Can you upgrade a current Server installation with the Enterprise Builder?

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07-18-2017 03:18 PM
CassidyKillian
Occasional Contributor II

I have two Server installations now that I would like to migrate to Enterprise.  I do not have Portal installed at all.  Can I use the Enterprise Builder to upgrade versions or do I have to manually install all of the pieces to Enterprise?

Second question, will both Server(Enterprise?) machines utilize the same Portal installation or will they each have their own instance of Portal as well? Right now they act as production and publication servers but are not linked into a single site.  They are completely separate VM's.  It sounds like they should both participate in a single site installation which I would assume uses one instance of Portal.  I have looked through the documentation and the upgrade information for Enterprise is not very informative. 

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7 Replies
DerekLaw
Esri Esteemed Contributor

Hi Cassidy,

ArcGIS Enteprise Builder is meant to enable the easily installation of the Web GIS pattern (e.g., Portal for ArcGIS + ArcGIS Server + ArcGIS Data Store + associated Web Adaptors) on a single machine, it is not designed, nor meant to be used to upgrade an existing ArcGIS Server site.

FYI, What is the ArcGIS Enterprise Builder?—Documentation | ArcGIS Enterprise 

> Second question, will both Server(Enterprise?) machines utilize the same Portal installation or will they each have their own instance of Portal as well? Right now they act as production and publication servers but are not linked into a single site. 

This depends on what you want to deploy. Right now, the two machines serve as a production and publication site - in which case, you could keep this type of deployment and install a Web GIS on each machine. So you would have 2 Portals. Or, you could keep a Server site on each machine and have them both work with a single Portal - but then you would not have a production and publication environment. It is entirely up to you.

Hope this helps,

Greg_Mattis
Occasional Contributor II

Hi dlaw-esristaff

For us at the City of Visalia, we are using ArcGIS Server 10.2.2 and we are considering going up to 10.5.1 and we haven't deployed Portal. Would there be a time in the future when we could expect to see that Enterprise Builder could be used to upgrade a "Non-Web GIS" Server implementation to Enterprise in order to make it easier for organizations to deploy the Web GIS Model?

Greg Mattis, GISP
GIS Analyst
City of Visalia
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DerekLaw
Esri Esteemed Contributor

Hi Greg,

> Would there be a time in the future when we could expect to see that Enterprise Builder could be used to upgrade a "Non-Web GIS" Server implementation to Enterprise in order to make it easier for organizations to deploy the Web GIS Model?

I don't think this workflow is on the immediate Dev roadmap for Enterprise Builder. I suggest you submit this as an enhancement on the ArcGIS Ideas site.

Hope this helps,

RebeccaStrauch__GISP
MVP Emeritus

I would say no, or at least I would not recommend it. 

Considerations before using ArcGIS Enterprise Builder

If you require a deployment of ArcGIS Enterprise that differs from what is provided by the ArcGIS Enterprise Builder, you can install and configure the individual software components. Reasons why you would not use the ArcGIS Enterprise Builder are any of the following:

  • Install the software components across multiple machines
  • Greater control over the installation directories and Run As accounts for each component
  • Define the name of the ArcGIS Web Adaptor (IIS)
  • Use a web server other than IIS.

If any of the above considerations apply, follow tutorial steps in this section rather than using ArcGIS Enterprise Builder.

What is the ArcGIS Enterprise Builder?—Installation Guides (10.5) | ArcGIS Enterprise 

edit Derek beat me to it as I was fighting with me browser. 

JonathanQuinn
Esri Notable Contributor

I'll add that the ArcGIS Enterprise Builder can only be used to upgrade an existing site that is also deployed using the ArcGIS Enterprise Builder, meaning upgrades will be supported starting at 10.6, given the Builder is available at 10.5.1.

MichaelVolz
Esteemed Contributor

Will the ArcGIS Enterprise Builder be enhanced in the future to handle the upgrade of more complex AGS setups?  Or will it always be used for a more simplistic setup with only 1 machine?

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DerekLaw
Esri Esteemed Contributor

Hi Michael,

At this time, there are no plans to extend ArcGIS Enterprise Builder for multi-machine configurations. For those deployments, we recommend using the Chef automation framework.

Hope this helps,