Install ArcGIS Server silently

The following steps guide you through the ArcGIS Server silent installation process on one machine. Performing a silent installation of ArcGIS Server doesn't require an X display or user interaction during the installation process. If you're installing ArcGIS Server on multiple machines, see the instructions in Install ArcGIS Server on multiple machines.

Note:

Upgrading to 10.8? For more information, see Frequently asked upgrading questions.

How to prepare to install ArcGIS Server

Follow these steps before beginning the installation process for ArcGIS Server:

1. Obtain an authorization file for the machine on which you're installing ArcGIS Server.
2. Verify that your site meets the system requirements.
3. Make sure the user has full permissions to the ArcGIS Server installation directory. The user account used to install ArcGIS Server will be the account used to run the software. Group users and all others must have at least execute permissions to the ArcGIS Server installation directory. Note that installing ArcGIS Server with the root account is not supported. For more information, see The ArcGIS Server account.
4. Navigate to the directory where the ArcGIS Server tar file was uncompressed, or insert the ArcGIS Server media into the appropriate drive and browse for Setup to launch the setup program.

Note:

You cannot install ArcGIS Server on a shared network directory (NFS mounted folder). The directory must be local on the target system.

How to install ArcGIS Server silently

The instructions below describe how to install ArcGIS Server silently from the command line. For instructions on installing ArcGIS Server from the setup user interface, see Install ArcGIS Server on one machine.

Tip:

The installation mode that you choose will determine the default uninstallation mode. For example, if you choose to install silently from the command line, the uninstallation will default to uninstalling silently from the command line.

1. Before beginning the installation, read the license agreement located at <CD_ROOT or untar directory>/Documentation/EULA.pdf and accept the terms.
2. Run the setup silently and authorize by passing an authorization (.ecp) or a provisioning (.prvc) file. See sample syntax shown below:

   <CD_ROOT or untar directory>/Setup -m silent -l yes -a <fullpath to .ecp or .prvc file>

   Usage: Setup [Options]

   Option	Description
   -m; --mode MODE	Optional. Defaults to GUI. MODE is one of silent, console, or GUI.
   -l; --license-agreement CHOICE	Required for silent mode. CHOICE either Yes or No. Yes indicates that you have read and agreed to the Esri Master Agreement (E204, E300). Please visit https://www.esri.com/legal/licensing-translations to read the agreement.
   -a; --authorization-file FULL_PATH_TO_AUTHORIZATION_FILE or FULL_PATH_TO_PROVISIONING_FILE	Optional. If this option is not used, you will need to authorize the software after installation. FULL_PATH_TO_AUTHORIZATION_FILE is the full, absolute path to the authorization (.ecp) file provided by Esri. FULL_PATH_TO_PROVISIONING_FILE is the full, absolute path to the provisioning (.prvc) file provided by Esri.
   -d; --directory DIRECTORY	Optional. By default, ArcGIS Server is installed to your $HOME directory. DIRECTORY specifies a different installation directory. The path /arcgis/server/ is appended to the installation directory. The name of the installation directory should be lowercase. The samples and data bundled with the installation require the data path to be lowercase.
   -v; --verbose	Installer runs in verbose mode.
   -h; --help	Displays command line help and exits.
   -e; --examples	Displays usage examples of these options and exits.

   Note:

   The authorization tool can also be launched silently after ArcGIS Server has been installed. For a complete list of available parameters, run the authorization script with the help parameter as shown below (based on default install location):

   ${HOME}/arcgis/server/tools/authorizeSoftware --help

   For a more detailed information about the authorization tool, see Authorize ArcGIS Server silently below.

3. Once the installation finishes, the installation status message appears. If the installation completed successfully, you will be able to access ArcGIS Server Manager from Mozilla Firefox or any supported web browser by browsing to https://<server name>:6443/arcgis/manager. See the ArcGIS Server help for more information.

   At 10.6, you can also use the createsite command line utility to create a new ArcGIS Server site once ArcGIS Server has been installed.

