Question : When I try to login, Hosting Controller says it has expired yet I have only been using it for less than 30 days.
Answer :
CAUSE
There can be four possible reasons of this problem.
1. Hosting Controller was installed more than 30 days ago, then uninstalled and now installed again on the same server. Once it is installed on a server, the trial period starts and you may not try to install it again for demo on same server.
2. On login, the users are authenticated from operating system and for this Hosting Controller uses certain Microsoft APIs which does not function if the NetBIOS Computer Name (Machine Name) is more than 8 characters or contains special characters like coma, dashes, underscore etc. e.g. Server_Alpha12_
3. The user 'AdvWebAdmin' is not a member of 'Administrators' group. Hosting Controller is dependent on this user rights therefore if rights are lacking then Hosting Controller will not work.
4. The password of 'AdvWeBAdmin' user was changed and its synchronization with Hosting Controller is disturbed.
SOLUTION
Check following points for a workaround for this problem.
1. Make sure Hosting Controller was never installed on this server before. If it was, then you may request the support to extend your trial period which can be extended to maximum of 60 days.
2. Check NetBIOS name, make sure that it is less than 8 characters and there is no special character in it.
Invalid NetBIOS Computer Name: Alpha_Web_Server
Valid NetBIOS Computer Name: Alpha
To change the current NetBIOS computer name, follow these steps:
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Click Start , point to Settings , and then click Control Panel .
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Double-click System .
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Click the Network Identification tab.
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Click Properties.
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Enter a valid name in Computer Name field. Click OK.
3. Check 'AdvWebAdmin' group membership. Make sure it is a member of 'Administrators' group only.
To check group membership of 'AdvWebAdmin', follow these steps:
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Open Computer Management. To open Computer Management, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
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In the console tree, click Local Users and Groups. click Users.
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Double click on AdvWebAdmin user and under Member Of tab verify that 'AdvWebAdmin' is a member of only 'Administrators' group. If it is listed then skip to step 5.
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Click Add button and select Administrators group.
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Click Ok button.
4. If 'AdvWebAdmin' password was changed, you need to set the new password in Hosting Controller service.
To set AdvWebAdmin password, follow these steps:
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Open Service applet. To open Services, click Start, point to Programs, click Administrative tools, and then click Services.
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Find HostingController service, right click and click on Properties. Now click Log On tab and set AdvWebAdmin password there.