topic Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion in ArcGIS Enterprise Questions

Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

CW-GIS — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 04:25:17 GMT

We are migrating from a single machine deployment to a multi machine deployment. We are in Azure and have an Azure File Share connected to each machine as a drive (Z).

When installing Portal 11.4, it would not let me install the content directory to the file share drive (Z). After installation, I went to portal admin and tried to change it from System > Directories, but I get this error:

which doesn't exist, but that path also doesn't exist in the current directory.

Question: Is the Portal content directory supposed to go on the File Share? or is it just the Server configuration directory?

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

SimonSchütte_ct — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:26:56 GMT

Did you copy the content directory to the new location before trying to change the path in Portal Admin?
The Admin endpoint will not copy the directory for you.

"In a highly available configuration, the portal's content directory is shared between both machines.

On the file server, create a directory for the portal's content directory, and share it so that it can be accessed by both portal machines. For example, \\share\portal\content."

see: Configure a highly available portal—Portal for ArcGIS | Documentation for ArcGIS Enterprise

Note: I assume you extend your current deployment to a HA deployment and need to move the content directory to a shared location.
In case you intend to migrate a normal deployment to a HA deployment (moving from another environment to a new HA environment) other steps need to be taken.

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

CW-GIS — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 13:24:59 GMT

Yes, I copied the content directory to the new location beforehand.

We are migrating a normal deployment to a HA deployment. What are the other steps that need to be taken?

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

CW-GIS — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:41:08 GMT

Edit to my original post:

content/items/accountresources/0123456789ABCDEF/accountSettings

Does exist in both places (it's just deep in the middle alphabetically)

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

SimonSchütte_ct — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:25:24 GMT

A) Do you expand your existing environment 1 to a HA environment 1+2

B) or do you migrate to a new HA environment and tried something like this?

Depending on your setup, other workflows need to be used, for example Migrate to a new machine in ArcGIS Enterprise.

I highly recommend you High availability | ArcGIS Architecture Center.

There are many things to consider, depending on what deployment/steps you took/plan to take.
Single machine/multi machine, active/passive, active/active,... probably too much to discuss in length here.

Other useful links: How to make your ArcGIS Enterprise environment robust | Esri Australia Technical Blog, Planning Load Balancer Configuration for Highly Available ArcGIS Enterprise

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

BillFox — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:43:48 GMT

if you are going HA, hopefully you have the option to build the new environment from scratch

like @SimonSchütte_ct mentions, a migration to that world is a very deep dive that can break a lot of things

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

CW-GIS — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:05:47 GMT

@BillFox Yes we are building it from scratch in a new resource group. Then after we will move content.

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

SimonSchütte_ct — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 06:49:19 GMT

Ok, this simplifies troubleshooting.
Did you specify the file share as location for the first Portal installation and it failed?
What did you paste into the Edit Directory field?

I have seen the error you get, when \, / or // instead of \\ was used or the \\content was missing.
When entering a shared network location, the connection string syntax is formatted in this way: "connectionString":"\\\\<machinename>\\arcgisportal\\content"

When configuring the Portal and you need to specify the content directory, directory formatting could also block you from using this directory (happened to me before until I noticed / instead of \). [btw. When installing using ArcGIS PowershellDSC it is easy to specify the different storage locations (->ContentDirectoryLocation).]

Documentation reference:
Configure a highly available portal—Portal for ArcGIS | Documentation for ArcGIS Enterprise

Change the portal content directory—Portal for ArcGIS | Documentation for ArcGIS Enterprise

Re: Migrating Single to Multi Machine Enterprise - File Share Confusion

BillFox — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:39:44 GMT

yep, these slash things are trial and error

////

\\\\

....etc