Join 10.5.1 ArcGIS Servers (AGS) to a Site Created at 10.3.1

[MichaelVolz]

I have a current AGS site with AGS 10.3.1 servers on Windows 2008 virtual machines.  I am upgrading to AGS 10.5.1 on Windows 2012 virtual machines.  My current plan is to remove the existing servers from the site and then add the new servers to the site to keep the site intact.

Is this a viable path forward or do I need to create a brand new site for 10.5.1? If I need to create a new site is it because the old site holds on to the configuration settings of the 10.3.1 servers and cannot be reliably updated to 10.5.1 configuration settings?

In addition, the ArcGIS Enterprise Server documentation:

Join an existing site—Installation Guides (10.5) | ArcGIS Enterprise 

Says "A site is a deployment of ArcGIS Server. If you've installed ArcGIS Server for the purpose of adding it to an existing site, you have the opportunity to specify that site the first time you open ArcGIS Server Manager."

Is there no way to specify the site after you have opened AGS Manager for the first time?

[JakeSkinner]

Hi Michael,

Can you clarify your upgrade, for example are you upgrading the Windows Server 2008 to 2012, and then you want to upgrade ArcGIS Server from 10.3.1 to 10.5.1?

[MichaelVolz]

Yes I have built new Windows 2012 virtual servers and now I am waiting for the release of AGS 10.5.1 to perform the install.  As part of the install I am envisioning removing all servers from the current site and then using that empty site to add the new AGS 10.5.1 servers.

[JakeSkinner]

Migrating services from one instance to another is not very easy.  I've attached a Word Document with steps I used to successfully migrate services.  Note that this is NOT a supported workflow.  If you want to give it shot I would recommend upgrading your 10.3.1 instance to 10.5.1 first, and then proceed with the steps in the word document.

[MichaelVolz]

So is the ESRI recommended workflow to create a new site with the 10.5.1 AGS servers and then recreate the services in 10.5.1 that I had in 10.3.1?

[JakeSkinner]

Yes, that is the supported workflow when you are switching ArcGIS Server from one machine to another.

[RebeccaStrauch__GISP]

I agree that is the cleanest workflow, but I have been successful using the script tool to copy between machines (10.2.2 to 10.5.0).  GitHub - eea/discomap.ServiceTransferTool: Transfer tool   It will not work for all services, but it will for some.

The threads Move/Copy Services to another Service Directory    and

Join 10.5.1 ArcGIS Servers (AGS) to a Site Created at 10.3.1   offers suggestions on how to move services.

[MichaelVolz]

Rebecca:

Do you have image services sourced from raster mosaic datasets in your enterprise AGS environment?

[RebeccaStrauch__GISP]

Do you have image services sourced from raster mosaic datasets in your enterprise AGS environment?

Yes, but I don't recall if the Move/Copy services worked for those or not.  I've been on hold with our 10.5.x upgrade until our IT gives us access to the new servers.  But I'll see if I can test or check these on a test machine.  However, Image services are easy to setup so I don't think that would be an issue if it didn't work.

[JonathanQuinn]

These types of migration workflows are on our radar for future releases, but an approach you can take is remove all machines except one from the 10.3.1 site, do an in-place upgrade of ArcGIS Server 10.3.1 to 10.5.1 on the remaining Server machine, install 10.5.1 on the new Windows Server 2016 machines, and join the new machines to the upgrade site, and remove the upgraded machine from the site.