INSTANCE_NAME

Parameter type	String
Syntax	INSTANCE_NAME = instance_id
Default value	The instance's SID Note: The SID identifies the instance's shared memory on a host, but may not uniquely distinguish this instance from other instances.
Parameter class	Static
Range of values	Any alphanumeric characters

In an Oracle9i Real Application Clusters environment, multiple instances can be associated with a single database service. Clients can override Oracle's connection load balancing by specifying a particular instance by which to connect to the database. INSTANCE_NAME specifies the unique name of this instance.

In a single-instance database system, the instance name is usually the same as the database name.

See Also: Oracle9i Real Application Clusters Administration and Oracle9i Net Services Administrator's Guide for more information