The service names of databases are mapped to connect descriptors that describe their location on the network. Similarly, the service names of Interchanges are listed with their addresses on the network. The contents of this file are described fully in Appendix A . This section describes the format of the file. The service name must begin in the first space of a line to be parsed correctly.
Every database requires a connect descriptor.
The application address is the information required to reach the application within a given protocol environment. An address is a set of keyword-value pairs related to a specific application. Each set of keyword-value pairs is surrounded by parentheses as shown. For example, for TCP, the port 1526 might be generated. For the parameters specific to other protocols, see the Oracle operating system-specific documentation for your platform.