About connecting to ArcGIS Server in ArcGIS for Desktop
ArcCatalog and the Catalog window in ArcGIS for Desktop allow three options for connecting to an ArcGIS Server site: a Use GIS services connection to use services, a Publish GIS services connection to publish services, and an Administer GIS server connection to manage the site.
Connection types
Administrative connections (Administer GIS server)
When you connect to an ArcGIS Server site using an Administer GIS server connection, you can edit server properties such as the configuration store location, cluster configurations, and the list of machines participating in the site. You can also publish, add, delete, start, and stop services.
When you connect, you'll be asked for a user name and password that has been granted administrative privileges to ArcGIS Server. This can either be the primary site administrator account that you defined when you first created the ArcGIS Server site (in other words, when you first logged in to ArcGIS Server Manager), or it can be another account that has been added to your security store and granted administrative permissions.
For complete instructions on how to make an administrative connection, see Making an administrative connection to ArcGIS Server in ArcGIS for Desktop.
Publisher connections (Publish GIS services)
When you connect to an ArcGIS Server site using a Publish GIS services connection, you can publish GIS resources, such as map documents, globe documents, databases, and service definitions, to your server. You can also configure and publish draft services that reside locally on disk or in the Drafts folder of your connection to the server. Additionally, you can add, delete, start, and stop services. You cannot edit any properties of the site.
When you connect, you'll need to enter a user name and password from your security store that has been granted at least publishing privileges by the server administrator.
For complete instructions on how to make a publisher connection, see Making a publisher connection to ArcGIS Server in ArcGIS for Desktop.
User connections (Use GIS services)
When you connect with a Use GIS services connection, you can view and use the services published to the site. However, you cannot edit server properties, publish services, edit service properties, or add, delete, start, stop, or pause services.
When you connect, you'll need to enter a user name and password from your security store.
For complete instructions on how to make a user connection, see Making a user connection to ArcGIS Server in ArcGIS for Desktop.
Specifying the server URL
When you attempt to connect, you'll be asked to type the URL to your ArcGIS Server site. For user connections, you'll often include the name of the ArcGIS Web Adaptor in your URL. This will look like http://webadaptor.domain.com/arcgis/.
For publisher and administrator connections, access through the Web Adaptor is blocked by most organizations. Instead you will need to use the administrative URL of the server, which takes the format http://gisserver.domain.com:6080/arcgis.
Some sites may require an HTTPS connection through port 6443. Check with your server administrator if you are unsure of the appropriate URL to use.
If you receive an error when connecting, it may be because:
- You typed an incorrect name or password
- You did not use your server’s expected protocol of HTTP or HTTPS
- You did not include the fully qualified domain name of the server (which is required in scenarios where the server is federated with Portal for ArcGIS)
To learn more about URL formats, see Components of ArcGIS URLs.