Applying a service pack to a Windows multiple-machine site

This topic describes how to apply a service pack to a Windows multiple-machine ArcGIS Server site running on Amazon Web Services. In the context of this topic, a multiple-machine site is a site that includes more than one EC2 instance running the GIS server component.

To upgrade the site, you need to apply the service pack on two machines, then use those machines to create a template from which you launch your final upgraded site.

To minimize downtime, it's recommended that you apply the service pack on a copy of your site, which you can also make using site templates. The optional Step 1 below explains how to do this. Once you have applied the service pack, you can redirect traffic into your upgraded site.

If you do not want to perform the steps below, you can launch a new site using the latest version of Cloud Builder and redeploy your data, services, and applications on it.

Follow the steps below to upgrade a multiple-machine site to the latest service pack. Do not stop your site at any time while performing these steps.

Steps:

1. Install the version of ArcGIS Server Cloud Builder on Amazon Web Services that corresponds to the service pack you want to apply. Be aware that when you do this, you will not be able to access your sites with an older version of Cloud Builder.
2. Optionally, to minimize downtime during the upgrade, use Cloud Builder to create a template of your site. Then launch a new site from the template.

   When you launch this site, configure it to have exactly two EC2 instances running the GIS server component. In other words, you should set the Number of instances property to 2 and uncheck Enable auto-scaling.

   You'll apply the service pack to this copy of your site. Once you are ready, you can switch your incoming traffic to the upgraded site.

3. If you did not perform Step 2 above, edit your site in Cloud Builder so that it contains exactly two EC2 instances. In other words, you should set the Number of instances property to 2 and uncheck Enable auto-scaling.
4. Log in to the EC2 instance containing the ArcGIS Server configuration store and server directories. This instance is marked SITEHOST in the AWS Management Console.
5. On both machines, download the service packs for ArcGIS for Desktop, ArcGIS for Server, and optionally the ArcGIS Web Adaptor.
6. On both machines, set your ArcGIS Server account password to a known value. By default this password is random, but when you apply the service pack, you need to enter the password. You can do the following to set the password:
   1. Open Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Users and Groups.
   2. Right-click the ArcGIS Server account, which is named arcgis, and click Set Password. Then enter a new password for the account.
   3. Open Administrative Tools > Services.
   4. Right-click the ArcGIS Server service and click Properties.
   5. Click the Log On tab and type your new password for the ArcGIS Server account in the Password and Confirm password text boxes. Then click OK.
   6. Right-click the ArcGIS Server service and click Restart.
7. On both machines, install the service packs in the following order: ArcGIS for Desktop, ArcGIS for Server, and ArcGIS Web Adaptor. Further information about installing the service packs is available in the installation guides and the Esri Support website.
8. Test and configure your upgraded site. Make sure it is working exactly the way you want.

   If you were to leave your site in its current state, the second EC2 instance would be lost the next time you stopped your site using Cloud Builder. Therefore, continue with the following steps to preserve your work as a template and launch a site with the desired number of instances.

9. Use Cloud Builder to create a template from your newly upgraded site.
10. Using the template you created in the previous step, launch a site with the desired number of EC2 instances and auto-scaling rules.
11. Switch your organization's address mapping to point at your upgraded site's URL. If your apps were referencing the site URL directly, you'll need to update any URLs in your apps to incorporate your new Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) address. You can get the ELB address by looking at the Manager URL in the list of site details in Cloud Builder.

    Once you verify that the upgraded site is working, you can delete your original site and optionally the templates you created in Steps 2 and 11.