How to safely reclaim disk space from Replica_*.geodatabase files in ArcGIS Enterprise?

Question

We have ArcGIS Enterprise 11.1 and recently discovered that our Portal content directory (arcgisportal/content) has grown to more than 1.7 TB, with most of the storage being consumed by approximately 1,700 Replica_*.geodatabase files generated by offline workflows (ArcGIS Field Maps). We found that some corresponding replicas have not been synchronized for almost a year. We are looking for a safe and controlled way to reclaim this storage.

Does unregistering replicas from the Feature Service also remove the associated .geodatabase files from the Portal content directory, or are these files managed independently?

Has anyone dealt with this situation before, and what is the recommended approach to identify and safely remove obsolete or orphaned replica geodatabases without affecting active offline users?

GlenterpriseUK · Answer

Hi @nicorhcp,

I would recommend the following approach.

1. Do an inventory of all the replicas (ReplicaID, Service URL, Owner, Creation Date and Last Sync Date)

2. Use ArcGIS Pro capability to Manage feature service replicas—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation

3. Use the Unregister Replica operation from the Feature Service Unregister Replica (Feature Service) | ArcGIS REST APIs | Esri Developer

4. Monitor your arcgisportal/content folder

I would avoid deleting files from there directly and follow the approach of deleting the replicas from the Feature Service.

Let me know how it goes.

Kind Regards,

Glen