Modifying Port Number for a MOSS Site

In SharePoint there are lots of different ways to perform a specific task. One day I needed to change the port number for a site that I am hosting on the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. I was told by someone that the only way to do that is to use STSADM tool. I figured I will find a way to change it in the GUI first and if that doesn’t work then I will try STSADM. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of deleting and recreating the site. Here’s what I found out I could do within the GUI to change the port number of a site without recreating it. Thanks to Jaap Steinvoorte for this tip.

Let’s assume your current Web application is called WEBAPP1 and it’s using port 12345. Create a new Web application WEBAPP2 that will use port 22222. Extend WEBAPP1 using port 12345 without any host headers to WEBAPP2 using port 22222 with a host header. Delete the old WEBAPP1 using SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration site. You should now be able to use the new Web application with the new port number.

NOTE: If you are using ISA Server to publish the Web site you will need to update your ISA Server rule.