Oracle Database Discussions

Re:
I have a couple of questions.

1. In Sql Server we can use sp_databases stored procedure to list all the databases in the server. Is there any kind of functionality that will enable me to list all the databses in an oracle server.

2. To connect to an oracle server using visual studio is easy if we have tnsnames.ora but if we dont have it , it is a must that we have to use the alias format in the Data Source property while we create connection string.
thanks

So if we cannot list databases, and from what I understand from your replies, it should be possible to list all the instances running on the server. If so, please let me know how to do it or point me to the correct c# classes that will enable me to list all the instances.
The idea is that I want to list all the servers in the network, and then select the a specific server. From that specific server I want to list all the instances running. thansks

Edited by: user8795364 on Sep 9, 2009 4:30 PM