Configure ArcGIS Pro licenses

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The ArcGIS Pro application is part of ArcGIS for Desktop, which allows you to create and work with spatial data on your desktop. It provides tools to visualize, analyze, compile, and share your data in both 2D and 3D environments.

As an administrator of an organization that will use ArcGIS Pro, configure ArcGIS Pro licenses with your organization's ArcGIS License Server Administrator to specify which members can use the software. Purchase and download ArcGIS Pro entitlements through My Esri. The provision of ArcGIS Pro licenses to members of your organization is managed through Portal for ArcGIS.

Only ArcGIS Pro uses licensing through the organization. Other ArcGIS for Desktop applications—ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcGlobe, and ArcScene—use the local ArcGIS Administrator application to set levels and extensions.

Configure ArcGIS Pro licenses for your organization

Configure ArcGIS Pro licenses using the following steps. The portal you specify to manage licenses is known as the licensing portal. This is important, as ArcGIS Pro connects to this portal to obtain licensing information for members of your organization. If your organization has multiple portals, ensure the portal you specify is the one you want to use to manage licenses. Only one portal can use ArcGIS License Server Administrator; you cannot configure multiple licensing portals. You can optionally configure the portal with a backup ArcGIS License Server Administrator.

1. If you haven't done so already, review the ArcGIS License Manager system requirements and install the software. You can download the setup from My Esri. If you have an earlier version of the license administrator installed, it must be upgraded to version 10.3 (or later) before you can configure ArcGIS Pro licenses.

   Starting at ArcGIS Pro 1.2, ArcGIS License Manager must be at version 10.4 or later to license ArcGIS Pro regardless of the version of your portal.

2. After installing, open ArcGIS License Server Administrator and click Machine IDs.
3. Copy and save the MAC address in the Machine Identifiers dialog box—for example, a9163f363709 (you'll need to provide this information to My Esri). If two MAC addresses are present in the dialog box, copy only one of them.
4. Log in to My Esri and click My Organizations > Licensing > Create New Provisioning File.
5. Choose ArcGIS Pro (for Portal use) from the Product Type list.

   The Version, License Type, Provision, and File Type options populate automatically.

6. Click Apply.
7. Choose the number of licenses for each core product and extension that you will allocate to your portal. Click Next.
8. Enter the contact and address information for you or your organization.

   Tip:

   Click Populate user fields from my profile and Populate organization fields from my organization to automatically enter the information associated with your account.

9. Paste the MAC address you copied from ArcGIS License Server Administrator (for example, a9163f363709) into the Mac ID field.
10. Specify the delivery option for your license file. You can add a description or note to your request in the File Note field.
11. Click Review File and verify the provisioning information is correct.
12. Click Create File. Depending on the delivery option you specified, the file is available for download immediately or attached to an email sent to the address you specified.
13. Save the file (.lic) in a directory that is accessible by the machine hosting ArcGIS License Server Administrator.
14. Open ArcGIS License Server Administrator and start the license service if it's not running. Next, click the Authorization tab.
15. Select Named User from the Version drop-down dialog box and click Authorize Now.
16. Select I have received an authorization file from Esri and am now ready to finish the authorization process and browse to the license (.lic) file. Click Open.
17. Click Next. A dialog box displays indicating that the named user licenses have been applied. Click OK. A dialog box may display for a few seconds indicating that the licenses are being re-read.
18. Click the Availability tab and select Named User from the drop-down dialog box. Confirm that your expected authorizations display. The totals listed will be three times the actual number of named users. This is because each named user is allowed to have three simultaneous ArcGIS Pro sessions open.
19. Next, you'll need to generate a portal configuration file to inform the portal what ArcGIS Pro licenses (and how many of each) are available on ArcGIS License Server Administrator. Click the Authorization tab, click Generate, and save the portal configuration file (.json) to a location visible to Portal for ArcGIS. A dialog box displays indicating that the file was generated in the location you specified. Click OK and close ArcGIS License Server Administrator.
20. Open a web browser and sign in to the ArcGIS Portal Directory as an Administrator of your organization. The URL is formatted as https://portal.domain.com:7443/arcgis/portaladmin. The portal you sign in to becomes the licensing portal for your organization.
21. Click System > Licenses > Import Entitlements.
22. Click Browse or Choose File (button text varies depending on your browser) and select the portal configuration file (.json) you generated earlier. Ensure that the Application drop-down menu is set to ArcGIS Pro.
23. Click Import to configure your portal for ArcGIS Pro licenses.

