Rename ESX

[NewVM]

Hi

after installing the ESX server can i rename it with a different name.

Kind Regards

[MR-T · Accepted solution]

Yeah you can,

http://kb.vmware.com/vmtnkb/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=861&sliceId=SAL_Public&dia...

But as it only takes 5 mins to install and you want to make sure everything is correct, simply reinstalling doesn't take long either.

[Gennaro]

To rename a esx server only find and rename the hostname in the files

/etc/hosts

/etc/sysconfig/network

/usr/lib/vmware-mui/apache/conf/httpd.conf

Then reboot de host, or schedule a reboot.

[orenzp]

HI MR-T

is the KB Valid for ESX 3.0 as well?

[bwhitman]

This method does not apply to ESX 3, notice the /usr/lib/vmware-mui path does not exist in ESX 3. Here's the KB to use: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=4309499&sl...

[wally]

We have had some bad issues with our HA/DRS cluster when renaming esx hosts. It is wise to remove the host you want to rename from the cluster before you rename it and put it back in afterwards. Even then HA will sometimes fail (we had this with one host). If that happens just rename it back and try again.

As far as we could see the issue was that other HA nodes still thought that the old hostname was a primary node of the HA cluster and so they failed to form the HA cluster again. Reinstalling is an option but I'm unsure if this will save your performance/log history (we had no issues on that with renaming).

[Goof]

You should replace the SSL certificate as well.

backup /etc/vmware/ssl/

rm /etc/vmware/ssl/*

service mgmt-vmware restart

[jftwp]

Regarding the primary/first HA host in the cluster, perhaps one way around that issue would be to disable HA in the cluster first. Make sure that completes fine, THEN do your name changes, remove/re-add hosts into the cluster, then enable HA again. That's probably what I'll do. Will advise on how that goes (in a couple weeks or so once I get some new hardware in and shuffle around my cluster/s as part of a SRM redesign/upgrade project).