Frequently asked questions
This topic covers common questions specifically related to ArcGIS Server on Amazon EC2.
General questions
- Do I need to run the ArcGIS Server postinstallations?
- How do I install a service pack for ArcGIS Server on an EC2 instance?
- I recently launched an EC2 instance and the remote desktop connection fails when I attempt to log in.
- After I launch an EC2 instance, how can I be sure that ArcGIS Server was successfully configured?
- I see an error about insufficient capacity when I click Launch to launch an instance.
- When I try to retrieve the administrator password, I get the message "No password was found."
- I can't see the GIS Data folder when I try to create a service in Manager.
- How do I add an administrative connection to my server in ArcCatalog?
- How do I find out my Access Key and Secret Access Key?
Do I need to run the ArcGIS Server postinstallations?
You do not need to run the ArcGIS Server postinstallations. ArcGIS Server is preconfigured for you, including the SOM, SOC, and ArcGIS Web Services accounts.
How do I install a service pack for ArcGIS Server on an EC2 instance?
You can either download and install the service pack directly on the instance (following special instructions from Esri), or you can launch a new instance that is running the service pack and migrate your data and applications to it. Esri is currently sharing AMIs of the service packs several weeks after the service pack download is made available. See Applying ArcGIS Server service packs and patches on Amazon EC2 to learn more about these options.
I recently launched an EC2 instance and the remote desktop connection fails when I attempt to log in.
For several minutes after you launch or start an EC2 instance, you may notice that you cannot log in even though the instance appears started in the AWS Management Console. It takes a few minutes for the instance and ArcGIS Server to be completely configured.
To determine whether your instance is ready to accept a connection, right-click the instance in the AWS Management Console and click Get System Log. When you first launch or start the instance you will see a blank log screen when you do this. On a healthy EC2 instance you should see the message "Windows is ready to use" if you check the log a few minutes later. To allow time for ArcGIS Server to configure itself, you should not attempt to connect to your EC2 instance until at least 5 minutes after the system log reports the message "Windows is Ready to use", although this time can vary based on the health of Amazon EC2.
After I launch an EC2 instance, how can I be sure that ArcGIS Server was successfully configured?
You can check the health of ArcGIS Server by viewing the Services Directory, which has a link on the welcome page. After authorizing ArcGIS Server, you should immediately be able to browse the Services Directory and preview the two sample services without receiving errors.
To further check whether ArcGIS Server was successfully configured on an EC2 instance, log in to the instance and note the value for HOSTNAME on the welcome page. Then open Control Panel > System and note the value for Computer Name. The two names should match.
If it appears that ArcGIS Server was not configured correctly on your instance, you should terminate the instance and start a new one.
I see an error about insufficient capacity when I click Launch to launch an instance.
This is an error from Amazon meaning that EC2 does not have the available capacity to meet your request for a new instance. If your deployment architecture permits, you may be able to work around this error by requesting an instance in a different availability zone or letting Amazon choose the availability zone for you. Other options are to try launching a different size of instance or launching the instance later.
When I try to retrieve the administrator password, I get the message "No password was found."
This message can appear if you try to use Get Windows Password after you have stopped and started an EC2 instance. To avoid this error, the first time you log in, change the Administrator password to a value you can more easily remember.
I can't see the GIS Data folder when I try to create a service in Manager.
The GIS Data folder (configured on D:\GIS Data) is not shared by default. You must enable Windows file sharing on this folder before you can browse its contents using Manager. You should give the SOC account permissions to read and write to the shared folder.
If you don't want to share the folder, you can type the local path to the resource into Manager (for example D:\GIS Data\MyMap.mxd).
How do I add an administrative connection to my server in ArcCatalog?
When you log in to your EC2 instance with the Administrator account, ArcCatalog is preconfigured with an administrative connection to ArcGIS Server. If this connection is lost or deleted, or if you log in to your EC2 instance with another account, you can re-add it through the Add ArcGIS Server wizard. Be sure to use the machine's internal IP address when prompted to provide the host name. The internal IP is part of the Private DNS property of your server, visible in the AWS Management Console. It begins with 10, taking the format 10.x.x.x.
If you do manually add the connection, be aware that the IP address of your EC2 instance changes on restart. This means that if you stop and start your instance, any connections to your server manually added in ArcCatalog will be broken. For the Administrator account only, the instance startup process creates a new administrative connection using the new IP address.
How do I find out my Access Key and Secret Access Key?
When configuring third-party applications, such as S3Fox Organizer, to work with your Amazon account, you may be asked to provide your Access Key and Secret Access Key. These unique keys are used to identify you (or an application acting in your behalf such as S3Fox) when you make requests to Amazon Web Services.
Your Access Key and Secret Access Key are visible through the AWS Management Console. Click the Account link at the top of the console and click Security Credentials. The keys are available on the Access Keys tab.