Join additional machines to an ArcGIS Video Server site

Multiple-machine ArcGIS Video Server sites allow you to support more active members. If you have many active users, or if your single machine's resources are inadequate for your users' needs, expanding to a multiple-machine site could be beneficial. All machines in an ArcGIS Video Server site must have the same version and license file. On the first machine you set up, you'll need to create an ArcGIS Video Server site. You can then join any additional ArcGIS Video Server  machines to the site.

Before installation

When you create an ArcGIS Video Server site, you specify locations for the configuration store and server directories. In a multiple-machine site, you must share the configuration store and server directories so that the other machines can access them. Each machine that joins the site must be granted read and write permissions to these shared locations.

Install and configure a multiple-machine site

When setting up a multiple-machine ArcGIS Video Server site, additional steps are required.

1. Review the system requirements for ArcGIS Video Server for each machine. Adjust the firewalls to open port 21080 and 21443 for communication from each machine in your ArcGIS Video Server deployment if necessary. If a firewall is in place between  ArcGIS Web Adaptor or external clients, open port 21443 in the firewall.

   Port 21443 must be reachable by ArcGIS Web Adaptor (if used) or external clients.

   Make sure you install using the same operating system user on both machines. The user account used to install ArcGIS Video Server will be the account used to run the software. Group users and all others must have at least run permissions to the ArcGIS Video Server installation directory. Note that installing ArcGIS Video Server with the root account is not supported. The user account used to install on two machines, for example, could be as follows:

   1. Install ArcGIS Video Server on the first machine at /data/ags as user ags, with a user ID of 58103.
   2. Install ArcGIS Video Server on a second machine at /data/ags with the same username and ID (ags, user ID 58103).
2. Ensure that you have already done the following during the installation process to this point:
   1. Install and authorize ArcGIS Video Server on each machine or silently install the software.
3. Create and share two directories on your network, specifying the installation user as the owner.

   One should be for the configuration store and the other for your server directories. You must grant at least 700 permissions to the folders.

   Note:

   Shared network directories that are hidden or use special characters (for example, $) are not supported by ArcGIS Video Server.

   See the following example:
   1. Create a directory named config-store. Specify the owner as ags, with the user ID of 58103. Grant at least 700 permissions to the directory.
   2. Share the config-store folder so that both machines can access the directory using the same path, for example, /net/myserver/config-store.
   3. Create a directory named arcgisvideoserver. Specify the owner as ags, with the user ID of 58103. Grant at least 700 permissions to the directory.
   4. Share the arcgisvideoserver folder so that both machines can access the directory using the same path, for example, /net/myserver/arcgisvideoserver.

      Even if the directories reside on the same machine that you will use when creating the site, you must still manually create and share the directories and reference them through a network path.

4. From one of your machines, create an ArcGIS Video Server site. Ensure you use the paths for your server directories and configuration store that you set up earlier.
5. Once the previous steps have been completed, join each additional machine to the site you've created using a configuration wizard. To join the site from the command line, see step 6.
   1. From the first additional machine, open the ArcGIS Video Server Admin Endpoint.
   2. Click Join Site.
   3. Enter the site URL and credentials for your ArcGIS Video Server site as created in step 4.
   4. Repeat substeps a through d for each additional machine you want to join to the site.
6. As an alternative to using the configuration wizard, join the machine to the site using a command line utility, as follows:
   1. Ensure you're signed in to the machine with the ArcGIS Video Server account.
   2. Open a command prompt and run the utility, which is located at <ArcGIS Video Server install directory>/tools/joinsite/joinsite.sh. The following are the command line parameters for the utility:

      Parameter	Description
      -u or --username	The username of the primary site administrator. The username cannot contain these characters: \/:*?|<>
      -p or --password	The password for the primary site administrator. The password cannot contain these characters: \/:*?|<>
      -f or --file	The configuration store connection file for the joinsite utility.
      -s or --siteUrl	The URL of the existing ArcGIS Mission Server site to join, in the format https://missionserver.domain.com:20443/arcgis/admin.
      -h or --help	Displays command line help and exits.

      The following is an example command for the utility:

      <ArcGIS Video Server install directory>/tools/joinsite/joinsite.sh -u videoPSA -p my.Password3 -s https://videoserver.domain.com:20443/arcgis/admin

      If the account credentials and site URL are entered correctly, the utility will join the machine to the ArcGIS Video Server site. Repeat this step for each additional machine.

Once all machines are joined to the site, the remaining setup process is the same as for single-machine sites. Proceed to install and configure ArcGIS Web Adaptor with your site. You will then configure your site with your ArcGIS Enterprise portal.

Joining sites using an Object Store for a Config-Store

If using an Object Store (Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure) for the initial site’s Config-Store, note that the Directories folders must still be located in shared paths that can be reached by both machines with adequate permissions to read and write by the User Account that is running ArcGIS Video Server.