topic Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps in ArcGIS Enterprise Questions

Migration and Upgrade Steps

ZachBodenner — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 13:49:16 GMT

Hello,

We're planning a migration/upgrade combo soon, and I want to make sure I have my steps down pat before we kick it off. I have a ticket open with support and they have essentially ok'ed this workflow, but it has taken a few rounds of explaining and research, so I wanted to post here also to see if anyone has done something like this before and if there's anything I'm missing. Here's the scenario:

We have Enterprise at 11.1 installed all on one machine, with web adaptors pointing to the Server and Portal on a DMZ machine. We are going to 11.5 on a multi-machine deployment, with two Server for ArcGIS Servers, a Portal server, and a Datastore server. The idea behind the two Servers (Server 'A' and Server 'B') is that one will serve the high throughput/heavy usage services, and the other will be for shared instance, less used services. So, we will need to republish all of our services and recreate our maps and Experiences.

For these reasons, WebGISDR wont work, because we are going to an un-mtaching multi-machine, with new URLs for the Server services, but we would like our Portal URL to remain the same during and after the migration. We would also like to be able to continue operations as normal during building our new services, as that will take quite a while.

So here are the steps as I understand them using the Join Sites method:

Create new Portal VM Machine and install Portal 11.5
Create new Server VM Machine and install Server (A at 11.5)
Create new Server VM Machine and install Server (B at 11.5)
Create new Datastore VM Machine and install Datastore (11.5)

4.b Install 11.5 Server Web Adapter A and B on existing DMZ VM Machine

Join new Portal to Old Portal using Join Sites, remove old Portal

5.b. Uninstall the Portal 11.1 Web Adapter and install 11.5 Web Adapter (expected downtime during this process)

At this point, what we have is a Portal running 11.5 that is otherwise identical to our current Portal, referencing all of our services on current Server (11.1). All of the maps and apps our users are using are still drawing from the older servers, but that’s fine because then they can continue to use them while we migrate their services?

Publish new services on the A,B, and DataStore machines.
Join Server A to site
Join Server B to site
Join Datastore to site

Now, we have a Portal with three ArcGIS Servers registered with is (existing 11.1 and two new at 11.5), and a server hosting DataStore 11.5 (so four total)

10. Create new web maps, apps, etc using the new services. (this part takes a while.

11. When all maps and apps are recreated and tested, remove current 11.1 Server and Datastore from site.

12. Portal automatically Federates Server A and recognizes the B and Datstore machines?

Does that order of events make sense? Does it sound like the behavior I expect from the process is what would actually happen? Like I said, ESRI Tech Support has said this should work, but I have only done a migration from AGOL to a totally fresh Enterprise, and also in-place version upgrades. This is a next-level up in complication and I want to do it right.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

MichaelVolz — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 14:50:27 GMT

Do you have a parallel development environment to test his workflow on?

This appears to be a complex operation with high risk of major disruption to production, otherwise.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

ZachBodenner — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:05:54 GMT

Unfortunately I do not. I'm also open to other ideas on how to manage it. Really the biggest things we're looking for is time to build parallel maps/apps/etc with identical services published to the new environment at version 11.5, and keeping the Portal URL the same with minimal disruption. Even that one, if we were to need to just do it totally refresh and end up with a new Portal URL, that wouldn't be the end of the world. It just strikes me that I can't be the first person who has wanted to go from one to many machines, so it seems like there should be knowledge out there somewhere.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

JakeSkinner — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 18:03:40 GMT

Hi @ZachBodenner,

I see an issue with the first step:

Create new Portal VM Machine and install Portal 11.5

You won't be able to join an 11.5 Portal to an 11.1 Portal. Do you plan on keeping the same name for your existing ArcGIS Server web adaptor for one of the new ArcGIS Server instances?

I would still recommend using the webgisdr approach following the steps in this document. Once you've migrated everything to the new environment, you can install the new ArcGIS Server instance, web adaptor, and federate. You can then start to republish services to the new ArcGIS Server instance by first deleting the service from the existing instance, and then republish to the new.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

ZachBodenner — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 19:38:49 GMT

I was planning on have two new web adaptor titles for the two new servers. So I've read through the WebGISDR Documentation but I still don't really understand how this functions if I am going from one machine to many. Do I need to do a WebGISDR restore on every one of the new machines? And even if I do, doesn't it get complicated by the fact that my WebGISDR snapshot will be at 11.1 (and also thinking that everything should be on the same machine) but my new environment will be at 11.5?

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

JakeSkinner — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 20:40:25 GMT

Here are the steps for the migration:

Install 11.1 in the new environment keeping the web adaptor names the same, and using the same URL by modifying the hosts files
Import the webgisdr
Upgrade to 11.5
If using a DNS server, repoint this to the new web adaptor server once your verify everything is working to the new environment

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

ZachBodenner — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 21:16:45 GMT

So this would require a new DMZ server where the web adaptors are installed? That was another point of confusion for me: the Portal web adaptor can't be called Portal in both versions if they're installed on the same DMZ machine at the same time?

And I'm sorry if this seems obvious to others, but I really want to clarify: Since my current 11.1 environment has all components of enterprise (other than web adaptors) on one machine, then I would need to install ALL components of Enterprise on EACH of the new machines, run the WebGISDR, and then...uninstall the unneeded components (ie take Server off of the machine running Portal, etc).

