Publishing a service definition to the server in ArcGIS for Desktop

Using ArcCatalog or the Catalog window in ArcGIS for Desktop, you can publish a service definition file (.sd) as an ArcGIS Server service. The service definition is uploaded to the server as part of the publishing process. You don't have to copy it to the server beforehand.

To publish a service definition using ArcGIS for Desktop, follow these steps.

1. In the Catalog tree, navigate to the service definition you want to publish.
2. Right-click the service definition and choose Publish as a service.
3. Choose the ArcGIS Server connection that will be used to publish the service definition from the Connection drop-down list.
4. Optionally, choose the GIS server cluster that will host the published service definition. To learn more, see About GIS server clusters.
5. Optionally, enter a new name for the service. The name cannot be more than 120 characters long, and may contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
6. By default, the service definition is published to the server folder specified in the service definition configuration. If you want to change the folder where the service definition will be published, choose a folder from the drop-down list or create a new folder.

   Note:

   You cannot publish a service definition to the Hosted, System, or Utilities folders of ArcGIS Server. The System and Utilities folders are reserved for various preconfigured services. The Hosted folder contains hosted services published to Portal for ArcGIS. This folder only displays in Manager if your server is federated with Portal for ArcGIS and configured as the portal's hosting server.

7. Optionally, you can share the service on ArcGIS Online when the service definition is published. To do so:
   1. Select Register the service with ArcGIS Online when published.
   2. Click Next.
   3. In the ArcGIS Online Sign In window, enter your ArcGIS Online user name and password. If you don't have an account, you can sign up by clicking Create new account.
   4. Select how you want to share your service on ArcGIS Online. For a description of these options, see Setting map service properties.
8. Click Finish to publish the service definition as a service.

   Note:

   If the service definition you are publishing will be copying data to the server, the size of the data and your network bandwidth impacts the time it takes to publish.

Your service is now running on the server and can be accessed by users and clients on your network. If your server administrator has allowed web access to the service, your service is also now available on the web.