How to Rename a NetWare 5.x Server

(Last modified: 28Jan2003)

This document (10052290) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

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Novell NetWare 5.x

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FOR INFORMATION ON RENAMING A NETWARE 4.x SERVER, SEE Solution Document #10021278.

The following are the steps to change a NetWare 5.x server's name or internal IPX and/or IP address:

NOTE: DO NOT CHANGE THE INTERNAL IPX AND/OR IP ADDRESS AT THE SAME TIME THE SERVER NAME IS CHANGED. ALSO, DO NOT CHANGE MORE THAN ONE SERVER'S NAME IN THE TREE AT A TIME.

CAUTION: This information given is intended to show how to change the server name or internal IPX and/or IP address of a server, but NOT to replace an old server with a new server by the same name. If you are trying to replace, or upgrade hardware, please use Solution Document 10010933, Novell DSMaint Procedure.

DO NOT CHANGE BOTH the internal IPX and/or IP address and the server name at the same time! Make only one change at a time and give it plenty of time to replicate out to the entire system. If you want to change both, execute the following procedure after each change.

BEFORE BEGINNING: Verify first that all servers in the NDS tree are up and communicating. Check the DSTRACE screen of the server holding the master replica of root, verify that all replicas are processing correctly. load DSREPAIR | time synchronization. This will check all servers in the tree for current time status and ds revision. In effect, it lets you know they are up and running and synchronized time wise. If there are errors, especially communication errors (-625, etc), stop and fix them before continuing.

Check NWAdmin or NETADMIN to verify that another object does not already exist with the new name of this server. This includes groups, users, print servers, etc.

1 - Load the NWCONFIG.NLM and edit the AUTOEXEC.NCF file to reflect the new file server name OR internal IPX and/or IP number and then save the changes.

2 - Down the file server in question and bring it back up.

3 - Once the file server comes up, it will kick off the Limber process. You can also force the Limber process to start by typing the following commands at the console: SET DSTRACE = ON, SET DSTRACE = +LIMBER, SET DSTRACE = *L, and SET DSTRACE = *H. You can then toggle or ALT ESCAPE over to the Directory Services screen and see the Limber process take off.

The Limber Process defined: Each server in the Directory tree goes out and checks its tree name and modifies it if necessary. The Limber process initiates when a server in the tree comes up, by forcing it as in the above paragraph, when Directory Services restarts by unloading the DS.NLM and reloading it (i.e. SET DSTRACE = *.), or when a server receives a CheckTreeName request from another server in the tree or for any other reason needs to establish communications with another server in the tree.

4 - If the server name was changed, then the login script variables specifying the old server name need to be changed.

5 - Bring up NWAdmin, select the SYS volume object, right mouse click, select Rename, and rename the volume object. Do the same with all other volume objects.

* NOTE: The volume object(s) do not have to be renamed if just the internal ipx address is changed.

To verify that all servers see the proper internal ipx address: load DSREPAIR | advanced options | servers known to this database | select the server | repair all network addresses. This will check the servers known to this database against the current SAP listings for server objects. It will update the server objects address property accordingly.

6. You must change the licensing assignments in NWADMIN for all license objects to reflect the new name. There is a note in a NetWare 5 server's AUTOEXEC.NCF that reminds you to do this.

7. Any DHCP object(s) will also need to be deleted and re-created/re-installed.

8. Any other object(s) (DNS, LDAP, Certificate objects, SMS ojects etc.), that have dependencies on the server name (and there are many in NetWare 5.x) will need to be deleted and re-created/re-installed. Each service has it's own unique dependency on the server name. This could include other Novell products and/or other 3rd Party products (Arcserv, etc.).

NOTE: For the reasons listed in Step 8, an optional method for changing the name of a NetWare 5.x server would be to remove the server from the tree - see Solution Document 10010922, Removing a Crashed Server from the NDS Tree, clean up any resultant UNKNOWN objects (these server-dependent objects would appear with a question mark icon in NWADMN32.EXE) and reinstall these products (including the licensing objects) as needed after the server name has been changed (Steps 1-4 above) and after the server has been placed back into the tree by reinstalling Directory Services (NWCONFIG | Directory Options).

document

Document Title:	How to Rename a NetWare 5.x Server
Document ID:	10052290
Solution ID:	NOVL8148
Creation Date:	25Apr2000
Modified Date:	28Jan2003
Novell Product Class:	NetWare Novell eDirectory

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