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

JakeSkinner — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:18:14 GMT

You won't need a new DMZ, you can temporarily use one of the new servers to temporarily host the web adaptors.

Since my current 11.1 environment has all components of enterprise (other than web adaptors) on one machine, then I would need to install ALL components of Enterprise on EACH of the new machines, run the WebGISDR, and then...uninstall the unneeded components (ie take Server off of the machine running Portal, etc).

No, the webgisdr won't care about the software on separate machines. I would recommend selecting the Portal machine to temporary host your web adaptors. Update the hosts file on each machine that will host an ArcGIS application with the following:

IP Address of Portal Server Fully Qualified Domain Name of Portal Server DNS

Ex:

10.0.0.2 portal.domain.local gis.domain.com

Once the hosts files are updated, install the software and configure everything (i.e. web adaptors, federate arcgis server, set as hosting server, etc). Afterwards, you can then import the webgisdr successfully to the new environment.

Once imported, you can upgrade to 11.5. After you validate everything is working, you can unregister the web adaptors on the new Portal server, and reinstall on your DMZ server.

If possible, I would recommend getting a Professional Services engagement. They can walk you through the entire migration/upgrade.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

ZachBodenner — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 13:52:40 GMT

Okay I think I follow for the most part. If you'll indulge one more crack at the process for me:

1. Create new Portal VM Machine and edit \hosts file

2. Create new Server VM Machine (Server A) and edit \hosts file

3. Create new Server VM Machine (Server B) and edit \hosts file

4. Create new Datastore VM Machine and edit \hosts file

5. Install Portal on Portal VM, Server on Server VMs (can I just install these at 11.5 right away?), and Datastore on Datastore VM (same question?)

6. Install temporary 11.1 web adaptors for Server A and Server B

6.a do I need a temporary Portal web adaptor or will it suffice to keep the existing 11.1 one on the current DMZ?

7. Federate the new Server?

8. Import the WebGISDR onto the new Portal VM

9. Upgrade new Portal VM to 11.5

20. Republish all of our services to the new A and B servers

11. Test and confirm

12. Unregister temporary web adaptors

13. Remove existing web adaptors from DMZ

14. Install 11.5 web adaptors on DMZ

Also, I had one more thought that may or may not be a supported workflow and I'm interested if I'm just totally off base or whether this would work:

Say I was fine with doing a totally fresh install but only really cared about my Portal URL remaining the same. Could I just set up the new VMs and install all of the software, then install a Portal web adaptor called like, 'Portal2' and point it at the new Portal. Then I do all of the setup, republishing etc, and when that's done, unregister that new web adaptor, take down the 11.1 that's called 'Portal' and then install a different 11.5 Portal web adaptor and just call that one 'Portal', at which point we'll be able to maintain our existing Portal URL just on a totally new deployment?

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

JakeSkinner — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 12:19:28 GMT

5. No you cannot install 11.5, the versions must match in order to import the webgisdr

6. You will need to install two web adaptors, one for Portal and one for ArcGIS Server. I wouldn't install the new ArcGIS Server instance. I would wait until you have the webgisdr imported and then upgraded to 11.5. At that point you can simply install the new 11.5 ArcGIS Server instance and federate.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

ZachBodenner — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 14:29:39 GMT

Okay that makes sense, so really the webgisdr will recreate our existing Server instance but I can just kind of ignore it as we go about publishing our new services.

And so that last idea about just utilizing a web adaptor to point to a totally new Portal isn't something super advisable?

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

ZachBodenner — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 16:09:59 GMT

@JakeSkinner I've done a bit more on this migration and I think I understand just about everything except the web adaptor portion. So I tried to import a webgisdr file to the new environment, just as a test, but I hadn't installed a 11.1 web adaptor that pointed at the new Poral yet, so technically the public URLs were not the same. That makes a lot of sense to me, so I'm trying now to install the temporary web adaptor for Portal and running into some issues. The install goes fine but I can't access the web-based configuration. When I attempt to hit the config URL ( https://ep-gisportal.ci.eden-prairie.mn.us/portal/webadaptor/portal ) I get a an error 404 The request resource is not found. Per your suggestion, I'm installing this on the machine that will eventually run our Portal and it the machine that the webgisdr import is going to.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

JakeSkinner — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:25:38 GMT

@ZachBodenner did you update the hosts files on each server? Each server that has an ArcGIS application installed should have the following entry in their hosts file:

IP Address of Web Adaptor/Portal server | FQDN of Web Adaptor/Portal server | DNS of original Enterprise environment

Ex:

10.0.0.1 portal.esri.com gis.esri.com

After the entries are made, each machine should be able to hit https://gis.esri.com and it will resolve to the new Web Adaptor/Portal server.

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

MichaelVolz — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 21:12:28 GMT

Jake:

Is the hosts file that you need to update located at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc on a Windows Server server?

Re: Migration and Upgrade Steps

JakeSkinner — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 21:43:44 GMT

@MichaelVolz that is correct. More information can be found in the below document:

https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-enterprise/administration/migrate-to-a-new-machine-in-arcgis-enterprise-two