The following provide answers to some of the questions frequently asked about deploying ArcGIS Enterprise on Microsoft Azure.
Accessing a deployment
Deployment creation
Deployment management
Accessing a deployment
Though you can access databases running in the cloud or files stored in Azure Blob Storage from ArcGIS software installed on premises, doing so will almost always be slower than accessing the data from a client installed in the same region in the cloud.
For this reason, Esri recommends you only access data in Azure from clients running in the same Azure region where the data is stored.
How do I sign in to virtual machines in Microsoft Azure that I deployed using ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder for Microsoft Azure?
You can click the Connect using Remote Desktop button 
next to the deployment in Cloud Builder and provide credentials of the machine administrator that you specified when you created the deployment.
If you included a jump box when you created the deployment, connect to that machine and make a remote desktop connection to the other machines in the deployment from there. To see the names of
the machines in a deployment, click the Manage Machines in the site button 
next to the deployment in Cloud Builder.
To make a Remote Desktop connection to a federated server, use the jumpbox of the ArcGIS Enterprise with which the site is federated.
Deployment creation
Can I install and configure ArcGIS Enterprise in the Microsoft Azure cloud without using ArcGIS Enterprise Cloud Builder for Microsoft Azure?
Yes. You can create virtual machines in the Microsoft Azure cloud and install and configure ArcGIS Enterprise components on them. However, this is an advanced workflow that requires you to be proficient in both Microsoft Azure and ArcGIS Enterprise configuration. Also, you cannot use Cloud Builder to manage these deployments.
Read the appropriate documentation for each component before you attempt to create a deployment without using Cloud Builder.
| Action | Documentation |
|---|---|
Installing ArcGIS Enterprise components | |
ArcGIS Enterprise administration | |
Registering an object store deployed in Azure Blob Storage | Either the ArcGIS API for Python help or the object store example in the registerItem operation page of the REST API help |
Installing and using ArcGIS Pro | The Get Started section of the ArcGIS Pro help |
Creating an enterprise geodatabase | Create a geodatabase in SQL Server or Create a geodatabase in a PostgreSQL cloud-based database service |
Using and administering components in Microsoft Azure |
Deployment management
Administrative access is enabled through the web proxy by default, but I don't want it enabled. How do I disable it?
Do the following to disable administrative access through the web proxy URL:
- Make a remote desktop connection to each of the web proxy instances. Sign in using the machine administrator credentials you specified in Cloud Builder when you deployed the site.
- Open the c:\inetpub\wwwroot\web.config file in a text editor.
- Remove admin or portaladmin tokens from the match URL rules.
For example, remove admin from the match URL tag of the "RP-HTTP-Server" rule name text before removing
<rule name="RP-HTTP-Server" stopProcessing="true"> <match url="^[^/]+/(manager|admin|rest|services|mobile|tokens|login|help)(/?)(.*)" />After you remove the admin token, the tag will look like the following:
<rule name="RP-HTTP-Server" stopProcessing="true"> <match url="^[^/]+/(manager|rest|services|mobile|tokens|login|help)(/?)(.*)" /> - Save changes to the web.config file and close it.
After I use Cloud Builder to upgrade my deployment, there are still installations of older ArcGIS Enterprise components present on my machines. Can I remove these installations?
When you use Cloud Builder to create deployments, all ArcGIS Enterprise components are installed on the machines, but only those components you use are running. After you upgrade, previous releases of all components remain on the machine. After you upgrade and determine that your deployment is working properly, you can connect to the machine (or machines) in your deployment and uninstall the older, unused components. Follow the uninstallation instructions provided in the installation guide for each component that you want to remove.