Using the AWS Management Console with ArcGIS Server

The AWS Management Console is a web application that you can use to administer the GIS servers and other resources that you have created on AWS. You should typically use ArcGIS Server Cloud Builder on Amazon Web Services to do the basic things like create, stop, and start your site. However, you can use the AWS Management Console to accomplish advanced administrative tasks such as adjusting security group rules or attaching more storage to your site.

You can also build ArcGIS Server sites with the AWS Management Console, although it's easier to create a site with ArcGIS Server Cloud Builder on Amazon Web Services. Any site you create with the AWS Management Console consists of one-machine sites connected under an Amazon Elastic Load Balancer (ELB). These sites have no knowledge of each other; they are not suited for tasks such as asynchronous geoprocessing or distributed map caching jobs. To get the advantage of the architecture where the GIS servers communicate with each other, you must use Cloud Builder.

Tip:

When using the AWS Management Console with Internet Explorer, Amazon strongly recommends using Internet Explorer 9 over Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 has a slower JavaScript engine that can result in timeouts.

How to build an ArcGIS server site manually using the AWS Management Console

Creating an ArcGIS server site using the AWS Management Console is a multistep process that requires some architectural planning and understanding of Amazon Web Services. One example of a basic workflow is listed below. The approach you take may vary based on your deployment needs.

1. Get ready to deploy ArcGIS Server on Amazon Web Services.
   • Create an Amazon account and make sure it includes Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) access.
   • Get access to the Esri-created Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) through Esri Customer Service.
   • Create the typical Amazon security groups for ArcGIS, configuring at least one security group that allows remote access.
   • Configure an Amazon Elastic IP address for the production AWS instance so it can be recovered or updated with minimal downtime.
2. Launch an AWS instance running ArcGIS Server and connect to it.
   • Use one of the ArcGIS Server AMIs to launch an AWS instance.
   • Connect to your new instance using Windows Remote Desktop, SSH and a terminal emulator from Windows, or an SSH connection from Linux.
3. Set up a place to store your data.
   • Choose where to store your data on the cloud.
   • Optionally, configure additional EBS volumes for local data storage.
   • Optionally, create enterprise geodatabases in PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or SQL Server on Amazon Relational Database Service to store your data.
4. Move your data to AWS.
   • Choose a data transfer method and move your data.
   • Give the ArcGIS Server account permissions to access your data.
5. Create GIS services and applications.
   • Use ArcGIS to create services for mapping, geocoding, and so on.
   • Migrate your applications to the AWS instance and repoint them at the services now running on your AWS instance.
6. Customize security on your AWS instance.
   • Change the administrator password for your AWS instance (Windows only).
   • Change the passwords for the database users if you're using a geodatabase in PostgreSQL.
   • Optionally, configure ArcGIS server security on your server.
   • Optionally, make other security adjustments to the AWS instance such as firewall adjustments, SSL configuration, and so on.
7. Prepare your production environment.
   • Create a custom AMI containing the services and apps on your site.
   • Iterate with larger instance types, if necessary, to arrive at the instance type with the appropriate amount of power for your deployment.
   • Alter your AWS security group rules to disable or restrict remote access to the production AWS instance. This increases security on the production instance.
   • Optionally, use your custom AMI to launch or terminate instances in response to demand. This can be done programmatically using the Amazon Auto Scaling API, or you can do it manually. Multiple machines can be connected by an Amazon Elastic Load Balancer (ELB).

This help system describes many of the above steps. Another helpful resource is the Amazon Web Services documentation, which explains how to use the AWS Management Console and how to program with Amazon Web Services.