The complexity of Oracle networking arises to some extent from its basic simplicity. Although that statement appears to contradict itself, it points out a basic characteristic of the Oracle networking architecture: it is a simple structure that can be used to implement complex solutions. Oracle’s networking architecture is simple because it is designed to allow any Oracle product, running on any supported platform, to “talk” to any other Oracle product without regard for network topologies or protocols. Figure 5.1 shows several Oracle databases and clients connected via a “cloud” with no network identification.
Because Oracle is designed to run on almost any network, using almost any accepted protocol, the configuration of the Oracle components that interface with the network can be very complex, which often leads to frustration when the DBA is not sure where to turn in order to solve a problem. This is because Oracle often hides its underlying complexity. For example, the simple connection shown in Figure 5.1 could, in reality, look more like the more complex connection shown in Figure 5.2, where the physical and logical components of the network can be seen. That figure shows a client and server connected using TCP/IP, 10BaseT, and token ring with routers.