Case #
You have already deployed a Citrix server, with one or more Citrix server roles and you now need to change the hostname of that server. This KB article provides guidance on how to change the hostname of a Citrix server.
Solution #
Changing a Citrix server hostname in an already configured Citrix Virtual Apps delivery site is not officially supported by Citrix because there could be multiple Citrix server roles installed with various dependencies and name references for each server role in various areas of the environment (e.g. Active Directory, registry, etc). Changing the Citrix server hostname is generally not recommended, as described in the following Citrix article: https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-virtual-apps-desktops/manage-deployment/delivery-controllers.html (IMPORTANT: Do not change the computer name or the domain membership of a Controller after the site is configured.)
This case case is also described in the following Citrix discussions from a hands-on perspective and the conclusion is that, practically speaking, changing a hostname, could have unpredictable consequences in the functionality of the environment.
- https://discussions.citrix.com/topic/364399-rename-a-delivery-controller-server-in-xenapp-76/
- https://discussions.citrix.com/topic/402958-change-ms-sql-server-host-name/
Changing the hostname of a Citrix delivery controller is propably the most challenging task, since there are a lot of places where the Citrix delivery controller name would also need to be changed, such as the following items:
- ListOfDDCs registry key on the VDA
- StoreFront Console > Stores > Manage Delivery Controllers
- If Licensing is installed on the changing server, in Studio, go to Configuration > Licensing and change the server name. You'd probably have to reallocate the licenses too.
- If the changing server hosts the Remote Desktop Services licensing role, then you change the VDA to find RD Licensing at the new server name.
Based on the above information, the only way to change a Citrix server hostname is to first manually decommission all Citrix server role installations, then change the Citrix server name, reboot and then re-install the Citrix server roles and re-configure them. Another option would be to deploy a new Citrix server with the desired hostname and migrate all Citrix resources and configurations over to the new server.
