Accessing ORACLE from a diskless workstation

[Bernd Gill]

We are running an Oracle database on a server (called "depot", an HP370
running HPUX). A number of diskless workstations (HP340's) are served
over TCP/IP.

If I am logged on to a diskless workstation the only way to connect to
the database on the server is:
sqlplus username/password@T:depot:A

This works fine, but if anybody else who is logged on to the same
workstation runs "ps -ef" my password is displayed.
This is an unacceptable security risk.

Does anybody know a different way to connect to the database without
having the password on the command line?

I have tried a few things but only with the password on the command line
the connection is made.

Thanks very much for any help,
Bernd
--
Bernd Gill Dept. of Computer Science
Victoria University of Wellington
Email: be...@comp.vuw.ac.nz Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 721-000 x8658

[Michelle Midkiff]

In article <1989Aug3.0...@comp.vuw.ac.nz> be...@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Bernd Gill) writes:
>We are running an Oracle database on a server (called "depot", an HP370
>running HPUX). A number of diskless workstations (HP340's) are served
>over TCP/IP.
>
>If I am logged on to a diskless workstation the only way to connect to
>the database on the server is:
> sqlplus username/password@T:depot:A
>
>This works fine, but if anybody else who is logged on to the same
>workstation runs "ps -ef" my password is displayed.
>This is an unacceptable security risk.
>
>Does anybody know a different way to connect to the database without
>having the password on the command line?

<< some text deleted for brevity >>

Set your TWO_TASK environment variable. For example, in a c-shell you would
type:
setenv TWO_TASK T:depot:A

Then when you try to connect to the database on the server, Just type:

sqlplus

Oracle will bring up the login screen, which prompts for your login name and
password.

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
In-Real-Life: Michelle Midkiff, Thalatta Corporation, (+1 206 455 9838)
Domain: mid...@Thalatta.COM Path: ...!sun!sunup!thebes!midkiff

[Jan Stetson]

The nice folks at Oracle tell me that Oracle 5.1.17.4 for the
HP300 isn't 'really supported' on rev level 6.5 of HP-UX as
they 'haven't really tested it...' in that configuration.
Unfortunately, this is just what we need to do, and we're getting
some unpleasant and peculiar bugs. We're not sure whether our
code has problems, or there really is an incompatibility.

Anybody out there using Oracle 5.1.17.4 with HP-UX 6.5?
How's it going? Notable problems?

- Jan Stetson -