Oracle7 Server Distributed Systems Volume I: Distributed Data

Security During Connection Establishment

In addition to authenticating the identity of the user when a connection to a database is established, SQL*Net also provides the ability to accept or refuse connections on the basis of the system from which a client application is connecting. Using a pre-configured table, SQL*Net validates a connection request and determines whether the source system has the right to establish connections to the server.

This feature, called "valid node", can be administered with inclusive or exclusive authority, allowing you to explicitly list the systems from which you will and will not allow valid connections.

Valid node must be configured in PROTOCOL.ORA manually--it cannot be configured with Network Manager. Refer Understanding SQL*Net for information on the valid node feature.

Attention: Use the valid node feature with caution, as it only provides the degree of assurance that the underlying protocol provides about who is on the other side of the connection.