Changing the name of the application server vs. WEBCON BPS

Applies to version: 2022 R1 and above; author: Konrad Keppert

Related documentation

• License Activation Service
• WEBCON BPS License activation
• Configuration of Portal-Service communication and selection of Nettops protocol

Introduction

In the standard platform configuration, the name of the machine on which the WEBCON BPS components are installed is stored in several places in the system. Among other things, it serves as the address of the license service, the Solr server, and also plays a role in the license activation process. Therefore, changing the name of the WEBCON BPS server will prevent the components from working correctly and will require configuration changes to the environment.

This article lists the steps that must be taken to ensure that the system works correctly when the application server needs to be renamed.

In the examples shown in this article, the machine name has been changed from “WINSRV2022APP01” to “WEBCON01”.

1. Deactivate the license service

When the license service is activated, the encrypted machine name is stored in the WEBCON BPS environment. A subsequent change of the machine name will cause a discrepancy between the new name and the database entry, which will prevent the system from working correctly.

For this reason, it is necessary to deactivate the license service before changing the machine name, so that it can be reactivated after the change.

Offline license activation and deactivation can be done without contacting WEBCON thanks to the License Activation Service described in the article: License Activation Service.

What if the machine name was changed before the license service was deactivated?

If the machine name has already been changed and therefore access to Designer Studio is not possible, stop the WEBCON Workflow Service, go to setup.exe → System management tools → License manager, use the shortcut Ctrl + L (available from 2022.1.3) and then click Deactivate the local license service.

This puts the license service in inactive (DEMO) mode and allows you to reactivate it.

In such a scenario, the license has not been properly deactivated (the License Activation Service still shows its usage), so you need to contact WEBCON to reuse it.

Fig. 1. Emergency deactivation of the license service

2. Reinstall WEBCON Workflow Service

WEBCON Workflow Service will not start if there is a mismatch between the service name (machine) and the entry in the configuration database. Installing a new service within the WEBCON BPS environment will add the corresponding entry (with the new service name) to the database.

After installing the new service, switch all roles and associated content databases from the old service to the new one in setup.exe → System management tools → Farm services configuration.

A restart of the WEBCON Workflow Service is required for the changes to take effect.

Fig. 2. Switching roles and associated process databases between services (Farm services configuration)

3. (Optional) Overwrite IIS service account/application pool credentials if they are local

Service account in setup.exe → System management tools → Local service configuration.

Application pool account in setup.exe → System management tools → Portal address configuration.

In the Portal address configuration, also change the Portal URL if it changes along with the machine name.

4. (Optional) Generate certificates for the new service if the Portal-Service connection is implemented using the TCP protocol

This can be done in setup.exe → System management tools → Portal-Service connection configuration.

If the connection is implemented using the HTTP protocol, no additional steps are required.

The option to use the TCP protocol is available in versions: 2021.1.5, 2022.1.3, and 2023.1.1. Previous versions allowed only HTTP communication.

Fig. 3. Portal-Service connection configuration

5. Activate the license service

The activation process is described in the article: WEBCON BPS License activation.

6. Change Solr server address

In setup.exe → System management tools → Search Server configuration.

A restart of the WEBCON BPS Search Service is required for the changes to take effect.

Fig. 4. Changing the Solr server address (Search Server configuration)

7. (Optional) Update the IIS site bindings if the site hostname changes

You may need to restart the site for the changes to take effect.

8. Recycle the application pool in IIS

At this point, access to Portal and Designer Studio should be restored.

9. (Optional) Replace the services in the configuration if they did not use the "Any" option

If any configuration in Designer Studio was done with the "fixed" selection of the old workflow service and not the "Any" option (e.g. to support HotMailBoxes), it should be changed by selecting the new service.

Fig. 5. Changing the responsible service in the configuration

10. (Optional) Remove the old service from the farm

Option available after selecting a service in Designer Studio → System settings → Services.

Summary

The article outlines the steps you need to follow to make the WEBCON BPS application work properly after renaming the machine. The key point is to deactivate the license service, which, if done in time, will allow the entire operation to be performed without the producer's intervention. The workload depends on the configuration of the environment, as indicated by the number of actions marked in this article as "Optional".