Unable to Add Multiple Web Adapters Portal for ArcGIs 10.8.1

[SKW_UK]

Hi All,

We are building out our GIS, and are having a few "issues" with the web adapter.

We have 2x Web Adapters behind a Load Balancer, which is the "Entry point" for our GIS.  This will be something like https://gis.com/portal

We also have 2x portals configured in an active/standby mode.  These are connected behind a load balancer, but only for admin purposes, URL would be https://gisportaladin.com:7443/arcgis

Both the WebContextURL and privatePortalURL properties have been set with the details above.

The issue we are encountering, is that registering one web adapter, de-registers the other! so we can only ever have one web adapter registered at a time.

Am i missing a really simple step?

Thanks,

Steve

[LorenMueller]

Are the 2x Web Adaptors on the same Web Server, or separate Web Servers? The configuration you are describing generally works well when the WAs are on separate Web Servers.

[SKW_UK]

Hi Loren,

It is on two separate web servers, as we are removing single points of failure.

Many Thanks,
Steve

[LorenMueller]

Thanks Steve. I think what @ShaneMiles says below is the key. I reviewed notes from a previous implementation for a client of a Highly Available ArcGIS Enterprise, and found the same steps: After the other necessary prerequisites (e.g. certificates, load balancer setup, shared file server content directory, the Portal installs, etc, etc), .1 install and configure the first Web Adaptor, 2. configure Portal's Web Context URL and Private Portal URL, 3. install and configure the second Web Adaptor.  The order of those appears to be critical for success.

[SKW_UK]

Hi Loren, thanks for your reply, but the order of steps mentioned, is the exact same order I have taken.

Many Thanks,
Steve

[DEWright_CA]

Steve, going into your 2nd IIS machine and change the name in the bindings for where your WebAdaptor is configured; then use this URL to configure it. You might have to update your lmhost file to use a temp/alternate DNS for this binding.

[SKW_UK]

Thanks for your pointers….I am currently not binding to any name in IIS, and also that would prove problematic because the SSL would through an erro (and web adapter requires you to use the hostname of the WA that corresponds to a name in your SSL otherwise it throws an exception).

Other than that, the web adapter config takes the URL of the WebcontextURL propert.

[DEWright_CA]

The Error would only be for your initial config; once that is in place you remove the record form your IIS Binding and your LMHOST file.

And you are able to go into the PortalAdmin page and update the URL for the Web-Adaptor correcting this alias.

I know it sounds odd; but it worked for me in both my STAGING and PROD systems when I deployed 10.8.1; wasn't a problem with 10.6.1 so something was updated/changed in the WebAdaptor logic for the portal.

[ShaneMiles]

Hi Steve, 

Try registering the first WA, set the Webcontext URL and then configuring second WA in this order.  

Shane

[SKW_UK]

Hi Shane,

That is the exact approach I have taken.

Regards,
Steve