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Silently install ArcGIS Server

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 to Configure a multiple-machine ArcGIS Server site.

You can install ArcGIS Server without a user interface by running the setup using Windows Installer command line parameters.

Note:

If you're upgrading to 12.1, see Upgrade ArcGIS Enterprise for more information.

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. Ensure 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 run permissions to the ArcGIS Server installation directory. Note that installing ArcGIS Server with the root account is not supported. For more information, see ArcGIS Server account.

  4. Browse 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.

Requirements

  • The .NET Extension Support feature requires the appropriate version of Microsoft .NET be installed. If the appropriate version is not found, the .NET Extension Support feature will not be available for installation.

For information on the appropriate version, see the ArcGIS Server System requirements.

Installation command line parameters

The following parameter is required when installing ArcGIS Server silently.

  • ACCEPTEULA=yes

    This property is required to accept the End User License Agreement during a silent installation. Specify yes to agree to the EULA and install the software. Specifying no or omitting this property will result in a failed installation. The download contains a PDF version of the End User License Agreement (EULA). The EULA.pdf file is located in the \Documentation folder.

See the following example:

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes

Optional installation command line parameters

The following are optional Windows Installer command line parameters to be used when installing ArcGIS Server silently. Use these commands to change the installation location of ArcGIS Server.

  • INSTALLDIR=<installation location>

    This property allows you to specify the installation location of ArcGIS Server from the command line. If you do not set this property, the default installation location of C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Server\ is used.

Example 1: Change the installation location of ArcGIS Server:

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes INSTALLDIR=C:\NewServerDir USER_NAME=myaccount PASSWORD=my.password

Example 2: Do not install the .NET Extension Support features:

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes ADDLOCAL=GIS_Server USER_NAME=myaccount PASSWORD=my.password

Configuring the ArcGIS Server account using command line parameters

The ArcGIS Server account must be configured when ArcGIS Server is installed silently. For production systems, it is recommended that you designate a preexisting account that resides in your domain or Active Directory and follows your organization's security policy. If command line parameters are not used to configure the ArcGIS Server account during silent installations, the account is set to the Local System account. This is primarily for the convenience of quickly installing ArcGIS Server.

Note:

The ArcGIS Server account can be changed at a later time by running the configureserviceaccount utility. The utility is available at Start > ArcGIS > ArcGIS Server > Configure ArcGIS Server Account. When prompted, enter the name and password for the account that will be used by ArcGIS Server. The option is available to save a configuration file with this information to speed up the configuration process on other ArcGIS Server machines and reduce the chance of inadvertently typing a wrong name or password. While the account password is encrypted, store the configuration file in a secure location.

Use the command line parameters below to configure the ArcGIS Server account.

Passing ArcGIS Server account credentials directly

Caution:

If the ArcGIS Server account is not defined during a silent (/qb) installation, or the credentials are not valid, the ArcGIS Server setup displays a warning message during installation. The message can be closed by clicking OK. Under these circumstances, the ArcGIS Server account is set to the Local System account.

  • USER_NAME=<operating system account>

    The account can be a domain account or a local account. If you are using a domain account, it must already exist. If you are using a local account, the account is created if it does not already exist. If the account is not valid, a message box appears during installation indicating the account or password is invalid.

  • MSA=TRUE

    This parameter should only be used with a Managed Service Account. A Managed Service Account must already exist on your domain. Do not use this parameter with a local account or a domain account with password. A Managed Service Account will not use the PASSWORD parameter.

  • PASSWORD=<account password>

    This is the password for the account specified for the USER_NAME parameter. If the password is not valid, a message box appears during installation indicating the account or password is invalid.

See the examples below.

Caution:

Command line parameters are case sensitive. If you are having trouble getting your command line installation working, confirm that the case matches the properties as shown in the examples.

Using a domain account

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes USER_NAME=mydomain\mydomainaccount PASSWORD=my.password

Using a new or existing local account

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes USER_NAME=myaccount PASSWORD=my.password

Using a Managed Service Account

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes MSA=TRUE USER_NAME=mydomain\mymsa

Importing ArcGIS Server account credentials using a server configuration file

The two command line parameters below must be used together to import ArcGIS Server account credentials using a server configuration file.

  • ACCOUNT=UseConfigFile

    Use the ACCOUNT command line parameter exactly as shown above. There are no other valid values for this property.

  • CONFIGPATH=<full path and name of server configuration file>

    Used in conjunction with ACCOUNT=UseConfigFile, this property allows you to specify the server configuration file that will be used to configure the ArcGIS Server account. Server configuration files are created by exporting a server configuration file when installing ArcGIS Server (earlier installations or from other machines). For more information, see The ArcGIS Server account.

See the following example:

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes ACCOUNT=UseConfigFile CONFIGPATH=\\networkmachine\serverconfigs\standardaccount.xml

Caution:

Command line parameters are case sensitive. If you are having trouble getting your command line installation working, confirm that the case matches the properties as shown in the examples.

