Renaming Host, again

  • Hey folks,

    I need to change the computer name of a SS2k8 machine (say from oldN to newN). I'm walking through the process in a copy of the system running in a VM. I've read dozens of posts and articles here and elsewhere on the topic and I'm still not warm and fuzzy.

    Here's what I've done:

    1 rename the computer

    2 restart the computer

    3 launch SSMS

    4 tried sp_dropserver, sp_addserver but launching SSMS seemed to change that already

    5 renamed the local groups created by the installer changing oldN to newN

    6 in SS renamed Security/Logins/ [oldN\administrator] to be [newN\administrator] (no SID change so ok)

    I've been pouring through master.sys.* and looking for references to oldN. There are several remaining - such as:

    1 sys.sysusers - still has a reference to oldN\administrator

    2 sys.syslogins and sys.principles show the new hostname

    3 sys.sysservers - still things it's oldN

    4 sys.database_principals shows the oldN

    Queso?

  • Do the 4th step manually. Don't go on assumption. Drop the existing SQL Server name and create it.

    Check the server name using

    SELECT @@SERVERNAME

    SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('SERVERNAME')

    In addition to this check the below things

    *) Make sure all your DSN entries and Alias are changed properly to new server name.

    *) Make sure your originating server is pointing to new name in msdb database on sysjobs table

  • vidhya sagar (8/22/2010)


    Do the 4th step manually. Don't go on assumption. Drop the existing SQL Server name and create it.

    Okay. I went back and dropped and added the local server.

    Check the server name using

    SELECT @@SERVERNAME

    SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('SERVERNAME')

    @@SERVERNAME is oldH

    SERVERPROPERTY('SERVERNAME') is newH

  • Have you restarted SQL Server Services after dropping and recreating the server name in SQL? This is a mandatory step for the change to become effective. If you do this then @@servername will reflect the new name

  • You are right - I did not restart the server after the sp_drop and sp-add. That updated @@SERVERNAME. However

    sys.sysusers

    and

    sys.database_principals

    both still have references to the old hostname as part of a user account name (the windows administrator account as oldH\administrator rather than newH\administrator)

  • Nothing is a clean as it should be, even when following the prescribed procedure. SQL Server is quite complicated.

    Cleanest is still to uninstall and re-install SQL Server. Quite controversial yet the easiest way to be sure EVERYTHING is correct.

  • I would be okay with un/re install if that's needed though I don't want to 🙂

    My only concern with those entries that are still wrong is what they impact of them being wrong is. I am not clear as to the purpose of those entries in those tables thus I am here asking around - does it matter?

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