configuring php with oracle usin tns on mac os x - php

Question

I am new to php but I've got it running (php 5.3.3) on my mac (OS 10.6). However when I try to run this script:
<?php // Create connection to Oracle
$conn = oci_connect("user", "pass", "tnsnames.ora");
if (!$conn) {
$m = oci_error();
echo $m['message'], "\n";
exit;
}
else {
print "Connected to Oracle!";
}
// Close the Oracle connection
oci_close($conn);
?>
I get the error: "Fatal error: Call to undefined function oci_connect()..."
Now, I've checked oracle's website and downloaded their instant client, but I'm stuck as to what to do next. Their instructions are:
On non-Windows platforms rebuild PHP
using the following configuration
option:
--with-oci8=shared,instantclient,/path/to/instant/client/libs
Edit your php.ini file and add:
extension = oci8.so Ensure that your
extension_dir parameter (in php.ini)
points to the location where oci8.so
was installed. Set environment
variables required by Oracle, such as
PATH (Windows) or LD_LIBRARY_PATH (on
Linux) Restart you webserver.
But could someone explain that to me in simpler language? I am really confused. I can't find an oci8.so file in the instant client folder, and I don't know where to put the extention = oci8.so in the file (all I have are php.ini-production and php.ini-development. And I don't know how "rebuild" PHP with configuration options.
Oh and I don't know how to pull in the tnsnames.org file either. Is this the right way? Since I don't even have a connection yet, I don't know if this is failing or not.

Answer 1

You don't want the filename "tnsnames.ora" in your oci_connect call. You want the name of a database connection alias in the tnsnames.ora file. The tnsnames.ora file contains a list of known database connection entires, identified by aliases. For a database alias named "db_alias", you would use this call:
$conn = oci_connect("user", "pass", "db_alias");
A typical tnsnames.ora entry would look something like this:
DB_NAME =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = foo.bar.com)(PORT = 1521))
(CONNECT_DATA = (SERVICE = some_db_service_name))
)
Alternatively, you can use an Easy Connect string:
$conn = oci_connect("user", "pass", "//host:port/db_service_name");
Where host, port and db_service_name are to be replaced by values from your environment. So, for host "foo" with database "bar" on standard port 1521, your connection would look like this:
$conn = oci_connect("user", "pass", "//foo:1521/bar");
Have a look at the manual page for oci_connect for more information.

Answer 2

I do it with a full connect string:
$rnum=rand(0,99999999);
$connect_str = "(DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP) (HOST = $dbserver) (PORT = $dbport) (HASH = '.$rnum.') ) (CONNECT_DATA =(SID = $dbname)) )";
$DB = oci_connect($dbuser, $dbpass, $connect_str);
Works like a charm for me.