Renaming a CCM server

[SEAN NILSEN]

Anybody changed the hostname of a CCM server before? Anything aside from the normal Win2k things to consider? Would like to know some pitfalls before proceeding.

[msamuels]

Don't do it ! It screws up the SQL database.

Plan the hostnames before installing CM in future.

Good Luck

Spike

[rlyons]

Spike is absolutely correct. The install program uses the host name in the SQL part of the install. I haven’t been able to figure out how to change it in SQL. Maybe a DB guru out there could enlighten us.

[Sascha Monteiro]

If you change the name SQL won't start up.

You can run the SQL-setup again (if you have a cd!), and SQL will run again. I dont know if callmanager has a problem with that? (find out!)

I did name-changing on other SQL7 machines (no AVVID) and this worked fine for me. Maybe look it up in the knowledgebase of Microsoft!

[vkartik]

Don't change the name of the CCM , it will screwup the system. You would have to reinstall the CCM (that is what the Cisco TAC is going to tell you).

[emlee]

Your CM isn't a member of your main domain is it? If not, and you just want to give it a new name, via the CCM admin webpage, just change the server to an IP address under "SYSTEM" then "SERVER". Then update your DNS with the new name you desire, pointing to that IP address.

I too strongly recommend not screwing with the server name change under System Properties in Win2K.

[SEAN NILSEN]

This is not a question of wnting to change the name. The original people who setup the mahine did not consult the customer, and now the customer is REQUIRING we change the hostname of the machine, for security purposes on their network.

I have located a procedure from Microsoft whereby I can rename the host, but the next problem crops up because of the default replication that is enabled on the SQL dtabase. Anyone have more SQL experience than I do and care to chime in?

[SEAN NILSEN]

I have in hand the procedures to remove replication, drop remote logins, rename the server, update the Registry, remove the "old" server, and add the "new" server. Has anoyone gone to that depth before?

Is there an easier way of exporting only the DATA from the CCM databases so that after a rebuild the data can be restored without re-entering everything? The BAT will only get us so far, still need to rebuild gateways, CSS, partitions, MOH, etc. manually.

[rlyons]

What does TAC have to say about this?

Bob

[SEAN NILSEN]

I have bounced this off several engineers and every one of them came back and said that it was not impossible to change the machine name, just STRONGLY advised against. It is easier to rebuild the machine with the new name and input information than to rename the server.

[ptalbot]

Requiring you to change the hostname (IP hostname?) or the Machine Name?

[SEAN NILSEN]

They must change the DNS name (IP Hostname) as well as the "machine name" (hostname). All references to the existing name must be removed from their network. I am at the point where a rebuild is looking like my only alternative as I can not seem to get the renaming procedure to work due to replication built on the databases. Since this is a single server (Publisher only) environment, I don't think that I need replication on the databases, but can't seem to get rid of it.