I have a Vista machine that needs to remotely connect to Oracle 8.1.7 database. Installing the instant client with the ODBC pack gets an ODBC driver, but when you create a datasource with it, it says it's no longer compatible with that database version.
What's the best way to get the correct ODBC driver?
Oracle 8? That is more than 10 years old. Isn't it time to switch to Oracle 11? After upgrading to Oracle 11, you can certainly find an odbc driver.
Firstly, you mean 8.1.7, not 8.7.1.
Secondly, I think 10g permitted connections to an 8.1.7 database. Don't even try an 11g client. I think the Instant Clients came out after 8i was desupported, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't work.
You could try a 10g full client install but I doubt whether you'd get that working on Vista. Either you need a newer (supported) database version or an older operating system.
Can you use a JDBC connection ?
Do you have a support contract? Because I have just checked on MyOracleSupport and they still offer ODBC patch sets for 8i. Although it might be tough to get them running on Vista. Mind you, I hear it's tough getting anything running on Vista.
Alternatively, are you prepared to spend money on this? If so, then DataDirect claims their Oracle ODBC driver can connect to all versions, from 8i through to 11g. They offer a free trial. Check it out.
OpenLink Software provide an Oracle 8.x ODBC Driver that works on Vista which can be downloaded for evaluation.
The Oracle 10g OCI Client and Instant Client can connect to Oracle 8.1.7.4 and later; earlier 8i patchsets mandate a 9i or 8i OCI Client.
The driver hwilliams suggested earlier requires that you have a functional 8i or 9i OCI Client on the Vista host.
OpenLink Software (my employer) also has Multi-Tier solutions for 8i and 9i, free to try for 2 weeks, which will support Vista (and many other OS) ODBC (and JDBC and ADO.NET) clients. All you need is an 8i or 9i Client on any host with a supported OS on which you can install the OpenLink server-side components, including the Oracle server host itself, which includes these OCI components as part of the default installation.