Set up file Share raster store for Reality Server on Linux

When ArcGIS Reality Server is deployed on Linux and you need to use a file share raster store, additional configuration is required to enable communication between the Linux-based server and Windows clients such as ArcGIS Pro. This is accomplished by installing and configuring a Samba server on the Linux machine.

Important:

If you have an existing Samba configuration with modifications, revert those changes or delete /etc/samba/smb.conf and and uninstall Samba.

The following instructions use Ubuntu as an example and reference an existing user called realityuser. If this user does not exist on your system, create one using sudo adduser realityuser.

Install and configure Samba on Linux

1. Install Samba

   sudo apt-get install samba

2. Back up the smb.conf file.

   sudo cp -pf /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/smb.conf.bak

3. Create a folder in the /home/realityuser directory to use as the shared folder.

   sudo mkdir /home/realityuser/myshares

4. Change the ownership of the folder to realityuser and set the group owner to realityuser.

   sudo chown realityuser:realityuser /home/realityuser/myshares

5. Grant access to the folder.

   sudo chmod 777 /home/realityuser/myshares

6. Add realityuser to the Samba database and set a password.

   sudo smbpasswd -a realityuser

   Note:

   The password set here will be used to connect to the Samba server from Windows. When signing in to the shared folder from Windows, use the format localhost\realityuser.

7. Add the following configuration to the end of the smb.conf file.

   sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

   Add these lines:

   # Samba share for Windows clients
   [my-shared-folder-name]
   path = /home/realityuser/myshares
   available = yes
   valid users = realityuser
   read only = no
   browseable = yes
   public = yes
   writable = yes
   

   Press Ctrl-O to save and Ctrl-X to exit the nano text editor.

8. Restart the Samba server to reload the configuration.

   sudo /etc/init.d/samba restart

   For later versions of Samba, restart the service using:

   sudo systemctl restart smbd
   sudo systemctl status smbd
   

9. Update firewall rules to allow Samba traffic. For example, if using the ufw firewall:

   sudo ufw allow samba

10. Verify the Samba share from a Windows machine by opening Windows Explorer and entering the Linux host machine's name. You should see the shared folder named my-shared-folder-name. Open the folder and enter the credentials (realityuser and the password from step 6).

Register the file share raster store with ArcGIS Reality Server

1. Sign in to ArcGIS Server Manager and browse to Site > Data Stores.

2. Register a file share raster store. For the Path, enter the path of the folder in the Linux system (for example, /home/realityuser/myshares).

   

3. Sign in to the ArcGIS Server Administrator Directory at https://webadaptorhost.domain.com/<webadaptorname>/admin.

4. Browse to data > items > rasterStores and click the raster store name in the Child Items section.

5. Click Edit.

6. Add the clientPath parameter with the value pointing to the Samba path configured earlier (for example, \\HostMachineName\my-shared-folder-name).

   

7. Click Update.

Your file share raster store is now configured and ready to use with ArcGIS Reality Server on Linux.