trouble logging on to Sql*Plus via command and can't log on to Designer (need connect string)

I agree with Gerwin's post.  Looks like you have multiple Oracle products installed.

I wanted to comment on the original question about timeouts.

99% of the time these are due to a firewall issue.  Since you specified a service name (database) in teh sql developer window, it is trying a network connection.  You would need to look a the tnsnames.ora file it is using to see what/where the ORCL instance is that it is looking for.

Ok, that makes sense, but . . . I don't quite get it, wouldn't the TNS listener be listening for anything ? I thought this was kind of a universal resource . . .

slightwv,

>>It listens for whatever you tell it to or whatever has registered with it.
-- ok, that kind of makes sense, but it doesn't compute with me . . . Mainly because I'm only going to have ONE tnsnames file on my machine, right ?

Here's my orig path (see notes on lines 5 and 8)

E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\jdk\jre\bin\classic;
E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\jdk\jre\bin;
E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\jdk\jre\bin\client;
E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\jlib;
E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\bin;   <-- Sql plus 10.1 found here, but no tnsnames, so dead end, end of PATH search
E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\jre\1.4.2\bin\client;
E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\jre\1.4.2\bin;
E:\app\Stephen\product\11.2.0\dbhome_1\bin;  <-- tnsnames found here, also Sql Plus 11.2

%SystemRoot%\system32;
%SystemRoot%;
%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\DTS\Binn\;
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\Binn\;
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\Binn\;
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\;
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\;
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\DTS\Binn\;
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\ThinPrint\;

C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_60\bin

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To fix my sql plus from command window issue, I moved E:\app\Stephen\product\11.2.0\dbhome_1\bin;   to the front of my PATH, and now Sql Plus always comes from there and I can connect.

But . . . I still can't connect from the Oracle Developer tools, here:

Nor can I connect to the d.b. from Sql Plus for Windows, which is in E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\BIN\sqlplusw.exe, even though the Listener is now first in PATH

How do I fix this ?

slightwv,
>>You can have as many tnsnames.ora files as you want.
-- but I only want ONE ! isn't that normal ? it would be goofy to have multiple tnsnames, imo.

-- Note that for SQL Developer the path is "E:\Program Files (x86)\sqldeveloper\sqldeveloper.exe", BUT this works fine, I connected to the d.b. without jumping through hoops.

Here's the Oracle developer tools' tnsnames in E:\app\DevSuiteHome_1\NETWORK\ADMIN

EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA =
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS_LIST =
      (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = Stephen-PC.home)(PORT = 1521))
    )
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SERVICE_NAME = PLSExtProc)
    )
  )

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Here's the tnsnames from the 11g d.b.

LISTENER_ORCL =
  (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))


ORACLR_CONNECTION_DATA =
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS_LIST =
      (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = IPC)(KEY = EXTPROC1521))
    )
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SID = CLRExtProc)
      (PRESENTATION = RO)
    )
  )

ORCL =
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SERVER = DEDICATED)
      (SERVICE_NAME = orcl)
    )
  )

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I'll play around with this, thanks.

>>-- but I only want ONE ! isn't that normal ? it would be goofy to have multiple tnsnames, imo.

Not abnormal at all.  You typically have one per Oracle product install.  If you ONLY want one, there is a TNS_ADMIN environment variable you need to set that will tell ALL Oracle products where to locate the tnsnames file:
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/win.112/e10845/ap_net.htm#NTQRF515

Personally, I never use TNS_ADMIN and have been using Oracle for over 20 years.

Ok, I mostly got it going.

- I copied the 11g tnsnames to Oracle Developer location, and I got Oracle Forms to connect to one of my databases, yea !

- I couldn't connect to Oracle forms as "sys as sysdba" ("invalid username / password",
- I did connect as "hr", so not sure why I couldn't connect as "sys as sysdba" (I connect from sql plus and Sql Developer)

Not an Oracle Forms guy but the space messes up a LOT of Oracle products.

I'm sure if you Google around, you'll see how to connect 'as sysdba' with Forms.

My question is: Why would you want to?

Connecting as SYS is something you typically NEVER do unless you are performing some major database actions.  I don't see Forms as needing to do this.

>>My question is: Why would you want to connect as "sys"
-- I'm just trying to set up my environment, so that is my test connection.

So I got my question answered, but I'm sure I'll be back, thanks !