Users Guide

Change the Writer Host and Disable the VSS Writer in a SharePoint
Farm
When you change the writer host, you can also disable the SharePoint VSS writer on the old host, as follows:
1. Start the command prompt with the right-click Run as Administrator option.
2. Run the following command, specifc to SharePoint 2016 and 2019:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\16\BIN\STSADM.exe –o
unregisterwsswriter
Respond to Changes in a SharePoint Farm
You can change the configuration of a SharePoint farm environment. When you do, Smart Copy schedules and the ASM/ME
GUI automatically refresh their view before executing. You can manually refresh the view to guarantee that all SharePoint farm
changes are updated. However, when you add new hosts to a SharePoint farm and those hosts are not part of the HIT Group,
the schedule or command will fail.
The following table lists required user actions as they pertain to specific changes to the farm.
Table 31. Required User Actions for Changes to the SharePoint Farm
Change in SharePoint Farm Environment Required Actions
A new SQL database or application server is added
to the farm
ASM/ME automatically detects the new host and displays a list of the
new farm hosts you must add through the Add Hosts wizard. You must
then add the new hosts to the HIT Group.
A new cluster node is added to the farm ASM/ME automatically detects the new host and displays a list of the
new farm hosts you must add through the Add Hosts wizard. You must
then add the new hosts to the HIT Group.
A new SharePoint database is added to an existing
SQL instance in the HIT Group
Changes automatically appear in the ASM/ME GUI.
A database is moved between existing SQL
instances
A database is deleted in SharePoint
A database is renamed in SharePoint
The location for the database or log files is changed Refresh the writer host in the ASM/ME GUI.
A search index or search component is added to an
existing application server that is part of the HIT
Group
Changes automatically appear in the ASM/ME GUI.
The search topology is modified
The search index file location is changed Refresh the writer host in the ASM/ME GUI.
View SharePoint Farm Components in ASM/ME
ASM/ME displays the SharePoint farm as a supported application under the Applications node in the tree panel. The version of
SharePoint you are running appears next to the SharePoint farm node. For example, if you are running SharePoint 2016,
SharePoint 2016 Farm is displayed under the Applications node.
When you expand the SharePoint farm node, the individual components of the SharePoint farm are separated into the following
folders:
● Content Database folder—Contains all databases that the SharePoint VSS writer marks as a content database.
Although the SharePoint Admin database is a content database, it displays under the Other Databases folder.
● Other Databases folder—Contains all databases that the SharePoint VSS writer marks as a generic database or
configuration database. This content includes service application and SharePoint configuration databases.
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Using ASM/ME with SharePoint