Replace A Server With A New Machine Built With Original Name? Randy 12/18/2008 4:37:55 PM We rotate through several servers each year as leases expire. We are currently replacing two old Windows 2000 Servers that have SQL Server 2000 with new servers with Windows 2008 and SQL Server 2005. We have many applications using each server, so it saves numerious people a lot of time if we keep the same server name. In the past, we built a server with a new name and renamed it when it was ready to go into production. It was not that hard to update the new SQL Server 2000 to use a new name. Life does not appear to be so simple anymore. I read about a SQL Server 2005 bug related to changing the service accounts in SQL Server after changing the server name. The bug is closed and won't be fixed. It also appears to be difficult to rename SharePoint, TFS, or BizTalk servers. How does one do a swap to a new OS or server product version? We are considering creating a build domain so that we can build the new machine with the correct name. The swap would be a domain change rather than a server rename. Will this work? Our server team say it will not work for SharePoint. That means it also won't work for TFS since it includes SharePoint. What about BizTalk and SQL Server? Would it be possible to search the registry for the old domain name and update it to the new domain name? I could use some advice. Is there at least one single standard supported method for handling a server swap, no matter what server products are installed. If not, perhaps the Microsoft product managers should aggree to have one. Is there a reason not to have the option to automatically re-configure products installed when the server is renamed? Thanks

Re: Replace A Server With A New Machine Built With Original Name? "Phillip Windell" <philwindell[ at ]hotmail.com> 12/18/2008 7:15:46 PM "Randy" <Randy[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:D759FB01-4D44-47B6-9295-5693F8A5D9EE[ at ]microsoft.com... [Quoted Text] > We are considering creating a build domain so that we can build the new > machine with the correct name. The swap would be a domain change rather > than > a server rename. Will this work? Our server team say it will not work > for > SharePoint. That means it also won't work for TFS since it includes > SharePoint. What about BizTalk and SQL Server? Would it be possible to > search the registry for the old domain name and update it to the new > domain > name? I could use some advice. *If* that works,...and I said *if*,....you would not "rename" or change any domains. The actualy "build domain's" name may not even matter. But you would take the machine and change it to a Workgroup,...then re-join it back to the Domain. But this time you would join it to the correct domain. You would need to either delete or do a "reset" on the pre-existing machine account in the "real" domain before you join it. > Is there at least one single standard supported method for handling a > server > swap, no matter what server products are installed. If not, perhaps the > Microsoft product managers should aggree to have one. Is there a reason > not > to have the option to automatically re-configure products installed when > the > server is renamed? I would stop using the Machine names to begin with,...at least as far as the "numerous people" are concerned. I would use a "generic" name that functions off of a DNS CNAME. When you replace the Machine you just re-point the CNAME at the new machine. You can't do this in every situation, but it should help in many cases. For "netbois names" you would create a Static Entry in WINS which can then be edited, deleted, recreaded, whatever,...but it is the same idea as with the CNAME. I think there is a registry tweek that might be needed in some cases, but it should still be "doable". -- Phillip Windell www.wandtv.com The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft, or anyone else associated with me, including my cats. -----------------------------------------------------