How to migrate ArcGIS Server and Database with Zero Downtime in AWS?

[GeoffreyWest]

I want to move a ArcGIS Server from one machine to another and resource all of the services to a new database.

1. I have my new services already published under a new hosted record in AWS Route 53 called newarcgis.mybiz.io.  These services are referencing a new database as well, PGSQL RDS.

2. My current prod services are published and hosted under arcgis.mybiz.io.  Data is continuously coming into arcgis.mybiz.io services and database, which is SQL Server on an EC2 machine.

3. newarcgis.mybiz.io is an Ubuntu installation of 10.6 and arcgis.mybiz.io is Windows, also 10.6

Can I use the join site utility in manager to elegantly handle a switch over? the hosted record refers to the application load balancer.

What are other ways that I can accomplish this task with zero downtime and data loss?

[jill_es]

Join Site is definitely an option but you may want to look into using the WebGIS DR tool instead.  These two options are outlined in further detail in these blogs: Migrate to a new machine in ArcGIS Enterprise and Migrate to a new machine in ArcGIS Enterprise using the WebGIS DR tool.

[GeoffreyWest]

Hi Jill Edstrom,

Unfortunately the join site utility will not work because the new machine is a Linux OS and the previous deployment is Windows. I cannot use webgisdr because it is a standalone ArcGIS Server site without Portal. I plan to federated a new portal with the new Linux AGS machine.   I think due to the complexity of this migration between operating systems that there is not an out of the box ArcGIS Enterprise solution that can elegantly handle this. 

Right now I am considering what method will cause the least amount of data loss. The URL switch over happens at the load balancer level, so that is not a big deal.  Once the site health check passes server will start consuming data.  However the data loss will occur prior to the LB URL switch, when I have to move feature classes.

So far my workflow is:

1.Run an append for all feature classes in DB on new empty schemas in RDS.

2. Publish services to temporary URL

3. Register prod url with new load balancer of linux machine 

4.Identify deltas from data migration and run update cursor or copy data.

There are many moving pieces, but based on the documentation noting that there really isn't any sort of combining OS, this might be the best bet.

[AngusHooper1]

One issue you will hit is any reference to https://arcgis.mybiz.io/arcgis/mydataservice will now be broken. These references will occur externally and internally to the GIS. The only permanent resolution to this is to programatically fix these references, but that is no easy task. I believe 10.7.1 now allows you to do this manually in the item details page so hopefully your GIS doesn't have too many items.

Or, set up redirect logic in your web tier.

[jill_es]

Geoffrey, as Angus mentioned above, you will encounter an issue with any reference to https://arcgis.mybiz.io/arcgis/mydataservice.  Considering this is just a standalone ArcGIS Server instance (not ArcGIS Enterprise), once you resolve to the same DNS name/WA and reference, you should be set.