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How to rename a SQL Server 2005 Failover Clustered instance

  • December 5, 2012 at 12:49 pm

    #267280

    Hi ,

    I neew to know how to rename a SQL Server 2005 Failover Clustered instance.

    Thanks for all your assitance.

    Thanks

  • December 5, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    #1565899

    The instance or the virtualname?

    For the instance I know of know supported way other than re-install. Virtualname is actually pretty easy.

    Which is it?

    Also you posted this in the wrong forum.

    CEWII

  • December 5, 2012 at 2:15 pm

    #1565916

    As this is a cluster it will need to be the Virtual network name. This is a named instance which have this format:

    Networkname\instancename

    the new name will be:

    NewNetworkname\instancename or should it be NewNetworknameewinstancename I want no name conflist

    Basically I will migrate my systems from SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2008 R2 different cluster. And we need to keep the same instance name on the new servers so we need to remove from the dns the current names and also rename the instances before the new SQL Server 2008 installation.

    We have the sql server 2005 clustered instance and a sql server local instance to migrate

    Thanks

  • December 7, 2012 at 8:40 am

    #1566634

    Ok, sorry I had gotten busy on other things.

    Basically you have an side by side upgrade and you want the server names and instance names to be the same in the end. Right?

    I have done this on windows 2008 r2, and this is roughly how I did it.

    Build your SQL 2008 cluster with the same instance name as the SQL 2005 box, virtual name is unimportant since it isn't gonna be the final.

    Do your upgrade.

    Rename to virtual name of the SQL 2005 cluster to anything other than its name now. Change the IP address in the resource group to some other IP address. I would probably take the resource group offline.

    On the SQL 2008 box change the virtual name to the name of the old SQL 2005 cluster, then change the ip address. I would probably set the port for SQL to the same as what the old SQL 2005 was using. Stop and restart SQL, it should now be using the new IP and virtual name.

    You should now be able to decomission the SQL 2005 box on whatever timeline you want. Once that is done you will have to clean up the AD since the virtual name that the SQL 2005 box was using is not deleted.

    CEWII

  • December 7, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    #1566758

    Hi,

    Thanks that's what we are planning - an upgrade to sql 2008 r2 keeping the same sql instance name to make this migration transparent to applications.

    when you say create the SQL server cluster with same virtual name than the 2005. Can this be done while they both are on the same domain?

    Well we were thinking to leave the sql server cluster installation for the migration day because if they are on the same domain there can't be identical names at the same time.

    Virtual named instance with this format so this how it will look:

    OriginalVirtualnetworkname\OriginalInstance

    So my question is: Can I do it before the migration day with a temporary Virtual network name?

    Thanks I will appreciate your advise also if you can provide the steps you followed so I can verify mine.

    Thanks a lot

  • December 7, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    #1566767

    APA0876 (12/7/2012)

    when you say create the SQL server cluster with same virtual name than the 2005. Can this be done while they both are on the same domain?

    Please re-read, "Build your SQL 2008 cluster with the same instance name as the SQL 2005 box, virtual name is unimportant since it isn't gonna be the final."

    Well we were thinking to leave the sql server cluster installation for the migration day because if they are on the same domain there can't be identical names at the same time.

    No reason to wait, its better to have the new one up and ready and tested well before you are looking at a cutover. The won't have identical names until you change them, the instance names CAN be the same, they just can't be duplicated within a cluster. Virtual name must be unique on the network, but that name doesn't matter at this point.

    Virtual named instance with this format so this how it will look:

    OriginalVirtualnetworkname\OriginalInstance

    So my question is: Can I do it before the migration day with a temporary Virtual network name?

    Thanks I will appreciate your advise also if you can provide the steps you followed so I can verify mine.

    Thanks a lot

    On the network at the same time at the time of conversion you should have:

    OriginalVirtualNetName\InstanceName

    TemporaryVirtualNetName\InstanceName

    After you migrate you will then change the original name and ip address to some other name/ip, this frees up that name/ip for use elsewhere. Using the old name/ip change the temporary name/ip to the old name/ip. Restart SQL and it will be using the previous name.

    Clearer.

    CEWII

  • December 7, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    #1566790

    Did the same thing 2005 to 2008 cluster. The virtual server names doesn't matter since it's just a DNS change it's the instance name that matters. The only names that can't be the same is the physical server names which won't matter anyways.

    Not sure if it'll matter in your installation but it mattered in mine was the order in which I installed the instances. I wanted to keep the same path names (i.e. MSSQL.1, MSSQL.2 etc) since there were jobs writing files sub folders in those locations. I could have changed the jobs and such but it was easier to just make sure they had the same drive/path.

    build the new cluster with temporary virtual server names and the same instance names. Then all you have to do is as you migrate all the DB's in that one instance turn off the old instance and rename the network name in the new one to match the old one... you can probably reassign the IP address as well if you need to.

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  • December 7, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    #1566791

    You have to rename the old name or when you try and change the new server to the old name it will complain about a duplicate, it won't just take the name.

    CEWII

  • December 7, 2012 at 7:06 pm

    #1566814

    Thanks Again,

    in the case of the default instance, then it will look like this:

    OriginalVirtualNetworkName

    TemporaryVirtualNetworkName

    In the case of the Named Instance:

    OriginalVirtualNetworkName\InstanceName

    TemporaryVirtualNetworkName\InstanceName

    Before the migration of course.

    Thanks

  • December 8, 2012 at 11:43 am

    #1566836

    Yes

    CEWII

  • December 10, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    #1567164

    Hi

    Thanks for all the help!!!, this migration will be a success thanks to your advise

    I have another question and it is related to the IPs, if I want to change the IP associated to the Virtual SQL Server name, to the originals Ips where this action can be done.

    I was checking on the SQL Server Failover cluster manager and there is no indication of a place to allow the change of the IP, I checked on sql server failover cluster manager in 2005 and 2008.

    Thanks

  • December 10, 2012 at 2:46 pm

    #1567181

    In failover cluster manager, expand the virtual network name resource and the virtual IP resource will be there.

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    "Ya can't make an omelette without breaking just a few eggs" 😉

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