Deploying an ArcGIS Server site on VMware
You can deploy ArcGIS Server in a virtualized environment using VMware. Esri officially supports this with vSphere and vCenter versions 4 and 5, and you can always check the ArcGIS 10.1 for Server System Requirements for the most recent list of supported versions. If you’re attempting to use other virtualization technologies, the general steps below still may be useful.
You deploy an ArcGIS Server site with VMware in much the same way that you deploy ArcGIS Server on physical hardware. Both Windows and Linux are supported. The workflow is:
- Create a VMware template with ArcGIS Server installed.
- Launch a virtual machine (VM) from your template, rename the machine, and reboot it.
- Create the ArcGIS Server site on your VM.
- Optionally, launch additional VMs and join them to the site.
- Configure services, applications, and optionally the ArcGIS Web Adaptor (which integrates your site with your enterprise web server).
This document describes some items of special note when deploying ArcGIS Server on VMware.
Creating a VMware template with ArcGIS Server installed
A VMware template is a master copy of a virtual machine (VM) that you can use to create and provision additional virtual machines. When you deploy ArcGIS Server on VMware, you first need to build a VMware template that has ArcGIS Server installed. The steps for building a template are found in the VMware documentation.
When building the template, keep in mind the following:
- You should install ArcGIS Server and authorize it, but you should not create the ArcGIS Server site on the template. You will create the site once you launch your actual VM.
- Optionally, you can load your GIS data onto the template. This will cause a local copy of the data to be available on each VM that you launch, saving you the time of loading the data. Referencing a local copy of the data on each GIS server can also be a beneficial architecture for performance in appropriate scenarios.
- On Windows, ArcGIS Server is configured to start automatically when the operating system starts. On Linux, you need to configure this manually.
The ArcGIS Web Adaptor is compatible with virtualized environments and does not need any special configuration to run on VMware or connect to a site running on VMware. It's recommended that you install the Web Adaptor on your organization's existing web server machine if possible.
Launching a VM from your template and renaming the machine
Use your template to launch one VM that has ArcGIS Server installed.
When you deploy the VM, it takes the name of the template by default. You should rename the machine and reboot it before you continue. Consult your operating system documentation for instructions on renaming a machine. For example, the instructions for renaming a machine using Windows Server 2008 are found here.
Renaming the machine does not affect ArcGIS Server or the ArcGIS Server account.
At this time you can add the machine to your network, if necessary, so it can reference your file shares, web server, and other GIS servers.
Building your ArcGIS Server site
You’re now ready to access ArcGIS Server Manager on the VM and click the Create New Site button to create the ArcGIS Server site.
If more than one GIS server will participate in the site, use shared network paths when you specify the configuration store and server directories. In this scenario, the configuration store and server directories should be on a highly available file server. If your configuration store is lost or corrupted beyond the possibility of recovery, you will need to create a new site again.
After you’ve launched your first VM and created the site, you can optionally launch additional VMs and join them to the site using the Join Site button that appears when you first open Manager.
At this time you can also configure any services that should be running on your site. Optionally, connect the Web Adaptor to your site and deploy and update any web applications that reference your services.
Backing up and recovering your site
An advantage of a virtualized environment like VMware is the ease of backing up your site and recovering it in case of a problem. The way that you back up and recover your ArcGIS Server site differs between a single machine site and a multiple machine site.
Backup and recovery on a single machine site
In a self-contained site with the GIS server, configuration store, and server directories all residing on the same machine, you can use a snapshot of your VM as a backup. Take the snapshot only after you have created the site and set up all your services and applications. It’s recommended that you take snapshots before or after any major changes to your server, such as applying operating system updates or publishing a new group of services.
If the site goes down or becomes unusable, simply restore the snapshot.
Backup and recovery on a multiple machine site
If you are running a site with multiple GIS servers, then you do not need to use snapshots for backup. Instead, if you discover an unresponsive machine, you can use ArcGIS Server Manager to manually remove the machine from the site.
You can then use your VMware template to launch a new VM. Rename the machine and reboot as described previously in this document. Then join this VM to the ArcGIS Server site using the Join Site button that appears when you first open Manager.
When the new VM joins the site, it will gather all the information it needs from the configuration store and server directories. This is why it’s important to keep the configuration store and server directories on a highly available machine.
Removing and joining machines from a site can optionally be scripted using the ArcGIS Server Administrator API.