Renaming a Win 2003 server

I need to rename a Windows 2003 server that is running IIS. Do I need to
remove the server from the domain then rename it and add back or can I just
rename it while it is still in the Domain?

How will the rename affect IIS?

 

Renaming is supported. The only peculiarity is that the IWAM and IUSR
accounts will have the wrong name. It doesn't matter, but you can rename
them if you want.
SQL Server is similar (I mention because it is often installed on the same
box), but actually SQL Server retains the old name in tables and this can
cause a problem with application using SQL.
Whether your applications still work is a different problem,
Anthony
http://www.airdesk.com



"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:09061837-AFE1-468E-BD75-CE451D854F78@microsoft.com...
> I need to rename a Windows 2003 server that is running IIS. Do I need to
> remove the server from the domain then rename it and add back or can I
> just
> rename it while it is still in the Domain?
>
> How will the rename affect IIS?

 

If it is just a member server in a domain and no other restrictions exist
(for example it is not certificate authority server), it is safe to rename
the server while it is still in the domain. Since you've got IIS installed,
the two IIS accounts (IUSR_computername and IWAM_computername) will retain
their original name that was assigned at the time of creation. Further
consequences depend on the web applications running in your environment; ie,
do they depend on the exact name of your server. If you have a large domain
with many sites, it may take a while to propagate the name change accross
all the DC's in the domain. You may also need to check DNS records that
register your web sites.

"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:09061837-AFE1-468E-BD75-CE451D854F78@microsoft.com...
>I need to rename a Windows 2003 server that is running IIS. Do I need to
> remove the server from the domain then rename it and add back or can I
> just
> rename it while it is still in the Domain?
>
> How will the rename affect IIS?

 

This server will be replacing an existing server. The new server will take
the name of the old server. So I plan on shutting the old server down, and
giving the new server the name of the old server. I assume I need to remove
the old server from AD before renaming the new server to the old servers
name? Or is there a different procedure for this scenario?

"Anthony [MVP]" wrote:

> Renaming is supported. The only peculiarity is that the IWAM and IUSR
> accounts will have the wrong name. It doesn't matter, but you can rename
> them if you want.
> SQL Server is similar (I mention because it is often installed on the same
> box), but actually SQL Server retains the old name in tables and this can
> cause a problem with application using SQL.
> Whether your applications still work is a different problem,
> Anthony
> http://www.airdesk.com
>
>
>
> "Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:09061837-AFE1-468E-BD75-CE451D854F78@microsoft.com...
> > I need to rename a Windows 2003 server that is running IIS. Do I need to
> > remove the server from the domain then rename it and add back or can I
> > just
> > rename it while it is still in the Domain?
> >
> > How will the rename affect IIS?
>
>

 

No that's fine, just remove the name from DNS, WINS, and AD
Anthony,
http://www.airdesk.com


"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:22DF0045-7776-456D-8B2C-F06E29AC3D52@microsoft.com...
> This server will be replacing an existing server. The new server will take
> the name of the old server. So I plan on shutting the old server down, and
> giving the new server the name of the old server. I assume I need to
> remove
> the old server from AD before renaming the new server to the old servers
> name? Or is there a different procedure for this scenario?
>
> "Anthony [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> Renaming is supported. The only peculiarity is that the IWAM and IUSR
>> accounts will have the wrong name. It doesn't matter, but you can rename
>> them if you want.
>> SQL Server is similar (I mention because it is often installed on the
>> same
>> box), but actually SQL Server retains the old name in tables and this can
>> cause a problem with application using SQL.
>> Whether your applications still work is a different problem,
>> Anthony
>> http://www.airdesk.com
>>
>>
>>
>> "Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:09061837-AFE1-468E-BD75-CE451D854F78@microsoft.com...
>> > I need to rename a Windows 2003 server that is running IIS. Do I need
>> > to
>> > remove the server from the domain then rename it and add back or can I
>> > just
>> > rename it while it is still in the Domain?
>> >
>> > How will the rename affect IIS?
>>
>>