Changing the Port or URL of a SharePoint Virtual Server Can Corrupt the Server

Applies To

• Microsoft Windows SharePoint

Symptoms

After changing the TCP port or URL of a SharePoint virtual server, When running SharePoint's stsadm.exe utility or AgilePoint's deploy_APWP_cs.bat utility you receive the following message:

The configuration database could not be updated.

Cause

In IIS, a change was made to the identity of the SharePoint virtual server. This is done by manually changing the virtual server's TCP port or appending the virtual server port to an IP address of a specific Host Header name.

Ascentn recommends that identity changes to a SharePoint server's URL be accomplished by adding additional Host Header's names to the site through IIS, rather than by actually changing the original URL and/or port number.

Resolution

In order to avoid this error, you must perform one of the following procedures before changing the identify of the SharePoint virtual server:

Solution 1:

1. Manually remove all of the web part packages currently installed on the virtual server.
2. Change the identity of the SharePoint virtual server as needed.
3. Reinstall AgilePoint SharePoint Integration.

If you cannot remove a web part package, use the "enumwppacks" operation to generate a list of web part packages that are installed on the virtual server, apply the name changes in reverse order until all the web part packages are removed.

Solution 2:

1. Unextend the SharePoint virtual server by using Microsoft SharePoint Administrator. Do not remove the content database.
2. Change the identity of the SharePoint virtual server as needed.
3. Extend the virtual server site and attach the original content database.