4. Configure ArcGIS Server to start with the operating system.
5. If you are preparing your site for a production deployment, you should install the ArcGIS Web Adaptor. The Web Adaptor provides a link between your enterprise web server and your ArcGIS Server site. It allows you to choose the port, address, and authentication settings that you want to use for incoming requests. It also prevents outside users from accessing Server Manager and the Administrator Directory. For more information, see About the ArcGIS Web Adaptor.
6. Most of your work publishing services occurs in ArcGIS Desktop, where you create your maps, globes, geodatabases, and so forth. To publish a service directly from ArcGIS Desktop, define a connection to your server using ArcCatalog or the Catalog window in ArcMap. Once you've done this, the connection information is saved on your machine and you can then reference it whenever you want to publish a service. If you make the connection with administrative privileges, you can also perform some server administration functions from ArcGIS Desktop. See Connect to ArcGIS Server from ArcGIS Desktop for instructions.
7. Ensure that ArcGIS Server can access all the data referenced by its services. For more information, see Make your data accessible to ArcGIS Server.
8. With a connection to the server established, you can begin publishing your GIS resources as services. To add a service, follow the directions in How to publish a service.
9. Once you add services to your GIS server, you can use them in many types of applications. These include applications that you create with the ArcGIS Web APIs and Native SDKs, or Configurable Apps and App Builders. Alternatively, you can view services in desktop-based applications, such as ArcGIS Explorer, ArcMap, or ArcGlobe. Mobile devices, such as the iPhone, Android devices, and Windows Phone, can also use your GIS services. See About creating web GIS applications to get started.

Using the createsite command line utility to create an ArcGIS Server site

At 10.6 or later, you can use the createsite command line utility to create a new ArcGIS Server site once ArcGIS Server has been installed. Two options available for using the createsite utility are as follows:

• Run the createsite utility as an administrator from a command prompt and specify user name, password, config-store, and directory parameters.
• Provide a createsite.properties file containing specified parameters.

For the usage of the createsite command line utility, run the createsite.sh script with -h or -help as shown below:

<ArcGIS Server Installation Directory>/tools/createsite/createsite.sh -help

Example usage with the utility: createsite.sh [-u <arg>] [-p <arg>] [-d <arg>] [-c <arg>]

Example usage using a file: createsite.sh [-f <FILE>]

Option	Description
-u; --username	User name for the primary site administrator. User name cannot contain the following characters: \/:*?|<>"
-p; --password	Password for the primary site administrator. Password cannot contain the following characters: \/:*?|<>"
-d; --directory	Root server directory. By default, the server directories will be created locally at this location: <ArcGIS Server Installation Directory/usr/directories>
-c; --configstore	Configuration store for ArcGIS Server site. By default, the configuration store will be created locally at this location: <ArcGIS Server Installation Directory/usr/config-store>
-f; --file	Properties file for the createsite utility. By default, the createsite.properties file can be found at this location: <ArcGIS Server Installation Directory>/tools/createsite
-h; --help	Displays command line help and exits.

The following is an example of the createsite.properties file:

#
# Configuration properties for Server site creation
#
# User name for primary site administrator.
# Cannot contain these characters: \/:*?<>"
SERVER_ADMIN_USERNAME = 

# Password for primary site administrator.
# Cannot contain these characters: \/:*?<>"
SERVER_ADMIN_PASSWORD = 

# Initially, leave SERVER_ADMIN_PASSWORD_ENCRYPTED set to false.
# When you run the tool the first time, the password will be
# encrypted and SERVER_ADMIN_PASSWORD_ENCRYPTED will change to true.
SERVER_ADMIN_PASSWORD_ENCRYPTED = false

# Root server directory. By default, the server directories will be created locally, 
# e.g./<ArcGIS Server installation directory>/usr/directories
SERVER_DIRECTORIES_PATH = 

# Configuration store for the ArcGIS Server site. By default, the configuration store will be created locally, 
# e.g./<ArcGIS Server installation directory>/usr/config-store
SERVER_CONFIGSTORE_PATH = 

You will receive a message that the ArcGIS Server site is created successfully before the tool exits.

Silently authorize ArcGIS Server

The authorization tool can also be launched silently after ArcGIS Server has been installed. For a complete list of available parameters, run the authorization script with the help parameter as shown below (based on the default installation location):

${HOME}/arcgis/server/tools/authorizeSoftware --help

Usage: authorizeSoftware [options]

