Changing Port for Windchill HTTP Server

[BrianToussaint]

After merging all of my checkpoints on my test server, Windchill HTTP Server no longer wants to start.  It wasn't giving me any logs either so I tried starting it from a command prompt and got the error message that says something was already using Port 80.  It was find before I did the merge, but now every time I start the computer System is taking Port 80.

I found a really old, WC 9.1, instruction on how to change it, but was wondering if anyone had any instructions on how to change from Port 80 in Windchill that are newer, like for any version of 11.  I'm on 11.2.

I do have a help call open, but once in a while I like to see which is faster.

[MichaelChatel · Accepted solution]

Hi Brian,

I would definitely work with the Runtime engineers in your open case, to troubleshoot why you're having this issue now, but, there is also this knowledge article:

https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article?n=CS23827

Mike

[BrianToussaint]

@MichaelChatel 

Thank you for the article.  The support engineer got back to me a little before anyone responded and I had already left for the day.  This is what we ended up doing.

[mmeadows-3]

Anything using port 80?

netstat -ano | find ":80 "

If so, what is using port 80?

for /f "tokens=5 delims= " %p in ('netstat -ano ^| find ":80 "') do wmic process where processId=%p get ExecutablePath

It gets interesting when nothing is using port 80.

Check your firewall configuration.

Anti-virus may be blocking port 80 and/or 443.

FYI: It could be an Apache configuration issue.  Validate your Apache configuration files don't have any syntax issues.

%wt_home%\..\HTTPServer\bin\httpd.exe -t

[mmeadows-3]

FYI: Late last year I encountered an environment using BranchCache Monitor.  The tool is  configured to use port 80 by default.  https://2pintsoftware.com/faq-items/can-change-branchcache-port-distributed-mode/

The IT department was able to reconfigure the tool to another port and we were able to run Windchill's Apache on port 80 again.

Also, if you install all SQL Server modules on your Windchill application server (monolithic installation), SQL Server will automatically install Internet Information Server which consumes port 80 and prevents Apache from running.  The easiest way to avoid this situation is to be selective during SQL Server installation.  I believe it was the 'Reporting services - *' features that install IIS.

[mmeadows-3]

Using a non-default HTTP port means you have to keep track of the port number and update any existing shortcuts.  It is a relatively simple change but in the end it becomes a PITA to track and maintain.  Wherever Windchill's Apache is installed is considered a web server and nothing else should be competing for port 80.

To change Apache's HTTP port...

https://www.ptc.com/en/support/article?n=CS23827

[BrianToussaint]

@mmeadows-3 

The weird thing is that this is a virtual machine running Hyper-V and when I merged the checkpoints by deleting them, all of a sudden Port 80 was taken by system PID 4.  Then by clearing out http with what I found on Google, it cleared out port 80, but none of them made sense and every time I rebooted, they took port 80 again.  I do not have reporting services running.  Since this is a test server and I'm the only one using it for testing, it is easier to leave it at port 81 now.