If the TWO_TASK environment variable is not set, then a login w/ username/password will connect to the local database running out of $ORACLE_HOME and identified by $ORACLE_SID. If the TWO_TASK environment variable is set, then a login w/ username/password will connect to a database identified by connect string with the value of $TWO_TASK. In other words, it's the same as typing username/password@$TWO_TASK. Note that if TWO_TASK is set, it will always override ORACLE_SID. Hope that helps, -Mark ________________________________________ From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of hrishy [hrishys@xxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 5:09 To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: sqlplus connect string issue Hi For one of my databases i am unable to connect using sqlplus user/password but when i try sqlplus username/password@connect-string<mailto:username/password@connect-string> it connects The error message i get using sqlplus username/password is ORA-01017: invalid username/password; logon denied There are many other databases on this server and they work fine. The thing that is different about this database is The tnsnames.ora has an entry for this database pointing to another host on port 1522. The local listener parameter on the database says the database is registered for a listener on port 1527 i did a truss -o log sqlplus username/password but clueless on what i should look or fix so i can connect using just sqlplus username/password without the connection string. regards Hrishy -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l