Knowledge Base

PRB: Oracle TNS: Authentication Service Initialization Error

Article ID: 178391

Article Last Modified on 12/3/2003

Microsoft Open Database Connectivity 2.0
Microsoft Open Database Connectivity 2.0
Microsoft Open Database Connectivity 2.0
Microsoft Open Database Connectivity 2.5
Microsoft Data Access Components 2.0
Microsoft Data Access Components 2.1
Microsoft Data Access Components 2.5
Microsoft Data Access Components 2.6

This article was previously published under Q178391

SYMPTOMS

Oracle databases authenticate users that are logged on with SQL*Net Authentication services. This service works fine for users logged into Oracle through SQLPlus; however, when the logged on user is a service like Internet Information Server, the authentication fails with the following error:

[Microsoft][ODBC driver for Oracle][Oracle]ORA-12641: TNS:authentication service failed to initialize

CAUSE

This is a known limitation of SQL*Net Authentication.

RESOLUTION

The problem may be corrected by editing the Sqlnet.ora file. This configuration file is usually stored in the Network/Admin subdirectory of the Oracle Home directory. The following line needs to be added to this file:

SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES = (none)

STATUS

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Keywords: kboracle kbdatabase kbprb kb3rdparty kbdriver KB178391