1, First, is to connect to oracle, using sql*plus in cmd line:
>sqlplus hr/hr@hostname:1521/xe -- version is 10g express, user/password = hr/hr
or
>sqlplus scott/tiger@remotehostname:1521/orcl -- version is 11g enterprise, user/password = scott/tiger
or
you can use PL/Sql developer to connect to local or remote server.
to be continue ...