SharePoint 2010 – New Service Application – Application Pool Already Exists!

Whilst playing around with SharePoint Server 2010 there have been a number of occasions where I’ve created a new Service Application, only to find I’ve either done it wrong or need it configured in a slightly different way for whatever reason.

Typically what I’d do is delete the old SharePoint Service Application and create a fresh one. I quite often want to use the same naming convention and this seems to cause problems.

For example, I created a Secure Store Service, realised I’d done something wrong, deleted it and tried to re-create it using the same settings as before. When I try to do so, SharePoint tells me that there’s already a SharePoint IIS Application Pool (SPIisWebServiceApplicationPool) that exists with the same name:

 

 

So the first thing you think to check is IIS, right? I did that and did not see the Application Pool to delete it.

Not accepting defeat and wanting to retain my naming convention I looked into this a little further; Is SharePoint 2010 storing a list of Application Pools somewhere and not clearing them out properly?

After a little searching, it struck me that perhaps this was something I could sort out with PowerShell. Here’s how:-
I queried the list of Application Pools using Get-SPServiceApplicationPool to ensure the one I’d previously created was indeed still there and accessible to PowerShell

 

 

Then it’s as simple as calling Remove-SPServiceApplicationPool to remove it.

 

 

That’s it. You’ve tidied up the the farm by removing the application pool and got to keep your precious naming convention. Thanks PowerShell – I’ll sleep easy now.