Unable to rename a domain: Site old.example.com does not exist

Symptoms

• When renaming a domain from old-example.com to example.com, the following error appears in Plesk:

  PLESK_ERROR: Error: Site old.example.com does not exist
          at (WebServerManager::renameHosting line 3083)
  at renameHosting(old.example.com, example.com)(WebServerManager::renameHosting line 3122)
          at execute console command --rename-vhost(vconsoleapp::start line 122)
          at execute "C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\admin\bin64\websrvmng" --rename-vhost "--vhost-config=tmp2811.tmp" "--old-name=old-example.com"(vconsoleapp::run line 139) (Error code 1)

  OR

  PLESK_ERROR: Error: websrvmng failed: Site old-example.com doesn't exist
          at (WebServerMap::get line 189)
          at startHosting(old-example.com)(WebServerAdapter::startHosting line 772)
          at execute console command --start-vhost(vconsoleapp::start line 122)
          at execute "C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\admin\bin64\websrvmng" --start-vhost "--vhost-name=old-example.com"(vconsoleapp::run line 139)
  (Error code 1)

• The following error message appears in %plesk_dir%admin\logs\php_error.log when debug mode enabled:

  CONFIG_TEXT: DEBUG [util_exec] [9791452ec38433bdcdb914195303f012-1] Finished in 0.84232s, Error code: 1, stdout: Site old.example.com does not exist
          at (WebServerManager::renameHosting line 3083)
          at renameHosting(old.example.com, example.com)(WebServerManager::renameHosting line 3122)
          at execute console command --rename-vhost(vconsoleapp::start line 122)
          at execute "C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\admin\bin64\websrvmng" --rename-vhost         "--vhost-config=tmp2811.tmp" "--old-name=old-example.com"(vconsoleapp::run line 139), stderr:
          [2017-06-16 17:58:49] ERR [1] PleskUtilException: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\admin\bin64\websrvmng" --rename-vhost "--vhost-config=tmp2811.tmp" "--old-name=old-example.com" failed with code 1.
  stdout:
  Site old-example.com does not exist

• The "plesk repair web" utility fails with the error message below:

  C:\> plesk repair web old-example.com
  
  Repairing web server configuration
  Repairing web server configuration for the domain
  old-example.com ............................................... [FAILED]
  - Filename:
  \?\C:\Inetpub\vhosts\old-example.com\httpdocs\web.config
  Line number: 14
  Error: Configuration file is not well-formed XML
  
  In module
  Exception type: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
          at
  Microsoft.Web.Administration.Interop.AppHostWritableAdminManager.GetAdminSection(String
  bstrSectionName, String bstrSectionPath)
          at
  Microsoft.Web.Administration.Configuration.GetSectionInternal(ConfigurationSection
  section, String sectionPath, String locationPath)
          at ServerManagerFactory.getSectionInternalWebconfig(String
  siteName, String virtualPath, String sectionPath, Type
  sectionType, String location)
          at ServerManagerFactory.getHttpErrorSectionWebconfig(String
  siteName, String virtualPath, String location)
          at IISHttpErrors.getSection(IISHttpErrors* , Boolean
  appHost)
          at IISHttpErrors.getCollection(IISHttpErrors* )
          at IISHttpErrors.isLocallyStored(IISHttpErrors* )
  
          at
  configHosting(kraftcreation.com)(WebServerAdapter::configHosting
  line 483)
          at
  configHosting(kraftcreation.com)(WebServerManager::configHosting
  line 3034)
          at execute console command
  --reconfigure-vhost(vconsoleapp::start line 122)
          at execute "C:\Program Files
  (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\admin\bin64\websrvmng"
  --reconfigure-vhost "--vhost-config=tmp4FD6.tmp"
  "--config="(vconsoleapp::run line 139)
  (Error code 1)
  Error messages: 0; Warnings: 0; Errors resolved: 0

• There is no old-example.com site in IIS Manager > SERVERNAME > Sites.

• In some cases, the folder of the domain old-example.com is already renamed to example.com at %plesk_vhosts%.

Cause

• Incorrect website configuration in IIS.

• The web-config file of the domain old-example.com contains invalid-records.

Resolution

1. Connect to the Plesk server via RDP.

2. If the folder example.com already exists in %plesk_vhosts%, rename it to old-example.com.

3. Rename the file web.config to web-config.orig of the domain old-example.com at %plesk_vhosts%.

4. Start Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager at Windows Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools.

5. In IIS Manager, expand SERVERNAME > Sites > right-click on example.com > click Rename and rename example.com to old-example.com.

6. Start a command prompt as an Administrator and run the command below to recreate the site in IIS:

   C:\> "%plesk_cli%\repair.exe" --reconfigure-web-site -web-site-name old-example.com

7. Repair the website old-example.com:

   C:\> plesk repair web old-example.com

8. Go back to IIS manager > Applications Pools and remove the pool example.com(domain)(4.0)(pool), if it exists.

9. Log in to Plesk and rename the domain.

Additional info

• How to enable/disable debug logging in Plesk 11.5 and higher for Windows