Specifying Instance Name in Connection URL

JDBC for SQL Server - Herong's Tutorial Examples

∟Specifying Instance Name in Connection URL

This section describes how to specify instance names in the connection URL for a specific SQL Server database instance.

In the last tutorial, we learned that SQL Server can support multiple database instances on a single host machine and the SQL Server Browser service can help JDBC client applications to specify the instance name instead of port number to connect to a specific instance.

Now I can modify my example program to specify the instance name in the connection URL in the following syntax:

jdbc:sqlserver://server_name\instance_name;user=login;password=****
jdbc:sqlserver://server_name;instanceName=instance_name;
   user=login;password=****

Before we run any tests with the instance name URL, we need to make sure the SQL Server Browser service is running together with my SQLEXPRESS instance:

1. Go to Control Panel and run "Services".

2. Find the "SQL Server Browser" service, enable it and run it.

3. Look at the "SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS)" service and make sure it is still running.

Here is the revised example program that shows you how to use instance name instead of port number in the connection URL:

/* ConnectionTest4.java
 * Copyright (c) HerongYang.com. All Rights Reserved.
 */
import java.sql.*;
public class ConnectionTest4 {
  public static void main(String [] args) {
    try {

// Obtaining a connection to SQL Server
      Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection(
          "jdbc:sqlserver://localhost\\SQLEXPRESS;"
        + "user=herong;password=T0pSecret");

// Connection is ready to use
      DatabaseMetaData meta = con.getMetaData();
      System.out.println("Driver name: "
        + meta.getDriverName());
      System.out.println("Driver version: "
        + meta.getDriverVersion());
      System.out.println("Server name: "
        + meta.getDatabaseProductName());
      System.out.println("Server version: "
        + meta.getDatabaseProductVersion());
      System.out.println("Connection URL: "
        + meta.getURL());
      System.out.println("Login name: "
        + meta.getUserName());

// Obtaining another connection to SQL Server
      Connection con2 = DriverManager.getConnection(
          "jdbc:sqlserver://localhost;instanceName=SQLEXPRESS;"
        + "user=herong;password=T0pSecret");
// Connection 2 is ready to use
      DatabaseMetaData meta2 = con2.getMetaData();
      System.out.println("Second connection URL: "
        + meta2.getURL());

    } catch (Exception e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    }
  }
}

Run the above program, you should get:

herong> java -cp .;mssql-jdbc-9.4.1.jre16.jar ConnectionTest4.java

Driver name: Microsoft JDBC Driver 9.4 for SQL Server
Driver version: 9.4.1.0
Server name: Microsoft SQL Server
Server version: 15.00.2000
Connection URL: jdbc:sqlserver://localhost\sqlexpress:60782;...
Login name: Herong

Second connection URL: jdbc:sqlserver://localhost\SQLEXPRESS:60782;...