How To: Delete a SecureAuth Realm

Version Affected: All

 

Overview

Classic realms cannot be deleted from within the Admin Console itself. This article covers two ways to delete a realm directly on the IdP appliance: using the Realm Management Tool, or removing it manually.

• Use Method 1, the Realm Management Tool, whenever possible — it is the supported way to delete one or more realms and handles cleanup for you.
• Use Method 2 only if the Realm Management Tool is unavailable or unsuitable for your environment.
   

In this article

• Method 1: Using the Realm Management Tool
• Method 2: Deleting a Realm Manually

Method 1: Using the Realm Management Tool

The Realm Management Tool permanently deletes one or more realms from the IdP appliance in a single operation.

1. On the IdP appliance, navigate to D:\MFCApp_bin\Extras\RealmManagementTool and run RealmManagementTool.bat.
2. Type AGREE at the prompt to accept the terms, and press Enter.
3. Type 2 and press Enter to delete realms.
4. Enter the realm number(s) to delete. To delete a single realm, enter only its number (for example, 50). To delete multiple realms, separate their numbers with commas (for example, 50,51,52).
5. Carefully read the warning message, then type OK to continue with the delete, or CANCEL to abort.

This permanently removes the selected realm(s) from the IdP appliance. Unless a backup was made with the SecureAuth Backup Tool or another backup program, deleted realms cannot be recovered.

Method 2: Deleting a Realm Manually

Use this method if the Realm Management Tool is unavailable. It removes the realm's IIS application and its files separately.

1. Log in to the IdP server as an administrator and open IIS Manager.
2. Expand <ServerName> > Sites > Default Web Site.
3. Right-click the realm you want to delete and select Remove.
   
   Removing the application here does not delete the realm's files; it only removes the IIS application entry.
4. Open File Explorer and browse to D:\SecureAuth.
5. Right-click the realm's folder and select Delete.
   

If the realm's folder was already deleted without first removing its IIS application, go back to IIS Manager and remove the corresponding entry under Default Web Site as well — both the IIS application and the folder need to be gone for the realm to be fully deleted.

Special Considerations

Deleting a realm this way is a full wipe. If you want to keep the realm's configuration, decrypt its web.config from the Admin Console and back up that file before deleting the realm's folder. If Transformation Engine was also enabled and configured on the realm, also back up \<realm>\PostAuthData\userprofiledata.sxlt.


 

SecureAuth Knowledge Base Articles provide information based on specific use cases and may not apply to all appliances or configurations. Be advised that these instructions could cause harm to the environment if not followed correctly or if they do not apply to the current use case.

Customers are responsible for their own due diligence prior to utilizing this information and agree that SecureAuth is not liable for any issues caused by misconfiguration directly or indirectly related to SecureAuth products.