This topic addresses common questions about the behavior of ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 when used with earlier versions of ArcGIS.
ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 is similar in architecture and appearance to 10.1 and later versions and can be applied without uninstalling the software.
In contrast, major architectural changes were introduced into ArcGIS Server between versions 10.0 and 10.1. For this reason, some of the questions and answers below have specific notes about 10.0.
Can I view and use my 10.5.1 services within an earlier version of ArcGIS Desktop?
You can add 10.5.1 services to earlier versions of ArcGIS Desktop and use them in the same way that you used them in the past, including as a layer in ArcMap. However, if your ArcGIS Server10.5.1 site is federated with Portal for ArcGIS and the portal is configured with Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), you must at least use ArcGIS Desktop 10.3.
If your 10.5.1 ArcGIS Server site is federated with Portal for ArcGIS and you are connecting from a pre-10.2 version of ArcGIS Desktop, you must access your services through ArcMap using Add Data > Add Data from Portal for ArcGIS. You cannot connect to the server by clicking Add ArcGIS Server.
Can I publish a service to 10.5.1 using an earlier version of ArcGIS Desktop?
Generally, you can use a 10.1 or later version of ArcGIS Desktop to publish a service to a 10.5.1 server. However, there are some restrictions to publishing if you are attempting to take advantage of functionality exclusive to 10.5.1:
- If you're using web-tier authentication for your administrative connection, you must use 10.2 or later to publish.
- If you're publishing to a server that is federated withPortal for ArcGIS, you must use 10.2 or later to publish.
- If you're publishing a geoprocessing service, the ArcGIS Desktop version must match ArcGIS Server.
Note:
Editing data store properties during publishing is considered an administrative process. See Can I administer a 10.5.1 server using an earlier version of ArcGIS Desktop? for details.
Can I use ArcGIS Desktop 10.5.1 to publish a service to an earlier version of ArcGIS Server?
Generally, you can publish services to a 10.1 or 10.2 version of ArcGIS Server using a 10.5.1 version of ArcGIS Desktop. However, you will not be able to take advantage of any new 10.5.1 functionality until your server is upgraded to 10.5.1.
If you're publishing a geoprocessing service, the ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server versions must match.
Can I administer a 10.5.1 server using an earlier version of ArcGIS Desktop?
No. You must use version 10.5.1 to administer a 10.5.1 server. In the scenario where you've upgraded to ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 but you have not upgraded Desktop, consider using the ArcGIS Server Manager web application to administer your server.
Can I administer a 10.0 server using a later version of ArcGIS Desktop?
No. You must use version 10.0 to administer a 10.0 server. In the scenario where you've upgraded to ArcGIS Desktop 10.5.1 and you need to administer a server from an earlier version, consider using the ArcGIS Server Manager web application to administer the server.
Can I configure an earlier version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor with my 10.5.1 server?
No. To configure ArcGIS Web Adaptor with ArcGIS Server, both products need to be running version 10.5.1.
Can I install ArcGIS 10.5.1 Web Adaptor (IIS) on the same machine as a previous version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor (IIS)?
Yes. Beginning at 10.2.1, you can have a 10.2.1 version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor (IIS) installed alongside one other previous version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor on the same machine. For example, you can have a 10.1 SP1 version and a 10.5.1 version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor installed on the same web server.
As with previous releases, the Web Adaptor's version must always match the version of ArcGIS Server. For example, you cannot configure a 10.5.1 version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor with ArcGIS Server 10.2.
If you want to upgrade a previous version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor (IIS) to 10.5.1, you'll need to uninstall the old version and install the 10.5.1 setup. After installing 10.5.1, you'll need to configure the Web Adaptor with ArcGIS Server.
To learn more, see Installing ArcGIS Web Adaptor (IIS).
At 10.5.1, can I reuse a map cache I created in an earlier version so I don't have to re-create the cache?
Yes. Map caches from 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3 are available immediately. With 10.0 caches, make sure your cache is sitting in a server cache directory registered with ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 (either by moving your cache or by registering its current location as a server cache directory). Then republish the service at 10.5.1with the same name it used in 10.0, and configure the service to point to the appropriate cache directory.
Beginning at 10.3, the compact cache storage format was improved to increase performance when consuming cached map and image services. Improvements also reduced the number of files created in the cache directory. If you want your existing cache to leverage these performance improvements, you'll need to upgrade the cache. For details, see Inside the compact cache storage format.
Using 10.5.1, can I connect to earlier versions of the geodatabase?
Yes. See Client and geodatabase compatibility for a list of compatible versions.
Can I publish services to ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 that contain data from a previous geodatabase version?
In most cases, the geodatabase version does not have to match the version of ArcGIS Server. For specific information on which geodatabase versions are supported with ArcGIS Server10.5.1, see Client and geodatabase compatibility.
Do I need to upgrade my geodatabase to use it as ArcGIS Server 10.5.1's Managed Database?
Earlier geodatabase versions can be used as ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 's Managed Database. For specific information on which geodatabase versions are supported with ArcGIS Server 10.5.1, see Client and geodatabase compatibility. To learn more about ArcGIS Server's Managed Database, see Copying data to the server automatically when publishing.