Updating Production Server to Windows 2012

[MarkYerington]

All

We are currently working on upgrading our Production ArcGIS Server 10.3.1 windows operating system from 2008 to 2012 and we would like to know if anyone has any helpful tips on this transition that will minimize downtime.  Our plan thus far is the following and any helpful tips would be great.  We have just moved our sql databases onto their own server separate from the ArcGIS server so the data will still be accessible from any ArcGIS server that we stand up.  Our process that we are thinking is as follows, let me know if others think this will work or if there is a better way.

1. Upgrade a development server to Windows 2012.

2. Mirror production server on development so that data accessed that does not come from sql databases will be accessed even if production is down.

3. Set service .mxd's that reference file geodatabases to relative path.

4. Export Site from production through ArcGIS server admin

5. Import site from previous backup onto the development server.

6. Copy cache directories from production to development server.

7. Setup 1 A-Name to 2 IP addresses in DNS so Web Adaptor will still recognize development as production.

8. Shut down production and see if everything works, if not bring production back up and re-think our process.

9. Use development as production while the production server is rebuilt.

Let me know if anyone can see something that we may be missing or will not work!

Thanks

[MichaelVolz]

How about building 2 2012 servers - one for development and one for production?  Keep the existing 2008 production server running while testing out AGS on your development machine.  In this way step 7. Setup 1 A-Name to 2 IP addresses in DNS so Web Adaptor will still recognize development as production which could be problematic would be bypassed as the current production server is still in operation.  Once all the kinks have been worked out, then migrate your site from current 2008 production server to new 2012 production server.

If licensing is an issue, try getting an EDN license so the cost for testing is much lower than production.

[MarkYerington]

Michael

Thanks for the response. The only problem with building 2 2012 servers in

tandem with our current setup is that we are not running VM so it is not

as easy to push out multiple servers. We have two physical servers a

development and production. My thinking with the A- Names was if the

production server is offline during the upgrade it would not try and route

to the production, is this not the case? I am definitely not the network

guy and our IT department is pretty hands off on GIS stuff so just trying

to present them with a plan of attack. I am always a little iffy on

changing things in the DNS, but don't know a better approach other than

what you have said about the build out of 2 parallel instances of ArcGIS

server. The big problem for us is that we are still on physical servers

so not easy to roll up multiple servers at once. No licensing issues as

we have an ELA.

Mark Yerington, GISP

MAGIC GIS Systems Analyst

3205 CEDAR ST | MUSCATINE, IA 52761

PH: 563.262.3316 | CELL: 563.260.4525

[MichaelVolz]

Is your company looking to move to VMs to make a transition like this simpler and less risky?  My organization has been using VMs for years so it is much easier to spin up new servers using an image that was generated after regression testing of the new server environment.

[MarkYerington]

This may force us into a vm environment if we have to many problems. We

are a little different then most organizations as we are a separate local

government 28E agency (In Iowa) that provides GIS services to all the

local government organizations within our area through a cost sharing

approach. Our principal partners are all in a VM environment being the

City, County and Public utility. They can justify the expense as they

have many other business systems that they have to support. The

centralized GIS enterprise environment that we host is for GIS only and we

have not been able to justify the expense of a SAN and VM up to this

point. We have built a rather robust environment that serves all of our

partners and the general public with efficiency and has been very

functional. We will see how this transition goes though!

Mark Yerington, GISP

MAGIC GIS Systems Analyst

3205 CEDAR ST | MUSCATINE, IA 52761

PH: 563.262.3316 | CELL: 563.260.4525