In ODP.NET 10.2.0.2 and higher, why does the same ODP.NET provider have two different version numbers?
For ODP.NET 10.2.0.2 and higher, the same ODP.NET binaries have two different version numbers when viewed from either .NET products (e.g. Visual Studio 2005 would see version 2.102.2.20) or when viewed from Oracle products (e.g. Oracle Universall Installer would see version 10.2.0.2.20). Prior to ODP.NET 10.2.0.2, the latter versioning was employed exclusively. The use the second versioning method was necessary to properly support .NET policy files for .NET Framework 1.x and 2.0. For further details, read the versioning scheme section of Chapter 2 of the Oracle Data Provider for .NET (10.2.0.2 or higher) Developer’s Guide . Q: Do I need to install ODP.NET on my Oracle database server? A: No. You only need to install ODP.NET for running client or middle-tier .NET applications. The exception is if you are using .NET stored procedures in the database server. The server-side ODP.NET provider will automatically be installed with the Oracle Database Extensions for .NET. Q: Can ODP.NET work w
