Arc Hydro Tools 10.2 64-bit or 32-bit installer...

[LesterBrown]

If I'm running a 64-bit OS, is there any reason I wouldn't want to install Arc Hydro Tools 10.2 with the 64-bit installer vs. the 32-bit installer? As I understand it, it only takes advantage of the 64-bit if you're both running a 64-bit OS AND using either 64-bit background processing or ArcGIS Server. If I'm not using either of those, but do have a 64-bit OS, is it okay to use the 64-bit installer? It'll just simply run as 32-bit, right?

Thanks.

[V_StuartFoote]

@brownlg33,

I could be wrong, but my understanding is that IF you have installed the 64-bit ArcGIS background geoprocessing extension, then you MUST install the 64-bit support for ArcHydro Tools.

The 64-bit background geoporcessing replaces some of the 32-bit compiled Python components, and the 64-bit ArcHydro support is then needed to work with them.  Otherwise with the default ArcGIS for Desktop installation you should use the 32-bit ArcHydro Tools installer.

Christine, or another of the Water Resource team, may have additional perspective.

Stuart

[LesterBrown]

Thanks for your quick reply Stuart! I read somewhere that you should use 64-bit if you're going to be working against ArcGIS server. I'm not certain whether our users will use this with Server or not (it's not easy to ask since they're in offices all over world). I haven't tested against a server, but I did the 64-bit install and ran it against some sample data locally without issue. It also looks like everything it installed drops in the x86 Program Files area. It only added a single file to the Python folders.

Thanks,
Les

[ChristineDartiguenave]

ArcGIS Desktop works in the 32bit environment whether your computer is 32 or 64bit.
If you have installed the Desktop Background Geoprocessing (64-bit) as well, then the geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS desktop will run in the 64bit environment.
If you have installed ArcGIS server and published some services using the Arc Hydro tools, these services will also run in the 64bit environment.

So if you have either background (64 bit) or server installed and plan to use Arc Hydro in background/server mode, you need to run the 64 bit install so that the Arc Hydro files are correctly registered with both 32bit (standard desktop) and background 64-bit/server.

If you do not care about these 2 features, you can install either 32 or 64 bit on a 64-bit computer.

The 64 bit installs additional files on the 64 bit program files location and perform additional registration (if server or background 64-bit are found).

Christine Dartiguenave
Esri Water Resources Team