Server Aliases and ArcGIS Enterprise Installation

[NathanHeickLACSD]

I was wondering what the recommendation is for installing ArcGIS Enterprise if we want to use an alias for the server.  Would you use the actual server's name throughout the installation process and then use the alias to access the server or would you use the alias throughout the installation process?  Right now, we have a mixture of both in different locations throughout the server.  The alias would just be a DNS entry on the network.  We think we're having issues because of the multiple server names.  Our old server was installed with just the actual server name, but aliases worked fine to access it.

[Scott_Tansley]

I've always taken the view of using aliases for the web adaptor machines (or other proxy) and if you're using load-balancers then proxy those.  Everything else use the host name.  I recently reviewed a build where every machine was also aliased, it was almost impossible (without access to the DNS Server) to work what was communicating with what, and it was a debug nightmare.  From the Web Adaptor you can work down and out to find the machines in the 'site' and debug rapidly.  Put DNS Entries in and you'll be needing to hassle the AD Sys Admin to check things, unless you're one and the same person or have access.

My view is keep it simple.

[NathanHeickLACSD]

Hi Scott,

We're using a single-machine deployment.  I've noticed in different places in the portal admin directory where some URLs use the alias and others use the host name.  I think that may be causing certain issues.  Would you do the whole setup with the host name and then use a DNS entry for the server?  Or would you use the alias for the whole installation?  The one option I was not given is using the host name for everything.  My personal preference would have been to just use the host name for the installation.

[Scott_Tansley]

My approach would be to recognise that there is a machine name:

machine1.internal.domain.com

I would want a DNS entry for any users, let's say:

maps.domain.com

Users would hit maps.domain.com.  The web adaptors would be configured to use machine1.internal.domain.com, it's specific and you know what they are talking to.

For the federation, I'd be using both, with the admin URL pointing to machine1.internal.domain.com.  All other internal configurations should use machine1.internal.domain.com as well.  

This approach works well if you know you will never expand beyond single machines in the site.  if you were to consider HA/Scaling in the future then it could be somewhat limiting and would need more thought and planning to cover any eventuality.  

[NathanHeickLACSD]

Hi Scott,

What do you mean by "For the federation, I'd be using both, with the admin URL pointing to machine1.internal.domain.com."  Sorry, I haven't done in this in two years and I wasn't involved from the start of the process.  Are there multiple URLs you can enter during federation?  Can you federate the same server with different URLs?  The last time I did the installation, I did it manually, but I used the machine name throughout the installation process and only used the DNS entry after the fact.

[Scott_Tansley]

https://enterprise.arcgis.com/en/portal/latest/administer/windows/federate-an-arcgis-server-site-wit... 

Note the use of a service URL (DNS) and an admin URL which would use the machine name.

[BillFox]

give yourself growing options so try not to reference a particular machine name whenever you can