Option	Description
none	Software Authorization Wizard GUI will be run.
-s	Displays authorization status.
-f FULL_PATH_TO_ECP_AUTHORIZATION_FILE	Authorizing with an .ecp authorization file. FULL_PATH_TO_ECP_AUTHORIZATION_FILE is the full, absolute path to the authorization (.ecp) file provided by Esri.
-f FULL_PATH_TO_PROVISIONING_FILE -e EMAIL_ADDRESS	Authorizing with a provisioning file. An email address is required. FULL_PATH_TO_PROVISIONING_FILE is the full, absolute path to the provisioning (.prvc) file provided by Esri. EMAIL_ADDRESS is required to authorize using a provisioning file.
-f FULL_PATH_TO_PROVISIONING_FILE -e EMAIL_ADDRESS -o AUTHORIZATION_FILE_OUTPUT	Generates an authorization file to be uploaded to the Esri website or email. Once completed, run this tool again using the received .ecp authorization file to complete the authorization process for this product. FULL_PATH_TO_PROVISIONING_FILE is the full, absolute path to the provisioning (.prvc) file provided by Esri. EMAIL_ADDRESS is required to authorize using a provisioning file. AUTHORIZATION_FILE_OUTPUT is the output file generated which needs to be sent to the Esri Customer Service website (https://service.esri.com/drm) or an email to [e-mail]. For more information, see Authorizing in a disconnected network environment and with no display set (headless).
-h;	Displays command line help and exits.

Authorize in a disconnected network environment and with no display set (headless)

You can install ArcGIS Server in a disconnected network environment with no display set (headless), and authorize it using a provisioning (.prvc) file. This is a two-step process.

1. At the prompt, run the authorization command provided below after a successful installation of ArcGIS Server.

   <ArcGIS Server installation directory>/tools/authorizeSoftware -f <full path to the .prvc file>  -e <email address> -o <full path to authorization file output>

   Once the authorization information file output has been created, do one of the following:

   • Browse to the Esri Customer Service website (https://service.esri.com/drm). Follow the instructions on the screen to upload your authorization information file and download your .ecp authorization file.
   • Send your authorization information file by email to [e-mail]. Esri will send your .ecp authorization file back to you in an email.
2. Once you receive your .ecp authorization file using either of the above methods, run the authorizeSoftware script again to process it and complete the server authorization process:

   <ArcGIS Server installation directory>/tools/authorizeSoftware -f <full path to the .ecp file>

Post-installation configuration

If you want ArcGIS Server to start with the operating system, complete the steps specific to your operating system.

Operating systems that support systemd

If your operating system supports the use of systemd to bootstrap and manage processes (for example, if you are using Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Server 7.x), follow these steps to configure ArcGIS Server to start with the operating system.

1. Within a command shell, switch to root user.
2. Copy <ArcGIS Server installation directory>/framework/etc/scripts/arcgisserver.service unit file to /etc/systemd/system. Change file permissions of /etc/systemd/system/arcgisserver.service from 700 to 600

   This file is installed with ArcGIS Server 10.8.

3. Still as root user, run the following command to automatically create the links in /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants:

   # systemctl enable arcgisserver.service

4. To verify that the systemd service is properly configured, restart the service and check its status.

   # systemctl stop arcgisserver.service
   # systemctl start arcgisserver.service
   # systemctl status arcgisserver.service

5. End the root user session.
6. Reboot the operating system and verify that ArcGIS Server restarts properly.

Note:

If you install ArcGIS Server on a Linux machine that includes systemd v228 or a later version, you may need to enable and raise the systemd limit to 512 maximum threads if the ArcGIS Server machine is heavily used. (For example, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12 SP2 includes systemd v228.) Setting systemd to a maximum of 512 threads can prevent any single service from spawning too many threads and consuming all server resources.

To enable and raise the limit, as the root user, uncomment and edit the following line in the arcgisserver.service unit file before deploying it to the /etc/systemd/system directory:

# TasksMax=512

Operating systems that support SysV

If your operating system supports the use of SysV to bootstrap and manage processes, follow these steps to configure ArcGIS Server to start with the operating system.

1. Within a command shell, switch to root user.
2. Copy <ArcGIS Server installation directory>/framework/etc/scripts/arcgisserver shell script to the appropriate supported Linux distribution-based locations provided below:
   • RHEL Server: /etc/rc.d/init.d/
   • SLES: /etc/init.d/
3. Change directory to the applicable init.d folder and check the arcgisserver script to make sure that root has at least read and execute permissions.
4. Edit the arcgisserver script as follows:

   1. Update the agshome variable to the ArcGIS Server installation directory, for example, /home/username/arcgis/server.

   2. For RHEL Server only, add the line below just before # Description: ArcGIS Server Service:

      # chkconfig: 35 99 01

   3. Save the edits to the arcgisserver script.

5. Still as root user, run the following command to automatically create the links in /etc/rc*.d with the appropriate run levels:
   • RHEL Server:

     $ chkconfig --add arcgisserver
     $ chkconfig arcgisserver on

   • SLES:

     $ insserv arcgisserver
     $ chkconfig arcgisserver on

6. End the root user session.
7. Reboot the operating system and verify that ArcGIS Server restarts properly.