Specifying the Instance Name
When you configure an instance of Notification Services, you must specify a unique name for the instance. The instance name identifies the instance and is used to name instance database objects.
Instance Name
The Notification Services instance name is a unique name for an instance of Notification Services. Notification Services uses the instance name to locate instance resources. You use the instance name to identify the instance when administering Notification Services.
Naming Guidelines
In previous versions, Notification Services always used the instance name to construct the instance database name. In Notification Services, you can specify the instance database name. However, if you do not specify a database name, Notification Services creates a new instance database with the name instanceNameNSMain. For example, if the instance name is News, the default instance database name is NewsNSMain.
Notification Services also uses the instance name to name the Windows service for the instance. The Windows service for an instance is NS$instanceName.
Because Notification Services uses the instance name to identify the instance, name database objects, and name the Windows service, the instance name must follow these naming guidelines:
The instance name must be unique. No other Notification Services instance deployed on the same server can use the same name.
Important
Do not use case to make an instance name unique. Notification Services instance names are not case-sensitive. For example, Notification Services does not distinguish between "MyInstance" and "myinstance".
The instance name cannot contain quotation marks, because quotation marks are not permitted in the name of a Windows service.
The instance name is limited to 64 characters because it is used to name database objects and is sometimes concatenated with other strings to name objects. Database object names are usually limited to 128 characters.
The instance name must follow the naming guidelines for regular identifiers. For more information, see Identifiers.
Naming Recommendations
Because Notification Services uses the instance name for database objects, keep the instance name short, and name the instance based on unchanging entities. For example, you might want to name the instance according to a target audience, a functional unit of your company, or a product.
It is best to avoid using the names of organization units (which can change frequently), applications, or the server on which the instance is running.
A good instance name is something short and self-explanatory like "News" or "Inventory". When you name applications, you can give each application a short and self-explanatory name, such as "Headlines" or "Hardware". This allows more meaningful names for database objects.
Naming an Instance of Notification Services
If you are configuring an instance of Notification Services through XML, specify the instance name in the instance configuration file (ICF). If you are configuring an instance of Notification Services programmatically, use Notification Services Management Objects (NMO) to specify the instance name.
To name an instance of Notification Services
See Also
Reference
Concepts
Specifying the Database System Name
Defining the Instance Database
Associating Applications with an Instance
Defining Custom Delivery Protocols
Defining Delivery Channels
Configuring Argument Encryption
Specifying the Instance Version and History
Using Parameters in an Instance Configuration File
Other Resources
Configuring Instances of Notification Services
InstanceName Element (ICF)
Instance Configuration File Templates