Configuring a disconnected deployment
In this topic
If you're configuring Portal for ArcGIS in an environment where there is no Internet connection available or Internet access is prohibited by your organization, you may encounter the following issues:
- When accessing the Portal for ArcGIS website and ArcGIS Portal Directory through HTTPS, it takes some time (up to a minute) for the applications to load in Internet Explorer.
- Printing or previewing a web map fails.
- Searching for or locating an address in a web map fails.
- Calculating area or drawing geometry in a web map fails.
- Specifying the extent of a web map item in the portal website fails.
- Basemaps do not appear when adding OGC WMS services to the map viewer.
- If you've enabled sharing to social media, these links open with a 404 error.
To alleviate these issues, you need to configure specific SSL and HTTPS settings and repoint the portal to local resources. To get started, see the following sections.
Configure SSL and HTTPS settings
There are several SSL and HTTPS settings that you should consider configuring when setting up your portal in a disconnected environment.
Prevent Internet Explorer from connecting to the Internet when using HTTPS
By default, Internet Explorer attempts to connect to the Internet when you access HTTPS URLs in the browser. In an environment that does not have access to the Internet, the browser will attempt to connect to the Internet for a period of time, usually one minute. For example, after one minute, the browser will timeout and connect to the URL successfully. This behavior is commonly mistaken for a poor connection, as the browser seems to hang until the timeout value is reached.
To prevent this behavior and allow access to the Portal for ArcGIS website and ArcGIS Portal Directory immediately in the browser, reduce the timeout value on each machine where Internet Explorer is installed. To do so, follow these steps:
- Click Start > Run.
- In the Open dialog box, type mmc and click OK.
- Click File > Add/Remove Snap-in.
- In the Add or Remove Snap-ins dialog box, select the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in and click Add.
- In the Select Group Policy Object dialog box, click Finish.
- In the Add or Remove Snap-ins dialog box, click OK.
- Under Console Root, expand Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings and select Public Key Policies.
- Under Object Type, double-click Certificate Path Validation Settings.
- Click the Network Retrieval tab, and enable Define these policy settings.
- Change the Default retrieval timeout settings values to 1 second.
- Click OK.
- Under Console Root, expand Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Internet Communication Management and select Internet Communication Settings.
- Double-click Turn off Automatic Root Certificates Update and select Enabled.
- Click OK and close the console.
Repointing the portal to local resources
The items that you'll need to repoint to local resources include the portal's utility services and website-specific properties. The utility service settings are configured through the portal. The website has its own configuration files, which you must modify.
Utility services
Print service—When you click Print in the portal map viewer, the print service is used to preview and print the map. By default, the service originates from ArcGIS Online. In a disconnected environment, you'll need to configure your portal to use a print service from ArcGIS Server; otherwise, you won't be able to print and preview web maps. The service can be ArcGIS Server's preconfigured print service or a custom print service hosted on the server.
If you specify a hosting server for your portal, the hosting server's print service is automatically configured with the portal. You'll only need to start and share the print service to use it in the portal. However, if you've previously configured a print service with your portal, the URL is not updated when specifying a hosting server. You'll need to start the service, share the service, and then configure it as a utility service.
Geocode service—Portal for ArcGIS is preconfigured to use the World Geocode Service hosted by ArcGIS Online, which allows you to find and map a specified address or place name. In a disconnected environment, you'll need to set up your own ArcGIS Server geocode service to find addresses.
Geometry service—Geometry services perform the calculations necessary to do such spatial analysis as buffering and calculating area. Portal for ArcGIS uses an ArcGIS Online geometry service by default. In a disconnected environment, you'll need to set up your own ArcGIS Server geometry service. The service can be ArcGIS Server's preconfigured geometry service or a custom geometry service hosted on the server.
Route service—Route services allow you to find directions between two or more locations. The portal's route utility service is used for the Directions functionality available in web maps. By default, there is no route service configured with the portal. To get directions from the map viewer in a disconnected environment, you'll need to publish your own ArcGIS Server route service.
To learn how to update the utility services to point at local services, see Configuring utility services for full instructions.
Website properties
extentService: "<URL to local map service>",—The extent service is used to update or set the extent of a web map item in the Set Extent dialog box in the portal website. By default, the extent service originates from ArcGIS Online. In a disconnected environment, you'll need to configure your portal with an ArcGIS Server map service. The service must use the WGS 1984 geographic coordinate system with well-known ID (WKID) 4326.
gcsBasemapService: "<URL to local map service>",—The GCS basemap service is used as the basemap for OGC WMS services that do not support the Web Mercator coordinate system. By default, the GCS basemap service originates from ArcGIS Online. In a disconnected environment, you'll need to configure your portal with an ArcGIS Server map service. The service must use the WGS 1984 geographic coordinate system with well-known ID (WKID) 4326.
showSocialMediaLinks: false,—Indicates whether or not Facebook and Twitter links are displayed on the item details dialog box. The default is false, meaning that the links are not displayed. If this property was set to true after installation, you'll need to disable the links in a disconnected environment.
webSearchEnabled: false,—Indicates whether searches on the web (for example, Google searches) are permitted on the content in your portal. The default is true. In a disconnected environment, disable web searches.
The file that contains these properties is located in <Portal for ArcGIS installation directory>\customizations\<version number>\webapps\arcgis#home\js\esri\arcgisonline\config.js. It's recommended that you make a backup copy of this file before modifying it.
Tip:
After you modify the properties in the file, you'll need to restart your portal to apply your edits and clear your browser's cache (including cookies) to see the changes in the portal website. To learn more, see Setting advanced portal options.
ArcGIS API for JavaScript
Portal for ArcGIS includes version 3.13 of the ArcGIS API for JavaScript as part of the installation. There is no need to host your own API and point the portal at the local version; the portal and web application templates automatically reference the installed API. The locally installed API is typically available at https://webadaptor.domain.com/arcgis/jsapi/jsapi.
Web application templates
Portal for ArcGIS includes a variety of web application templates that users can publish to the portal or download and host on a web server. Out of the box, the web application templates that users publish to the portal are automatically configured to use the locally hosted ArcGIS API for JavaScript. If your users want to download the web application templates and use them to create applications that are hosted on a web server, they will need to follow the instructions included in the readme.html file that is bundled with the templates.
Basemaps
Portal for ArcGIS comes preconfigured with a collection of basemaps from ArcGIS Online. These basemaps are not supported for use in offline workflows. For example, you cannot take these preconfigured basemaps offline in Collector for ArcGIS.
You can use a python script to add the default ArcGIS Online basemaps as map items in your portal. The basemap map items can be taken offline and used in offline workflows. For full instructions, see Example: Prepare Esri basemaps for use in offline workflows.
Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS
Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS is an application that provides a common operational picture to monitor an event or system in your organization. You can deploy Operations Dashboard with your portal to build operation views, which include maps, lists, charts, and other tools to display and track live geographic data. For more information, see Deploy Operations Dashboard to Portal for ArcGIS.