Exporting ArcGIS Server account credentials to a server configuration file

Note:

When exporting a server configuration file to a network share, the Local System account on the machine where ArcGIS Server is being installed must have write permissions to the network share. For example, if you're installing ArcGIS Server on a machine named Quick, the Local System account on Quick must have write permission to the network share. If the permissions are not set, the server configuration file may not be exported successfully. If you are unsure how to correctly set permissions for the network share, contact your system administrator or export the server configuration file locally and copy it to the network share.

The two command line parameters below must be used together to export ArcGIS Server account credentials to a server configuration file.

  • EXPORTCONFIG=Yes

    Use this property to export the account information entered with the USER_NAME and PASSWORD command line parameters. The account information is stored in an encrypted XML file, known as a server configuration file. This property is set to No by default.

  • CONFIGPATH=<full path and name of server configuration file>

    Used in conjunction with EXPORTCONFIG=Yes, this property allows you to define the name of the server configuration file and the location where it is stored. The file name must end with .xml and the specified folder must already exist. If the file does not have an .xml extension and the specified directory does not already exist, the server configuration file creation may not be successful.

See the following example:

<path to the ArcGIS Server setup download>\setup.exe /qb ACCEPTEULA=yes EXPORTCONFIG=Yes CONFIGPATH=\\networkmachine\serverconfigs\standardaccount.xml

Caution:

Command line parameters are case sensitive. If you are having trouble getting your command line installation working, confirm that the case matches the properties as shown in the examples.

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 determines the default uninstallation mode. For example, if you choose to install silently from the command line, the uninstallation defaults to uninstalling silently from the command line.

  1. Before beginning the installation, read the license agreement located at <installation media root or untar directory>/Documentation/EULA.pdf and accept the terms.

  2. Run the setup silently and authorize by passing an authorization file (.ecp) or a provisioning file (.prvc). See the sample syntax shown below:

    .<installation media 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 is either Yes or No. Yes indicates that you have read and agreed to the Esri Master Agreement (E204, E300). 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 must authorize the software after installation.

    FULL_PATH_TO_AUTHORIZATION_FILE is the full, absolute path to the authorization file (.ecp) provided by Esri.

    FULL_PATH_TO_PROVISIONING_FILE is the full, absolute path to the provisioning file (.prvc) 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 must 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 the default installation location):

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

    For 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 can 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.

    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 Manager and the Administrator Directory. For more information, see Introduction to ArcGIS Web Adaptor.

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 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 file (.ecp) 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 file (.prvc) 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 file (.prvc) provided by Esri.

EMAIL_ADDRESS is required to authorize using a provisioning file.

AUTHORIZATION_FILE_OUTPUT is the output file generated that must be sent to the Esri self service site or an email to authorize@esri.com.

For more information, see Authorizing in a disconnected network environment and with no display set (headless).

-h;

Displays command line help and exits.

Authorize ArcGIS Server silently

Run the following command to authorize ArcGIS Server silently, editing the command line where necessary to reflect the actual authorization file location:

<System disk drive>\Program Files\ArcGIS\Server\tools\SoftwareAuthorization\SoftwareAuthorization.exe /S /Ver <Version number> /LIF <path to .prvc authorization file>authorizationfile.prvc

Note:

The .prvc authorization file must have all user information completed before running the command to authorize ArcGIS Server silently. Open the authorization file in a text editor, and complete the User Information section.

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 file (.prvc). 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 self service site. 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 authorize@esri.com. 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>

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

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>]

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

<ArcGIS Server Installation Directory>\tools\createsite\createsite.bat -help

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

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

Note:

When you reference a path in the createsite.properties file, you must escape the backslash, for example, C:\\arcgisserver\\config-store or \\\\<Absolute path to>\\<Server config-store>.

Option

Description

-u; --username

User name for the primary site administrator.

The user name cannot contain the following characters: \/:*?|<>"

-p; --password

Password for the primary site administrator.

The password cannot contain the following characters: \/:*?|<>"

-d; --directory

Root server directory.

By default, the server directories are created locally at this location:

<ArcGIS Server Installation Directory/usr/directories>

C:\\arcgisserver\\directories

or

\\\\<Absolute path to>\\<Server directories>

-c; --configstore

Configuration store for ArcGIS Server site.

By default, the configuration store is created locally at this location:

<ArcGIS Server Installation Directory/usr/config-store>

C:\\arcgisserver\\config-store

or

\\\\<Absolute path to>\\<ArcGIS Server 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

<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 =

#
# 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.C:\\arcgisserver\\directories, or \\\\<Absolute path to>\\<Server directories>.
SERVER_DIRECTORIES_PATH =

# Configuration store for the ArcGIS Server site. By default, the configuration store will be created locally,
# e.g. C:\\arcgisserver\\config-store, or \\\\<Absolute path to>\\<Server config-store>.
SERVER_CONFIGSTORE_PATH =

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

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.

  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 generating 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.