VPS v1 Support Documentation

ColdFusion and Oracle

Allaire ColdFusion is designed to use a database to help manage and store dynamic content for your Web site. The following instructions will help you configure your ColdFusion server to work with a remote Oracle database.

Connecting ColdFusion to your Oracle database

In order for ColdFusion to connect to an Oracle database, you will first need to have created a user, password, and database in Oracle. Once those are in place, you can connect to them by following the instructions below.

1. If they are not already installed, you will need to install and configure the Oracle Client Libraries on your Virtual Private Server.

2. Connect to your ColdFusion administrator tool using the following URL.

   http://YOUR-DOMAIN.NAME/cfide/administrator/

3. Log to the administrator tool and select ODBC Data Sources from the Data Sources section of the left hand menu bar. You should see a list of current datasources (there are four by default), with an option to add more above.

   

4. Enter a Data Source Name in the text entry box. This can be anything you want, but it is a good idea to pick a name that you will associate with your Oracle database.

5. From the ODBC Driver drop-down menu, select MERANT Oracle 8 Driver and click on the ADD button.

6. In the screen that loads, fill in the fields with the appropriate information.

   • The Data Source Name field should already have the name you indicated on the previous screen.

   • For Description, write a short description of the connection.

   • Your Server Name should match the Identifier (the first line) in your tsnames.ora file.

   Click on the CF Settings >> button to display additional configuration options.

7. You should now see a number of additional fields that you can configure.

   • Enter your Oracle username in the ColdFusion Login Username field.

   • Your Oracle login password should go in the associated Password field.

   • Leave the other fields as they are, or modify them to your preference.

   Click on the Create button at the bottom of the form to create the Data Source.

8. You should be returned to the Data Source list that you saw earlier, but your new Data Source should be listed there also. If you created the Data Source properly, the Status column should display OK, meaning that ColdFusion was able to connect to your Oracle Database successfully.