Functionality combination of LinqConnect with dotConnect

crazypit · Post by **crazypit** » Thu 31 Mar 2011 07:18

Hello,

We have licenses for both LinqConnect and dotConnect for Oracle products. We started with dotConnect in order to use the LINQ facilities and we switched to LinqConnect when this was out. We are planning to continue updating the LinqConnect license indefinitely but we are not going to update the dotConnect license further more.

Now, the requirement is that we need to add the Direct connection feature of dotConnect product to our main LinqConnect product use and ONLY that. That is, we want to use the LINQ facilities of LinqConnect as is, but we need to be able to enable the Direct parameter in our connection.

Can this be done? What is the correct installation sequence that we must follow in order for this to work? What should we do when we need to update the LinqConnect product with every new version? There will be no need to update the dotConnect product as we will stop updating the relevant license. Can new versions of LinqConnect work flawlessly with an old, unupdated version of dotConnect?

We need to start this combination with versions LinqConnect 2.20.17 and dotConnect for Oracle 6.10.X. This is the last version of dotConnect that we can use.

StanislavK · Post by **StanislavK** » Fri 01 Apr 2011 17:02

Older versions of dotConnect for Oracle cannot be used with LinqConnect, since the Devart.Data.Oracle.Linq library references the Devart.Data and Devart.Data.Oracle assemblies.

However, we will analyze the possible ways of using the Direct mode when only LinqConnect is installed on the workstation. We will post here when our investigation is completed.

crazypit · Post by **crazypit** » Mon 04 Apr 2011 09:31

Well, for now, it is only the matter of Direct Mode for me. Nevertheless, the same applies to all the extra features provided by dotConnect for Oracle. You effectively say that a product as dotConnect for Oracle which should work fine even after the support ends, renders unusable by an other product as LinqConnect of the same company! Don't you think that this is something that should be noted with big red letters on the relevant web page? Even for different projects, the configuration on a development machine would be a nightmare! Run the installations, get the files, don't mix them and reference them in projects not through the GAC but through the files on disk!! I think this is an investigation which should have been completed, way before the new product is released. For now, you just punish your best customers that made the mistake to make this transition...

StanislavK · Post by **StanislavK** » Mon 04 Apr 2011 12:55

While dotConnect for Oracle can be used even after the subscription expires, it is not guaranteed that it will be compatible with newer versions of other products. In particular, LinqConnect functionality (more precisely, its part related to interoperations with Oracle servers) highly depends on the Devart.Data.Oracle assembly.

Thus, to use both multiple DBMS support of LinqConnect and advanced features of a particular data provider, it is necessary to have compatible versions of both LinqConnect and the corresponding edition of the data provider. For example, you can install LinqConnect and the Standard edition of dotConnect for Oracle to use the Direct connection mode for LinqConnect models.

As for using an older version of dotConnect for Oracle and latest LinqConnect in different projects, it is actually possible to place both older and newer versions of the same Devart assemblies to the GAC. To ensure that such a configuration works properly, it is necessary to
- remove all policy.*.Devart.* files from the GAC;
- set the 'Specific version' property of assembly references to true.
Please tell us if you encounter any problems with this.