Named Instances

It is possible to configure multiple Seq instances on the same Windows server, so long as they listen on different network endpoints. These might be unique hostnames, e.g. http://qa.my-seq/ or virtual directories e.g. http://my-seq/qa.

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Named instances operate with reduced performance and are supported for non-mission-critical, low-volume scenarios only. For production deployments, a single instance per host is required.

Creating a Named Instance

This guide will walk through the creation of a named instance that listens at virtual directory. This is a convenient option to use because it doesn't require modifying DNS entries, but the process for hostname-based instances is otherwise the same.

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To avoid URL conflicts, when using virtual directories it's best to remove the default Seq instance using seq stop and seq uninstall before setting up named instances. This isn't necessary if the instances listen on different hostnames.

Named instances are installed, configured and managed by adding a -n <name> switch on the command line. This will:

• Default the instance's storage path to a subfolder of C:\ProgramData\Seq\Instance
• Set up a unique Windows Service for the instance

Nearly all command line actions available through seq.exe accept the -n parameter. Don't forget to specify it when starting and stopping the instance.

To install a Seq instance named QA, use the command-lines:

seq service install -n QA -l http://yourserver/qa
seq service start -n QA

Seq will now be listening at http://yourserver/qa.

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Add/Remove Programs not required

It's not necessary to run the Seq .msi installer for each instance - the installer should be run once only, and the command line used for instance creation.

For an instance named "Dev" on the same server:

seq service install -n Dev -l http://yourserver/dev
seq service start -n Dev