Network Communications Using sql.ini

SAP ASE communicates with other SAP ASE servers, Open Server applications, and client software across a network. Clients can communicate with one or more servers, and servers can communicate with other servers via remote procedure calls. You can configure SAP ASE to use sql.ini file connections.

Use Server Config to change the values that SAP ASE can access.

SAP ASE on Windows supports network connections using the Named Pipes, Sockets (TCP/IP), and IPX/SPX protocols. The default SAP ASE uses TCP/IP and Named Pipes, since Named Pipes is always installed with Windows.

Two files control how clients find servers and drivers:

The sql.ini file lists server names, their network addresses, and the Net-Library driver to use to establish a connection.
The library file, libtcl.cfg, lists the installed Net-Library drivers that are available to support each protocol (connection).

These files, which reside on both server and client machines, enable each SAP ASE product to find the other SAP ASE servers that are on the network. The installation program automatically creates, verifies, and appends these configuration files when you install SAP ASE.

Client Connections to SAP ASE
Client software connects to SAP ASE by looking at the sql.ini file and the libtcl.cfg file and loading the specified Net-Library driver.
Determine the Address to Listen for Client Connections
SAP ASE uses the sql.ini file to determine the address at which to listen for clients.
Client Access to SAP ASE
The SAP ASE installation program provides a default sql.ini file, which has MASTER and QUERY entries that use both the Named Pipes and Sockets (TCP/IP) drivers for all installed servers.
Components in the sql.ini File
The sql.ini file includes the server name, network driver, service type, and server address. Understanding these components is useful background information for editing an sql.ini file.
Share Network Configuration Information
You can share identical network information across multiple systems by either creating a master interface (sql.ini) file or by using Windows Registry as a directory service.
Verify Server Connections
After you configure your network connections, use the dsedit utility to verify that you can connect to a server. dsedit includes a network diagnostic utility that checks to see whether a process is listening at the specified address.
Configure ODBC Connections
Some client applications do not connect to SAP ASE directly through the Open Client software, but through the ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) driver instead.
IPv6 Support
SAP ASE supports IPv6 technology.