# Problems connecting to remote Oracle DB on windows using active record **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [November 15, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-connecting-to-remote-oracle-db-on-windows-using-active-record/120295 "2007-11-15T16:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problems-connecting-to-remote-oracle-db-on-windows-using-active-record/120295/1 "2007-11-15T16:20:00Z")
I am trying to connect to an older oracle DB remotely, I think version 8 or 9. I downloaded the instant client stuff from oracle and copied oci.dll and oraociei10.dll to my windows/system folder (windows XP) I get the error. C:\rb-play\>ar\_connect\_ss.rb env.c:257:in oci8lib.so: ORA-12514: TNS:listener does not currently know of serv ice requested in connect descriptor (OCIError) from c:/ruby/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/oci8.rb:228:in `initialize' from c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.15.5/lib/ active_recor d/connection_adapters/oracle_adapter.rb:585:in `new’ from c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.15.5/lib/ active\_rec If I change the adapter to ‘oracle’ I get C:\rb-play\>ar\_connect\_ss.rb env.c:257:in oci8lib.so: ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve the connect identifier specified (OCIError) from c:/ruby/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/oci8.rb:228:in `initialize' from c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.15.5/lib/ active_recor d/connection_adapters/oracle_adapter.rb:585:in `new’ from c:/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/activerecord-1.15.5/lib/ active\_recor d/connection\_adapters/oracle\_adapter.rb:585:in `new\_connection’ I’ve done a bunch of google searches on this. I read if I am using instant client I don’t need a tnsnames.ora file, which I’m not that familiar with that file anyway. Any ideas on this let me know, it has not been as easy as I’ve hoped for this. ################################### require ‘active\_record’ ActiveRecord::Base.establish\_connection( :adapter =\> ‘oci’, :database =\> ‘mydb’, :host =\> ‘[pennies.dev.mycompany.com:1521/ENG](http://pennies.dev.mycompany.com:1521/ENG)’, :username =\> ‘me’, :password =\> ‘mypassword’ ) class Template \< ActiveRecord::Base set\_table\_name ‘template’ end rec = Template.find(:first) puts rec.TITLE