RenameDT Command

  • Article

Use RenameDT to change the name of the data-tier server for Team Foundation Server.

Important noteImportant Note:

For the RenameDT command to succeed, the following application pools and programs must be running.

  • Team Foundation Server Application Pool (application pool)

  • ReportServer (application pool)

    Note

    You manage the ReportServer application pool in Internet Information Services (IIS) for SQL Server 2005 but not for SQL Server 2008.

  • SQL Server Reporting Services (program) 

This requirement is new in Visual Studio Team System Team Foundation Server.

Required Permissions

To use the RenameDT command, you must be a member of the Team Foundation Administrators group on the Team Foundation application-tier server and a member of the sysadmin group on SQL Server on the Team Foundation data-tier server. For more information, see Team Foundation Server Permissions.

Note

Even if you are logged on with administrative credentials, you must open an elevated Command Prompt to perform this function on a server that is running Windows Server 2008. To open an elevated Command Prompt, click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and click Run as Administrator. For more information, see the Microsoft Web site.

TFSAdminUtil RenameDT servername

Parameters

Argument

Description

servername

Specifies the target data-tier computer name. The computer can be identified by the following types:

  • IP address

    IP address must be in the format: aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd.

  • Computer name

    No spaces or special characters, such as ";:<>*, only [A-Z | 0-9 | -] characters are allowed, cannot consist entirely of numbers, maximum of 15 characters for normal ASCII and maximum of 7 characters for larger character encoding. For more information, see Naming Restrictions for Team Foundation Server.

  • Domain address

    For example, Myserver.location.mycompanyt.com.

Remarks

Important noteImportant Note:

We recommend that you back up the databases in the Team Foundation Server data-tier server.

The TFSNameUrl and TFS Name strings in the services Web.config file, located in Drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Team Foundation Server\Web Services on the data tier, must refer to the current Team Foundation Server data-tier server. If it does not, the RenameDT command fails silently.

The Team Foundation Server application tier needs to know the exact name or address of the data-tier server in order to reach it. The data-tier name and address is stored in numerous locations throughout Team Foundation Server, in both the application tier and the data tier databases. When there is a need to switch to a new data tier, the administrator must ensure that Team Foundation Server points to the new data-tier name or address.

The RenameDT command of the TFSAdminUtil command-line utility automates the process of renaming the data tier by updating Team Foundation Server to point to a new name or address. The RenameDT command can also be scripted to automate or schedule the process of renaming the data tier.

The RenameDT command can only be run on the application tier because it searches for the web.config file on the machine on which it is run. It has no remoting capabilities, nor does it take any other parameter to specify the target application-tier computer.

Example Usage Scenarios

The RenameDT command can be used by the administrator in various scenarios. The following is a list of example scenarios:

  • The administrator needs to perform routine maintenance on the data tier and needs to take the data tier offline, replacing it with another temporary data tier to avoid downtime.

  • The administrator runs the RenameDT command of the TFSAdminUtil command-line utility so that Team Foundation Server now connects to the new temporary data tier. When maintenance is complete, the administrator runs the utility again to change back to the previous data tier.

  • The data tier has failed and is not functional.

  • The administrator runs the RenameDT command to point Team Foundation Server to a new backup server.

  • The data tier is being upgraded to a new server.

  • The administrator runs the RenameDT command to point Team Foundation Server to the new data-tier server.

  • New operations policies state specific machine naming standards that the data tier must adhere to.

  • The administrator uses the RenameDT command to rename the data tier to a more appropriate name.

  • The organization or business has grown and needs to migrate from a single-server solution to a dual-server solution.

  • After setting up the new independent data tier, the administrator runs the RenameDT command to point Team Foundation Server to the new server.

Example

The following example renames all instances of the data tier name in Team Foundation Server to NewName.

>TFSAdminUtil RenameDT NewName

See Also

Other Resources

TFSAdminUtil Command-Line Commands

Using Team Foundation Server Command-Line Tools

Administering Team Foundation Server

Managing Team Foundation Server Services and Service Accounts

Managing Data-Tier Servers for Team Foundation Server