Renaming Configuration Storage Servers in ISA Server 2004 Enterprise Edition

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There may be circumstances in which you want to rename a Microsoft® Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 Enterprise Edition Configuration Storage server. This document describes the procedure you should follow to do this.

Procedure

To rename a Configuration Storage server, follow these steps:

  1. On the computer running the ISA Server Management MMC snap-in, edit the HOSTS file as follows:

    • Open the HOSTS file in the %windir%\system32\drivers\ETC folder.
    • On a blank line, type the current IP address of the Configuration Storage server, followed by at least one space, and then the new name.
    • Save the HOSTS file.

  2. Check that all array members are currently using their primary Configuration Storage server. To do this, in ISA Server Management, click the Monitoring node. In the details pane, click the Configuration tab.

    Note

    The primary Configuration Storage server for an array is specified in the Configuration Storage server setting on the array properties page.

  3. In ISA Server Management, click the Arrays node. For each array, in the details pane, right-click the array name, and then click Properties. On the Configuration Storage tab, modify the following array properties:

    • In Alternate Configuration Storage server, type the new name.
    • In Check the Configuration Storage server for updates every, specify the default value of 15 seconds.

    Note

    This value specifies (in seconds) how often each array member waits before polling the Configuration Storage server for configuration changes. To avoid delays in propagating the rename changes, we recommend that you use the default value of 15 seconds to complete the procedure. You can then change the value back after the procedure is complete.

  4. In the details pane, click Apply to apply the changes.

  5. Verify that all arrays members are updated with the change. To do this, in ISA Server Management, click the Monitoring node. In the details pane, click the Configuration tab.

  6. Rename the Configuration Storage server. You will have to restart the computer for the rename setting to take effect.

  7. On the computer running the ISA Server Management MMC snap-in, remove the entry you added from the HOSTS file.

  8. Specify the new name as the primary Configuration Storage server for the array. To do this, in ISA Server Management, click the Arrays node. In the details pane, right-click the array name, and then click Properties. On the Configuration Storage tab, type the new name in Configuration Storage server. Optionally, you can also define an alternate Configuration Storage server.

    Note

    It may take up to 30 minutes until array members are updated with the new setting. This value is set by the COM property FallbackDelay, which specifies the time (in minutes) after which the array will start using the alternate Configuration Storage server if the primary is not available. There is a script to shorten this time. For more information, see "SetCssDelayTimes.vbs" on the ISA Server Coding Corner.

  9. Check that the new setting has taken effect. To do this, in ISA Server Management, click the Monitoring node. In the details pane, click the Configuration tab.

  10. If you modified the polling value as described in Step 3, change the setting back to the original value.

Notes

  • If ISA Server services and the Configuration Storage server are installed on the same computer, wait until ISA Server services begin using the new Configuration Storage server and the configuration is updated. To check that the new setting has taken effect, in ISA Server Management, click the Monitoring node. In the details pane, click the Configuration tab. After the new setting has taken effect, restart the computer.
  • If you rename a Configuration Storage server without following the steps in the specified order, and connectivity is broken after renaming, run the “ChangeStorageServer.vbs” script, available in the ISA Server installation folder. If you run the script under these circumstances on a computer running Configuration Storage server and ISA Server services, you will have to restart the computer for the change to take effect.