Configure ArcGIS Notebook Server directories

ArcGIS Notebook Server stores the file-based configurations and content needed for its operations in server directories. These directories can be added during the installation and configuration of ArcGIS Notebook Server, or later using ArcGIS Notebook Server Manager.

There are four types of directories, each of which plays a specific role in server operations: the workspace directory, the data directory, the output directory, and the system directory. The workspace and data directories are described below; the output and system directories are for purposes internal to ArcGIS Notebook Server.

Workspace directory

The workspace directory allows notebook authors to store and read the files used in their notebooks. Each notebook author in the ArcGIS Enterprise portal has a unique folder within the workspace directory. Your unique folder is mounted in each of your notebooks, so the notebook can read and write to the workspace directory. A notebook can only read and write information in its user's respective workspace directory folder; that folder cannot be accessed from other users' notebooks.

Data directory

Data is essential to ArcGIS Notebooks. When authoring notebooks, you can add data layers from items in the ArcGIS Enterprise portal, from external GIS servers, or from local file directories.

A local directory containing data can be made available to notebooks as a file path by being registered with their ArcGIS Notebook Server site. Multiple data directories can be registered with a server site. Each registered data directory is made available for use by every notebook running in that site.

Notebooks that use raster analytics workflows have a particular use for data directories. You can register a file-based raster store as a data directory, making the output of raster analytics tools immediately available in notebooks.

Considerations for data directories

For notebooks to have access to a registered data directory, the directory must allow read and execute permissions to all users.

Only local volumes can be registered as data directories. Windows shared volumes cannot be registered. This is a current limitation of Docker Desktop, which runs in ArcGIS Notebook Server.

In multiple-machine ArcGIS Notebook Server sites, any data directory you register with the site must be kept local on each machine, with its contents replicated and synchronized across machines using DFS replication or another system. You can follow the provided steps to add a new data directory to DFS replication.

All notebook authors in your organization can add data from all registered data directories to their notebooks. You cannot limit data directories to certain users or groups in the portal.

In deep-learning workflows that involve the generation of image chips to train a model, the chips are hosted in a file-based raster store. When performing such a workflow, register the raster store with ArcGIS Notebook Server as a data directory to make the image chips available to your notebooks.

Data in a registered data directory is not part of the ArcGIS Enterprise portal. Accordingly, when a notebook is shared, ensure that all users who will view the shared notebook have access to any registered data directory the notebook references.

Register a data directory

You can register a data directory in ArcGIS Notebook Server Manager to make a local directory available to the server site.

Note:

To upload or write files to this custom data directory location, the directory must have read and write permissions for the user "arcgis" (group "users") that is within the notebook container.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS Enterprise portal as an administrator and open ArcGIS Notebook Server Manager.
2. Open the Settings page, and click Directories.
3. Click Register Data Directory to open the registration dialog box.
4. Provide the name of the directory and its full path on your machine.
5. Indicate that the directory will function as a DATA directory.
6. Click Save to confirm.

You cannot edit or update the name or path for a directory registered with ArcGIS Notebook Server. To make changes, you must unregister the existing directory and then register it again.

Specify a new location for a server directory

You can edit an existing directory in Manager to change its location starting at 10.8. Use this method when expanding to a multiple-machine site to place your directories on shared file paths.

Note:

Use a local directory path for the arcgisworkspace directory and any custom data directories that your users register with the site. The same directory path must exist on each machine in a multiple-machine site.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS Enterprise portal as an administrator and open ArcGIS Notebook Server Manager.
2. Open the Settings page, and click Directories.
3. Choose the directory you want to modify, and click the Edit button.
4. Replace the existing Directory Path value with the new path of the directory. Click Save to confirm.

   After the site restarts, it uses the new path to access the directory.

5. Copy and paste the contents of the existing directory to its new location.

Repeat these steps for each directory you want to update.

Note:

If the arcgisworkspace directory location is updated, you must rerun the installation utility to extract sample data to the new workspace directory location.