A server directory is specially designated for an ArcGIS Server site to store and write certain kinds of information. There are four types of server directories: cache, jobs, output, and system.
Cache directories store caches of prerendered tiles that map services can use for faster display. Once the service is published, you'll use the system tools included with ArcGIS Server to build the cache. Cached services often require large amounts of storage, so ensure your cache directories are adequately proportioned to handle the tiles created during the caching process.
Jobs directories store files needed by geoprocessing services. Often, geoprocessing services require a space to write temporary files and store information about ongoing jobs and job results. These items are stored in the jobs directory.
Output directories are for temporary files needed by the server. Output directories are required for geoprocessing services, recommended for geodata services, and optional for map and image services. When you publish a service or edit its properties in ArcGIS Server Manager, you can choose which server output directory it will use.
The system directory is used to manage information necessary for maintaining services, ArcGIS Server, and database connections, as well as storing files uploaded to the ArcGIS Server site. Do not manually modify or delete files in this directory. There can only be one instance of this directory in the ArcGIS Server site.
Storage options
When deploying an ArcGIS Server site, you must choose an optimal location to store your site's system directories, including the configuration store and server directories.
- When deploying in on-premises environments, choose to store system directories on a file share or storage device.
- When deploying in a cloud environment, you may use a cloud service to store system directories. This approach is especially beneficial when you plan to scale beyond a single-machine or create a highly available site.
Permissions and visibility of server directories
When you create an ArcGIS Server site in ArcGIS Server Manager, the server directories are created on your ArcGIS Server machine and the ArcGIS Server account is granted read and write access to these directories. By default, the server directories are installed at <ArcGIS Server installation drive>\arcgisserver\directories. You can manage your server directories in ArcGIS Server Manager by clicking Site > Server Configuration > Directories.
When configuring a multiple-machine site
If you are configuring a multiple-machine site in an on-premises environment, you must configure the server directories to use UNC paths before you add ArcGIS Server machines to your site. See Configure a multiple-machine deployment for more information about setting share and file permissions on your server directories.
When expanding from a one-machine site to a multiple-machine site
If you are expanding your site from one ArcGIS Server machine to multiple machines, you'll need to use your operating system tools to share the folders containing your directories and ensure that the ArcGIS Server account has permissions to read and write to these shared folders. For full instructions, see Configure multiple-machine ArcGIS Server sites.
Server directory cleaning
ArcGIS Server periodically deletes (or cleans) old unneeded files from the jobs, output, and system directories to prevent them from taking up more disk space than necessary. The cache directories are not cleaned because their contents are expected to be always available.
How the server cleans directories
When ArcGIS Server attempts to clean a file in a server directory, it checks to see if the time elapsed since the file was last modified is greater than the specified maximum file age. If the file meets this criteria, it is removed and the server moves on to the next file in the directory. If the file does not meet this criteria, it is retained in the directory.
By default, the server jobs, output, and system directories are specified to be cleaned using the following criteria:
| Directory | Cleanup mode | Maximum file age |
|---|---|---|
jobs | Time since last modified | 360 minutes (6 hours) |
output | Time since last modified | 10 minutes |
system | Time since last modified | 1,440 minutes (24 hours) |
For example, if a file in the output directory has not been modified within 10 minutes of being created, the cleanup mechanism will delete the file because it has surpassed the maximum allowed file age. You can adjust the cleanup mode and maximum file age to the needs of your site.
In addition to the cleanup mode and maximum file age, the jobs, output, and system directories have their own set of cleaning rules, for example:
- When a jobs directory is cleaned, ArcGIS Server only deletes the job if it has completed, been canceled, or failed.
- When an output directory is cleaned, ArcGIS Server only deletes files and folders if the file or folder name begins with _ags.
- When the system directory is cleaned, ArcGIS Server only deletes uploaded items if they have been completely uploaded to the server.
Adjust or disable directory cleaning
You can adjust or disable server directory cleaning for the jobs, output, and system directories using ArcGIS Server Manager. For full instructions, see Edit a server directory in ManagerArcGIS Server Manager.
Access server directories from a URL
ArcGIS Server allows you to access items from your server directories using virtual paths, or URLs.
The URL of the directory takes the form https://gisserver.domain.com:6443/arcgis/rest/directories/<directory name>.
For example, if you have an output image at the location c:\arcgisserver\directories\arcgisoutput\<YourServiceName>\_ags_map00c6dac961024efeb14067f990a38d5f.png, it is available through the following URL:
https://gisserver.domain.com:6443/arcgis/rest/directories/arcgisoutput/<YourServiceName>/_ags_map00c6dac961024efeb14067f990a38d5f.png
You can click the Directories tab in ArcGIS Server Manager for more information about the URLs of each of your server directories.
Tip:
Using ArcGIS Web Adaptor, you can tailor the above URL to remove the need for port 6443 or arcgis.
Set security for directory URL access
Using the ArcGIS Server Administrator Directory, you can set security for content that's accessed in your server directories through a URL (such as arcgisoutput and arcgisjobs):
- To require authentication across your ArcGIS Server site when accessing the server directory URLs of secured services, open the Update Security Configuration operation and set the virtualDirsSecurityEnabled parameter to true.
- To require authentication when accessing server directory URL endpoints for a particular secured service, starting at 10.8.1, you can edit the service and add the virtualDirsSecurityEnabled parameter and set it to true. This will not affect the security settings for other services' directory content.