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Making an administrative connection to ArcGIS Server in ArcGIS for Desktop

ArcCatalog and the Catalog window in ArcGIS for Desktop allow you to add connections to administer your ArcGIS Server site. Follow these steps to add a connection.

Note:

Only ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop and later versions can make administrative connections to ArcGIS Server.

  1. In the Catalog tree, expand the GIS Servers node.
  2. Double-click Add ArcGIS Server.
  3. Choose Administer GIS server and click Next.
  4. For the Server URL, type the URL of the ArcGIS Server site you want to connect to, for example, http://gisserver.domain.com:6080/arcgis. If you need help constructing this URL, see Components of ArcGIS URLs.
  5. Choose ArcGIS Server from the Server Type drop-down list.
  6. During the publishing process, a service definition file is created and temporarily stored locally on disk. When the publishing process completes, the service definition is uploaded to the server and the local file is deleted. You can optionally change the default location by deselecting Use ArcGIS Desktop's staging folder and browsing to a new location. For more information, see Changing the default staging folder in ArcGIS for Desktop.
  7. Provide your User Name and Password. Optionally, you can save your user name and password information so that you don't have to type it each time you connect.
  8. Click Finish. Your connection appears in the GIS Servers node in the Catalog tree.
  9. Optionally, rename your connection. To do so, right-click the connection in the Catalog tree and choose Rename.

You are now connected with an administrative connection, allowing you to change ArcGIS Server site properties such as logging levels, cluster properties, and the list of participating machines. You can also use this connection to publish, edit, add, remove, start, and stop services.

Tip:

You can modify your connection settings by right-clicking the connection in the Catalog tree and clicking Properties.