Running Portal for ArcGIS on Amazon Web Services

Note:

This topic only applies to 10.2.1 and later versions.

You can install and run Portal for ArcGIS on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Esri does not provide Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) with the portal software installed; instead, you can launch an AWS instance from the ArcGIS Server AMIs (or any AMI that meets the Portal for ArcGIS system requirements) and install Portal for ArcGIS and the ArcGIS Web Adaptor on the instance.

Below are the general steps for getting Portal for ArcGIS running on AWS.

Steps:

1. Launch an Amazon Web Services instance.

   You can use the ArcGIS Server AMIs or any AMI that meets the Portal for ArcGIS system requirements.

2. Create an Amazon Elastic IP and associate it with the instance.
3. Optionally set up CNAME mapping to create a more user-friendly DNS name.
4. Create a Remote Desktop Connection to the instance.
5. Start Internet Information Services (IIS) or install a different web server on the instance.
6. Download the Portal for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Web Adaptor setups to the instance.
7. Install Portal for ArcGIS.
8. Create the initial administrator account.

   This is required when registering the portal with ArcGIS Web Adaptor.

9. Install ArcGIS Web Adaptor.
10. Enable SSL on at least the Web Adaptor directory, using a CA-signed certificate.

    The certificate is issued to the public DNS name for the Elastic IP or the CNAME DNS name that maps to the Elastic IP.

    Note:

    A self-signed certificate should not be used when running Portal for ArcGIS on AWS.

11. Configure the Web Adaptor with Portal for ArcGIS.
    1. Open the ArcGIS Web Adaptor configuration page.

       The Web Adaptor registration page should open automatically when you install; however, you must change the URL to use the elastic IP of the AWS instance or the CNAME DNS name where ArcGIS Web Adaptor is installed. For example, change the URL from https://localhost/arcgis/webadaptor to https://<Elastic IP>/arcgis/webadaptor or https://<CNAME DNS name>/arcgis/webadaptor.

    2. Choose Portal for ArcGIS on the Web Adaptor registration page and click Next.
    3. Type the Portal URL. Use the elastic IP or CNAME DNS name in the URL rather than the portal machine name. For example, type https://<Elastic IP>:7443/arcgis or https://<CNAME DNS name>:7443/arcgis.
    4. Type the initial administrator user name and password in the Administrator Username and Administrator Password boxes, respectively.
    5. Click Configure to register the portal with the Web Adaptor.

       Clicking Configure restarts the portal; therefore, it may take a few minutes to complete this process.

Optionally, you can federate an ArcGIS site with your Portal. The steps below are to federate an ArcGIS Server site running on a different AWS instance. If your ArcGIS Server is running on the same AWS instance as your Portal, you can use the same Web Adaptor with the same CA-signed SSL certificate.

12. Start an ArcGIS Server instance from the ArcGIS Server AMIs.
13. Associate an Amazon Elastic IP with the instance.
14. Optionally set up CNAME mapping to create a more user-friendly DNS name.
15. Create a Remote Desktop Connection to the instance.
16. Authorize ArcGIS Server.
17. Create an ArcGIS Server site.
18. Enable https on the ArcGIS Server site.
19. Start Internet Information Services (IIS) or install a different web server on the instance.
20. Install a Web Adaptor for your ArcGIS Server site.
21. Enable SSL on at least the Web Adaptor directory, using a CA-signed certificate. The certificate is issued to the Public DNS Name for the Elastic IP or the CNAME DNS name that maps to the Elastic IP.
    Note:

    A self-signed certificate should not be used for the ArcGIS Server site that is going to be federated with Portal for ArcGIS when running on AWS.

22. Configure the Web Adaptor with the ArcGIS Server site, and Enable administrative access to your site through the Web Adaptor.

    Be sure to change the Web Adaptor registration page URL and GIS Server URL to include the elastic IP or CNAME DNS name rather than the ArcGIS Server machine name used for the Web Adaptor and ArcGIS Server AWS instance.

23. Alter the portal's gw-config.properties file.
    1. Stop Portal for ArcGIS.
    2. Open the gw-config.properties file, which can be found in <Portal for ArcGIS installation directory>\ArcGIS\Portal\Webapps\arcgis#sharing\WEB-INF\classes\resources.
    3. Set the following properties: webserver.http.port=80 and webserver.https.port=443.
    4. Add a property—portalLocalhostName—to the gw-config.properties file, and set it to the Public DNS or CNAME DNS name of the portal's AWS instance.

       For example, for a site with a CNAME DNS name of awsportal.esri.com, add portalLocalhostName=awsportal.esri.com.

    5. Start Portal for ArcGIS.
24. Federate the ArcGIS Server site with your portal. Use the ArcGIS Server site Public DNS name for the Elastic IP or the CNAME DNS name for both the ArcGIS Server URL and the ArcGIS Server private URL.

    Make sure your Amazon security groups allow communication between the two AWS instances through the Web Adaptor ports, 80 and 443.

Remember that if you stop and start the AWS instance running the portal, you will need to reassociate your Elastic IP with the AWS instance.