Ashoke The problem with long SID names or special characters is that the SID is used in a lot of circumstances. For example, on Unix systems, you end up with other characters being concatenated with the SID and this becomes a process name (as in lgwr_ora_$ORACLE_SID). So the issue isn't entirely within Oracle's control. The recommendation has traditionally been to keep it to 4 or 5 characters, strictly alphanumeric. The danger is that you will get the instance created just fine and then somewhere later encounter a situation where your special SID exceeds something else's limits. Hitting issues like this is why the more experienced DBAs tend also to be fairly conservative. Usually you have to solve enough problems without creating your own.
Dennis Williams DBA, 80%OCP, 100% DBA Lifetouch, Inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- Sent: Monday, June 30, 2003 10:50 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L What are the restriction in naming an Oracle SID/Database? 1. Can I have special character in SID/Database name? e.g. Is a SID name 'emp_prod' is allowed? 2. What is the maximum size of a SID/Database name in Unix? 3. What is the maximum size of a SID/Database name in Windows? 4. Is there any other restrictions? Thanks, Ashoke -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net -- Author: Mandal, Ashoke INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- 858-538-5051 http://www.fatcity.com San Diego, California -- Mailing list and web hosting services --------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing). -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net -- Author: DENNIS WILLIAMS INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- 858-538-5051 http://www.fatcity.com San Diego, California -- Mailing list and web hosting services --------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).