Difference between server and client tnsnames files
My Instructor had us copy the tnsnames.ora file from the server directory into the client directory, so that they would both be the same and that the computer name or ip address would not have to be added to the end of the hoststring after the database name for example (trial01_winxp). However this does not seem right and I believe the only reason we can still connect to the database is because the client is on the same machine as the server. Also it does not make sense to me because its like were telling oracle to ignore the client and just go directly to the server, but what if the client was not on the same machine as the server and how would it know the name of the computer or ip address to look for if the tnsnames files are the same because they must be different for a reason and not just because the Database Configuration Assistant made them that way. Could someone please explain why this may be incorrect and why we shouldn't copy the tnsnames file from the server directory into the client directory.