Your organization is now configured with ArcGIS Pro licenses.

Provision ArcGIS Pro licenses in Portal for ArcGIS

Once you've configured ArcGIS Pro licenses for your organization, assign ArcGIS Pro licenses to yourself and your members. See Manage ArcGIS Pro licenses for full instructions. Once you've provisioned licenses accordingly, connect ArcGIS Pro to your licensing portal as described below.

Connect to the licensing portal in ArcGIS Pro

After you've provisioned ArcGIS Pro licenses accordingly, connect the software to your licensing portal. The licensing portal controls software authorizations for each member account in the portal. If your organization has multiple portals, ensure the portal you specify is the one you configured to manage licenses.

1. Start ArcGIS Pro. If ArcGIS Pro is already open, sign out, close the program, then restart. You can only connect to the licensing portal when you first start ArcGIS Pro.
2. On the ArcGIS Sign In dialog box, click Configure your licensing portal.
3. Select Sign in to Portal for ArcGIS and enter the URL of the licensing portal. The URL is formatted as https://webadaptor.domain.com/arcgis. ArcGIS Pro must have access to the licensing portal and the ArcGIS License Manager machine where the licenses have been authorized.
4. Click OK.
5. Enter your credentials and click Sign In.

ArcGIS Pro is now connected to the licensing portal. ArcGIS Pro continues to connect to the licensing portal during each startup. You can change the licensing portal by following the steps above.

If you're working in ArcGIS Pro but see a Not signed in indication in the corner of the application, you may need to sign in to the portal containing your content to be able to browse and share files. You can view the available portals by clicking the Project tab and selecting Portals. To connect to a different portal, right-click the portal's URL and select Set As Active Portal. You can also add another portal by clicking Add Portal.

Configure a backup ArcGIS License Server Administrator

Optionally, you can configure a backup ArcGIS License Server Administrator for your licensing portal. For example, if the primary ArcGIS License Server Administrator goes offline, the portal will failover to the backup license server you specify. This allows you to minimize downtime in your organization.

1. Complete steps 1 through 18 as described in the Configure ArcGIS Pro licenses for your organization section above. Make sure you specify the same ArcGIS Pro provisioning information.
2. Open a web browser and sign in to the ArcGIS Portal Directory as an Administrator of your organization. The URL is formatted as https://portal.domain.com:7443/arcgis/portaladmin.
3. Click System > Licenses > Update License Manager.
4. In the License Manager Info field, specify the host name of the backup ArcGIS License Server Administrator (for example, backuplm.domain.com):

   {
     "hostname": "primarylm.domain.com,backuplm.domain.com",
     "port": 27000
   }

5. Click Update. Portal for ArcGIS is restarted automatically. When the restart completes, the portal is configured with the backup license server you specified.

   Legacy:

   In earlier versions of Portal for ArcGIS, you were required to restart the portal manually to apply changes to the ArcGIS License Server Administrator configuration. Beginning at 10.3.1, restarting the portal manually is no longer required.

Delete the licensing portal

If you no longer want Portal for ArcGIS to be a licensing portal for your organization, delete the entitlements information using the ArcGIS Portal Directory as described below. All license assignments are revoked and users will no longer be able to use ArcGIS Pro.

1. Open a web browser and sign in to the ArcGIS Portal Directory as an Administrator of your organization. The URL is formatted as https://portal.domain.com:7443/arcgis/portaladmin.
2. Click System > Licenses > Remove All Entitlements.
3. Click Remove All Entitlements.
4. Restart the Portal for ArcGIS service. Your changes will apply after the restart is complete.

Your portal is no longer configured as the licensing portal for your organization. ArcGIS Pro license assignments are retained on disk. Therefore, if you decide to configure this portal as a licensing portal again in the future, all licensing assignments will be available in the website.