ArcGIS Server post installation stops responding when pre-existing services have large caches

Description

When running the ArcGIS Server post installation on a system where ArcGIS Server has been previously installed, the ArcGIS Server post installation stops responding if the server has map or globe services with large associated caches located in the default location.

Note:
This article pertains to ArcGIS versions 9.x. Later versions of ArcGIS may contain different functionality, as well as different names and locations for menus, commands and geoprocessing tools. 

Cause

Caches are built for map and globe services in ArcGIS Server to increase performance by serving pre-created tiles directly from a web server. These caches consist of files inside a cache directory, by default C:\arcgisserver\arcgiscache. Caches may contain very large numbers of cache files. If the ArcGIS Server post installation is run after creating a cache in the default location, then the permissions for every file under C:\arcgisserver are updated. This can take a long time and the ArcGIS Server post installation appears to stop responding during this time.

Solution or Workaround

The following steps outline how to prevent the ArcGIS Server post installation from needing to change the file permissions of every file in default-located caches by using operating system tools.

1. Stop the ArcGIS Server service.
   1. Navigate to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
   2. Select the ArcGIS Server Object Manager service and click Stop.
   3. Close the Services dialog box.
2. Rename the directory containing the ArcGIS Server server directories. This directory is C:\arcgisserver by default. For example, rename it to C:\arcgisserverBackup. Use Windows Explorer or a command prompt to rename the folder.

Note:
This breaks any UNC shares previously configured; reestablish them in step 8, below.

3. Run the ArcGIS Server post installation. For more information on the post installation, see the Install.htm page on the ArcGIS Server installation CD.
4. Log out of Windows and log back in.
5. Stop the ArcGIS Server service as it has been re-started by the ArcGIS Server post installation.
   1. Navigate to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
   2. Select the ArcGIS Server Object Manager service and click Stop.
   3. Close the Services dialog box.
6. Delete the ArcGIS Server cache directory created by the ArcGIS Server post installation. This is C:\arcgisserver\arcgiscache, unless it was changed in step 3.

Note:
It is very important NOT to delete the ArcGIS Server Directories primary directory (C:\arcgisserver, by default).

7. Move the cache sub-directory of the directory renamed in step 2 back to the location used during the post installation in step 3 (C:\arcgisserver, by default).
   
   For this example, move C:\arcgisserverbackup\arcgiscache to C:\arcgisserver\arcgiscache

Note:
Though the move process happens instantaneously, it may take some time for the permissions inherited by the moved files to propagate to all files in the caches. If the cache is inaccessible even after performing step 9, wait additional time, then re-start the affected map or globe services.

8. If UNC shares for the ArcGIS Server directory sub-directories were broken in step 3, re-establish them now.
9. Start the ArcGIS Server Service as described in step 1.