Launching an Amazon Web Services instance running ArcGIS for Server
If you build your ArcGIS Server site manually using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Management Console, there are several things you must be aware of when creating an AWS instance running ArcGIS Server.
Tip:If you use ArcGIS Server Cloud Builder on Amazon Web Services to build your site, the process of launching an AWS instance running ArcGIS Server is simplified, and your site can take full advantage of the peer-to-peer aspects of the ArcGIS Server architecture.
For specific steps and explanations of Amazon Web Services functionality and how to use the AWS Management Console, read the Amazon Web Services documentation. The following is information specific to launching an AWS instance running ArcGIS Server.
Before you launch an instance
You must have an Amazon account enabled for AWS access, and you should create an Elastic IP address to use with your ArcGIS Server for Amazon Web Services instance.
-
Open a web browser and sign in to the AWS Management Console with your Amazon user name and password.
Your Amazon account must be enabled for AWS access, which is a one-time step that can be performed on the AWS website. Contact your system administrator or Amazon if you are unsure about the account to use.
- Go to the EC2 section of the AWS console and choose the region in which you want to work.
Regions represent the AWS data centers available throughout the world. You can use regions to get your deployment closer to customers or to meet legal requirements. Pricing varies among the regions.
- Allocate a new Elastic IP address to use with your instance. Be sure to record the IP that is created, as you will use that later.
Launch an instance from an Esri ArcGIS Server AMI
Launch an instance from the EC2 section of the AWS Management Console. To find the Amazon Machine Image (AMI), search for ArcGIS or Esri.
There is an AMI available for Linux and two AMIs available for Windows (one with SQL Server Express and another with SQL Server Standard). If you don't see the AMIs, contact Esri Customer Service and provide them with your Amazon account number so they can share the AMIs with you.
Instance type
You must choose an instance type when you launch an AWS instance. Be sure to choose an instance type that meets at least the minimum system requirements for ArcGIS Server.
Be aware that different instance types will incur different charges with Amazon.
Storage options
When you launch an instance from the AWS Management Console, you are given the opportunity to change the storage options. However, don't change the storage settings when you launch the instance. There are settings on the AMIs that configure device mapping, and altering the storage options could cause these mappings to fail.
If you want to change the size of the attached EBS volume, you can do so after launching your instance. See Replacing the provided attached drive with one of a different size on Windows and Replacing the provided attached drive with one of a different size on Linux. Although these topics give steps for Cloud Builder, their workflows can be adapted for use with the AWS Management Console.
Security groups
Create a security group when you launch your instance to define what incoming traffic can access your instance.
The following are basic security group rules that allow you to log in to the ArcGIS Server for Amazon Web Services instance and test that your services are running. See Common security group configurations for lists of security group rules that you can apply in different scenarios.
Protocol | Port Range (Code) | Source |
|---|---|---|
RDP (Windows instance only) | 3389 | Specify an IP address or IP address range of the machines allowed to connect to your instance through remote desktop. |
SSH (Linux instance only) | 22 | Specify an IP address or IP address range of the machines allowed to connect to your instance through an SSH client. |
Custom TCP rule | 6080 | If you are not using an Elastic Load Balancer, type 0.0.0.0/0. If you are using an Elastic Load Balancer, type the Elastic Load Balancer's security group name. This is a value such as amazon-elb/amazon-elb-sg. |
Create a key pair
You must create a key pair to allow you to log in to your AWS instance. The key pair is needed to retrieve the administrator password of an AWS Windows instance. You must have the key pair to make an SSL connection to an AWS Linux instance.
Download the key pair file, which has a .pem extension. Save the file in a safe place.
After you launch an instance
It will take a few minutes to launch the instance. While the instance is launching, its status is shown as pending in the AWS Management Console. Once the instance has finished launching, its status is shown as started, and you have a running AWS instance for which you will incur charges. You may need to click Refresh to determine if your instance has finished launching.
For several minutes after you launch or start an AWS instance, you may notice that you cannot log in even though the instance appears started in the AWS Management Console. It takes a few minutes for the instance and ArcGIS to be completely configured.
To determine whether your instance is ready to accept a connection, right-click the instance in the AWS Management Console and click Get System Log. When you first launch or start the instance, you will see a blank log screen when you do this. On a healthy Windows AWS instance, you should see a message that Windows is ready to use if you check the log a few minutes later. To allow time for ArcGIS to configure itself, you should not attempt to connect to your AWS instance until at least five minutes after the system log reports the message Windows is ready to use, although this time can vary based on the health of Amazon Web Services.
See Administering your Amazon Web Services instance with Windows Remote Desktop Connection, Administering your Amazon Web Services instance with remote access to Ubuntu Linux, or Administering your Amazon Web Services instance with remote access from Windows to Ubuntu Linux for additional instructions about logging in to your instance and working with it.
If you plan to store data in enterprise geodatabases on the instance, you must create the geodatabases. See Creating enterprise geodatabases in SQL Server on an Amazon Web Services instance or Creating enterprise geodatabases in PostgreSQL on an Amazon Web Services instance for instructions.
Tip:Once your instances are no longer needed, stop or terminate them to avoid unnecessary charges. When you terminate an instance, all data and software on it is lost and cannot be recovered. However, you can stop and start an instance without losing data. You can right-click the status of an instance to see a menu that allows you to stop, start, or terminate the instance.