[OpenAFS] Changing AFS database server names

[Russ Allbery]

Brian Sebby <sebby@anl.gov> writes:

> We're going to be upgrading our AFS cell in the coming months, and my
> boss has informed me that he wants to change the names of our AFS
> database servers from their current domain (which is our old department
> name) to our new server subdomain.

> I know that the "real" way to deal with a server name change is to
> update all of the clients with a new CellServDB and update any other
> sites that might access our cell, or use AFS DB records.

> However, does anyone know if using a CNAME of the old server name will
> work until we can get all of the clients upgraded?  That is, if our old
> server name is server1.somedomain.anl.gov, and the new name would be
> server1.newdomain.anl.gov, would a CNAME of server1.somedomain.anl.gov
> pointing to the new name work for clients that haven't been updated?

> I'm trying to figure out how much of a pain in the butt this would be
> before I report back to my boss. :)

If you're not using AFSDB records or the kaserver or running a fileserver
on the DB servers, I don't know that anything in AFS cares about the
*names* of the machines.  Well, upclient, but that's an obvious fix if
you're using it.  CellServDB includes the names but mostly is there to
provide the IP addresses.  If the IP addresses are changing, then yes, you
have to update everything (or use AFSDB records -- they're a good idea).
But if you're not changing the IP addresses, I bet nearly everything
doesn't care and what's left would be happy with CNAMEs.

-- 
Russ Allbery (rra@stanford.edu)             <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>