it shouldn't be a problem tp add  the server names manually but the GUIs check 
if the hostnames can be resolved.
The servers file is  just an "allow" list (anything in the list is allowed and 
everything else denied -- if empty everything is allowed)


On Wednesday 19 Jun 2013 15:39:27 Michael Leone wrote:
> > Michael
> > 
> > have you tried doing a directed recovery of the new  servers file from
> 
> the
> 
> > server to all the clients (before renaming the server) ? ... I don't see
> 
> why
> 
> > that shouldn't work. The nsr.dir directives on the clients would be a
> 
> problem
> 
> > for the recoveries. They apply to backups only (or do they?).
> > 
> > I haven't tried it myself yet. I'm back from work and the idea just came
> 
> up.
> 
> I have not tried this to all clients, no. But I have done backups, and
> directed recovers, since adding the new name of the server to the servers
> file, and re-starting the service on the testing clients. And it all
> worked as expected.
> 
> NW doesn't seem to care that there is no server with the new name existing
> yet. It does care when you install a new client; I couldn't add the new
> name to a new client, it told me the new server name didn't exist (which
> is correct). So I just added the current name, and then after the install
> was done, stopped the service; modified the servers file; restarted the
> service, and went about my business. :-)