Configuring Data Source Names (DSNs)

To make it easier for developers to connect an ASP application to a database, the system administrator can add a system DSN (data source name) to the ASP Server. DSNs store information about a database that the ASP Server and ODBC Manager use for connecting to it. Developers can use the system DSN in connection strings on ASP pages to incorporate database information by reference, rather than specifying the complete set of information in each string.

You can access DSN configuration settings on the Global Data Source Names tab of the Sun ONE ASP Administration Console Databases page. This tab displays the list of system DSNs that are currently configured for the ASP Server. It also provides access to settings for adding a new DSN to the ASP Server, and for removing, editing, and testing an existing DSN.

Expert users can also perform certain DSN-related tasks from the command line. For more information, see Command-line Management.

To protect the security of your database in a shared Web hosting environment, you might prefer that developers use DSN-less connection strings or file DSNs, rather than system DSNs. For a discussion of these security issues, see Creating Database Connections (ASP Server).

For Windows systems, DSNs are created and managed from the Windows Control Panel. See Microsoft documentation for more information.