ArcGIS Server Upgrade Question (10.8.1)

[Mark_Hotz]

I'm in the process of upgrading our ArcGIS Enterprise.  I have already successfully upgraded our Portal for ArcGIS.  I have also just successfully installed ArcGIS Server 10.81., and then was prompted to log into ArcGIS Server Manager.

This is where I usually run into errors.  I am never able to log into ArcGIS Server Manager at this stage...nothing seems to work.

However, in my install notes from last time I have an entry in there that says I need to first install the ArcGIS Server Web Adaptor before I can log into ArcGIS Server Manager.  But I was positive that ESRI Tech Support told me last time that it's actually the other way around...that I needed to demonstrate a connection to ArcGIS Server Manager before the Web Adaptor is installed and configured.

Can someone help me set the record straight here?  I have already uninstalled the older version of our web adaptor in preparation to install the new version (as we're not supposed to attempt to install a newer version of the web adaptor over an existing - older - version).

Do I go ahead and install the web adaptor, or continue trying to log into ArcGIS Server Manager?

Thanks

[Travis_Esri]

Hello Mark,

In regards to your question, ArcGIS Server Manager should automatically open after upgrading ArcGIS Server by attempting to install the newer version. Once opening Server Manager, you should be prompted with a single button to "Continue Server Upgrade." You should indeed complete this step prior to configuring your new web adaptor.

In regards to logging in to Server, you can do this prior to configuring the new web adaptor (via machinename.domain.com:6443/arcgis). However, you will indeed need to configure the new web adaptor prior to attempting to log in via the URL the web adaptor is configured for (and the URL your services are referenced as in Portal).

ArcGIS Server Upgrade Documentation (see step 6) 

Once authorized, ArcGIS Server Manager automatically opens. Click Continue Server Upgrade to complete the upgrade. You must use ArcGIS Server Manager on the local machine where you're running the upgrade to complete this step. You cannot Continue Server Upgrade through a Web Adaptor or load balancer.

To summarize, 

If you have gotten past the "Continue Server Upgrade" prompt in the browser, you are good to go in configuring the new web adaptor. If you are still trying to access Server Manager to complete this step, please let us know what error you are getting in the browser.

Hope this helps!

Travis

[Mark_Hotz]

Thanks Travis:

Apparently all of my replies were not coming here...the new format must have confused me :-).  This certainly helps me acquire a better understanding of what I'm doing when I upgrade.

[RyanUthoff]

This Esri documentation lists the steps in the correct order when upgrading ArcGIS Enterprise.

https://enterprise.arcgis.com/en/server/latest/deploy/windows/upgrade-arcgis-server.htm

When you upgraded ArcGIS Server, did the server manager open in a web page asking you to continue the upgrade?

[BillFox]

Hi Mark,

When you are done can you please reply back to this post with the from and to versions and the total amount of time it took you to do the upgrade? posted estimates so far:  6 to 8 hours

[Mark_Hotz]

Sorry about the late reply...my posts were all going to the wrong place. 

I upgraded from ArcGIS Enterprise 10.6.1 to 10.8.1, and the process today took just under 2 hours.

[ElliotJones]

Hi Bill,

This will depend largely on the amount of content that resides on ArcGIS Server and Portal for ArcGIS, as a system with relatively few services will upgrade much more quickly than a system with hundreds of services. That said, for many production environments I've seen upgrade times range from 2 hours to 6-8 like you mentioned. Machine resources also play a role but are typically secondary to the amount of content hosted on ArcGIS Enterprise.

[Mark_Hotz]

Elliot:

Thanks for the info...this certainly helps us acquire a better understanding of what to expect in the future.  We don't have a massive Portal yet, but it will continue to grow, so with that in mind our upgrade expectations should be more congruent with the size of our Portal.