os_authent_prefix

In Oracle 10, the default value for os_authent_prefix was ops$:

 

SQL> l

  1  select value, isdefault

  2  from v$parameter

  3* where name = 'os_authent_prefix'

SQL> /

 

VALUE      ISDEFAULT

---------- ---------

ops$       TRUE

 

SQL>

 

So, if you created an ops$oracle user with a password:

 

SQL> grant dba to ops$oracle

  2  identified by andrew

  3  /

 

Grant succeeded.

 

SQL>

 

And you were logged onto the server hosting your database as UNIX user oracle:

 

TEST10 > whoami

oracle

TEST10 >

 

... you could logon to the database externally:

 

TEST10 > sqlplus /

 

SQL*Plus: Release 10.2.0.3.0 - Production on Tue Jan 3 14:41:28 2012

 

Copyright (c) 1982, 2006, Oracle.  All Rights Reserved.

 

Connected to:

Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition Release 10.2.0.3.0 - 64bit Production

With the Partitioning, OLAP and Data Mining options

 

SQL>

 

... or by using the password, which may not have been what you intended:

 

SQL> conn ops$oracle/andrew

Connected.

SQL>

 

To stop this happening, you could add the following line to your database’s parameter file:

 

os_authent_prefix = ""