name

Italic is used for emphasis:

The WHERE clause may be used to join rows in different tables.

Indicates a value that you must provide. For example, if a command asks you to type file name, you must type the actual name of the file.
Italic is also used for emphasis in the text and to indicate the titles of other guides.

Square brackets [ ]

X:\[PATHNAME]\ORACLE\
HOME_NAME

Encloses optional items. For example, when you create an Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA)-compliant Oracle home directory, you can place an optional pathname before the \ORACLE pathname.
Square brackets also indicate a function key, for example [Enter].

Choose Start >

Choose Start > Programs > Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant

How to start a program. For example, to start Net8 Assistant, you must click the Start button on the taskbar and then choose Programs > Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant.

C:\>

C:\ORACLE\ORADATA>

Represents the Windows NT command prompt of the current hard disk drive. Your prompt reflects the subdirectory in which you are working. This is referred to as the MS-DOS command prompt in this guide.

Backslash (\) before a directory name

\ORADATA

Indicates that the directory is a subdirectory of the root directory.

ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_BASE

Go to the ORACLE_HOME\ADMIN directory

In releases prior to 8.1, when you installed Oracle8, all subdirectories were located under a top level ORACLE_HOME directory, that by default was:

C:\ORANT for Windows NT

C:\ORAWIN95 for Windows 95

C:\ORAWIN98 for Windows 98

C:\ORAWIN for Windows 3.1

or whatever you called your Oracle home.
In this OFA-compliant release, all subdirectories are no longer under a top level ORACLE_HOME directory. There is a new top level directory called ORACLE_BASE that by default is C:\ORACLE. If you install Oracle8 release 8.1.6 on a clean computer (that is, there is no other Oracle software on the computer), the default setting for the first Oracle home directory is C:\ORACLE\ORA81. The Oracle home directory is located directly under ORACLE_BASE.
All directory path examples in this guide follow OFA conventions.
See your Oracle8i Administrator's Guide for Windows NT for additional information on OFA compliances and for information on installing Oracle products in non-OFA compliant directories.

%ORACLE_HOME%

SQL> @%ORACLE_HOME%\ADMIN\DB_NAME\ADHOC\CATALOG.SQL

In SQL*Plus commands, you may see %ORACLE_HOME%. SQL*Plus is able to locate your Oracle Home directory using the %ORACLE_HOME% variable. This convention can also be used in Server Manager, Export Utility, and Import Utility.

HOME_NAME

OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener

Represents the Oracle home name.
The home name can be up to sixteen alphanumeric characters. The only special character allowed in the home name is the underscore.

HOMEID

HOME0, HOME1, HOME2

Represents a unique registry subkey for each Oracle home directory in which you install products. A new HOMEID is created and incremented each time you install products to a different Oracle home directory on one computer. Each HOMEID contains its own configuration parameter settings for installed Oracle products.

Symbols

period .
comma ,
hyphen -
semicolon ;
colon :
equal sign =
backslash \
single quote '
double quote "
parentheses ()

Symbols other than brackets and vertical bars must be entered in commands exactly as shown.

Convention	Example	Meaning
All uppercase plain	C:\ORACLE\ORA81	Indicates command names, SQL reserved words, and keywords, as in ALTER DATABASE. All uppercase plain is also used for directory names and file names.
Italic	Italic is used to indicate a variable: file name Italic is used for emphasis: The WHERE clause may be used to join rows in different tables.	Indicates a value that you must provide. For example, if a command asks you to type file name, you must type the actual name of the file. Italic is also used for emphasis in the text and to indicate the titles of other guides.
Square brackets [ ]	X:\[PATHNAME]\ORACLE\ HOME_NAME	Encloses optional items. For example, when you create an Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA)-compliant Oracle home directory, you can place an optional pathname before the \ORACLE pathname. Square brackets also indicate a function key, for example [Enter].
Choose Start >	Choose Start > Programs > Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant	How to start a program. For example, to start Net8 Assistant, you must click the Start button on the taskbar and then choose Programs > Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant.
C:\>	C:\ORACLE\ORADATA>	Represents the Windows NT command prompt of the current hard disk drive. Your prompt reflects the subdirectory in which you are working. This is referred to as the MS-DOS command prompt in this guide.
Backslash (\) before a directory name	\ORADATA	Indicates that the directory is a subdirectory of the root directory.
ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_BASE	Go to the ORACLE_HOME\ADMIN directory	In releases prior to 8.1, when you installed Oracle8, all subdirectories were located under a top level ORACLE_HOME directory, that by default was: C:\ORANT for Windows NT C:\ORAWIN95 for Windows 95 C:\ORAWIN98 for Windows 98 C:\ORAWIN for Windows 3.1 or whatever you called your Oracle home. In this OFA-compliant release, all subdirectories are no longer under a top level ORACLE_HOME directory. There is a new top level directory called ORACLE_BASE that by default is C:\ORACLE. If you install Oracle8 release 8.1.6 on a clean computer (that is, there is no other Oracle software on the computer), the default setting for the first Oracle home directory is C:\ORACLE\ORA81. The Oracle home directory is located directly under ORACLE_BASE. All directory path examples in this guide follow OFA conventions. See your Oracle8i Administrator's Guide for Windows NT for additional information on OFA compliances and for information on installing Oracle products in non-OFA compliant directories.
%ORACLE_HOME%	`SQL> @%ORACLE_HOME%\ADMIN\DB_NAME\ADHOC\CATALOG.SQL`	In SQLPlus commands, you may see %ORACLE_HOME%. SQLPlus is able to locate your Oracle Home directory using the %ORACLE_HOME% variable. This convention can also be used in Server Manager, Export Utility, and Import Utility.
HOME_NAME	OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener	Represents the Oracle home name. The home name can be up to sixteen alphanumeric characters. The only special character allowed in the home name is the underscore.
HOMEID	HOME0, HOME1, HOME2	Represents a unique registry subkey for each Oracle home directory in which you install products. A new HOMEID is created and incremented each time you install products to a different Oracle home directory on one computer. Each HOMEID contains its own configuration parameter settings for installed Oracle products.
Symbols	period . comma , hyphen - semicolon ; colon : equal sign = backslash \ single quote ' double quote " parentheses ()	Symbols other than brackets and vertical bars must be entered in commands exactly as shown.