If you have to rename an existing server running MS SQL-Server is more complicated than you might think. Just renaming the server is not enough.
Especially renaming the running SQL-Server is at first challenging. You cannot just open the properties and do something like “rename”. In order to rename a SQL-Server you have to execute a SQL-Statement:
USE master EXEC sp_dropserver 'old-servername' GO EXEC sp_addserver 'new-servername', 'LOCAL' GO
Especially tricky is, that Microsofts documentation was missing theĀ LOCAL
part of theĀ sp_addserver
statement.
Link: BUG: “Renaming A Server” Topic in SQL Server Books Online is Incomplete