9 The SQL Server Data Provider : Connecting to Named Instances

Connecting to Named Instances
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 supports multiple instances of a Microsoft SQL Server database running concurrently on the same server. An instance is identified by an instance name.
To connect to a named instance using a connection URL, use the following format:
server_name\instance_name
where:
server_name is the host name of the server.
instance_name is the name of the instance to which you want to connect on the server.
For example, the following connection string connects to an instance named Accounting on the local machine:
Server=localhost\Accounting;User=test;Password=secret;...
To connect to a named instance using a data source, specify the Host connection string option. See “Connection String Options” for more information.