BizTalk Server 2016 CTP1 - Configure multiple hosts/host instances

Another handy new feature for CTP1 is the ability to make the same configuration change to multiple hosts/host instances at the same time. This removes chances of errors/inconsistencies occuring and speeds up the process. In this post I wanted to show you how it works.

In the BizTalk admin console, you can expand out Platform Settings in the left nav tree and click either Hosts or Host Instances. In the main canvas you'll see a list of the hosts/instances and can now multi-select (CTRL+click) the list items and right-click Settings... This allows you to then make changes once and have them applied to all selected items.

When the dialog opens, you'll see all setting values with a grey background denoting their original values. As soon as you alter one of the values, it changes to white to indicate the items that you've changed as shown in the before and after screenshots below.

Finally, if you select two hosts of different types (Isolated and In-Process) and right-click, you'll see that the Settings... option is greyed out. This should make sense, as there are no settings for instances of the Isolated Host type available and as such these cannot be changed together in the same way. Simply select all hosts of the same type in turn and make the changes you require.

This is just one of the many enhancements we've made for BizTalk Administrators to make their lives easier. Enjoy!