HOW TO

Authorize Portal for ArcGIS Offline

Last Published: March 28, 2024

Summary

There are times when an ArcGIS Enterprise environment is only accessible within an organization's network, and authorizing licenses through the internet is not an option.
Environments that use Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.1 through 10.6.1 follow an offline authorization workflow that is different than that employed by version 10.7 and later. Both workflows are described below.

Procedure

Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.1 through 10.6.1

Steps to obtain the Portal authorization file

  1. Navigate to Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > Software Authorization for Portal for Arcgis.
  2. For Authorization Options, select I have installed my Software and need to authorize it.
  1. For Authorization Method, select Authorize at Esri's website or by email to receive your authorization file.
  1. Under Authorization Information, fill out the form with an administrator's information and the organization's details.
  1. Click Next, and provide the authorization information.
  1. Provide the ECP authorization number that is provided through My Esri or through the order fulfillment email.
  1. Click Save, and save the generated authorize.txt file somewhere on the machine or on a network drive that allows the file to be accessed by a computer that is connected to the internet. Once the file is saved, follow either Step 1 or Step 2 from the prompt to provide the file to Esri.

Steps to authorize Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.1 through 10.6

  1. Log in to My Esri with an administrator account and navigate to the Secure Site Operations page by clicking Licensing > ADDITIONAL LICENSING TOOLS > Secure Site Operations, or by visiting: https://my.esri.com/#/activations/secure-site
The Secure Site Operations option in My Esri
  1. Upload the authorization.txt file that was saved in Step 7 above, to the secure site and when prompted. Save the authorization.ecp file on your machine and either move it to a shared network drive that can be accessed by the Portal machine, or copy and paste the file if your Remote Desktop settings allow it.
  2. With the authorization.ecp file now on the Portal machine, open up the Software Authorization for Portal for Arcgis application by navigating to Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > Software Authorization for Portal for Arcgis.
  3. Under Authorization Options, choose I have received an authorization file and am now ready to finish the authorization process, and browse to the authorization.ecp file.
  1. Once the file has been imported, you should see the authorization completion page listing all the features that have successfully been authorized.

Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.7 and later

Starting with ArcGIS Version 10.7, the authorization process has been updated to utilize a .JSON file instead of an .ECP file. With that change, came a completely new workflow to authorize Portal for ArcGIS. The new authorization workflow works the same in environments that have Portal for ArcGIS connected to the internet and those that do not have an internet connection.

Steps to obtain the Portal for ArcGIS JSON file

This workflow has been added to this article only for the reader's convenience and can be found in the product documentation page on how to obtain a portal license file. This can be performed on any machine that is connected to the internet, as direct access to My Esri is required.

  1. Log in to My Esri
  2. Select My Organizations > Licensing > License Esri Products.
    • For Product, select ArcGIS Enterprise
    • For Version, select 10.8
    • From the License type list, select Portal for ArcGIS
  3. Under Select User Type and Application Licenses, you will see the user types, applications, and extensions that are available for your organization. Select the number of licenses for each user type, application, and extension to include in the license file. Click Next
Note:
The license file must contain at least one user type license that is compatible with the administrator role.
  1. If you selected to license ArcGIS Pro or ArcGIS Pro extensions, select the number of add-on ArcGIS Pro licenses and ArcGIS Pro extensions. Click Next.
Note:
The GIS Professional user type includes ArcGIS Pro.
  1. If you selected ArcGIS Pro, Drone2Map, or the GIS Professional user types, enter the information for the license manager. Click Next
  2. Enter information about the end user who uses the provisioning file to authorize licenses. Click Next
  3. Review the provisioning file information. Once verified that it is correct, choose the delivery method for the license file and click Create File.
    The license file is available to download or send via email on the next page.

Steps to authorize Portal for ArcGIS versions 10.7 and later

After the JSON authorization file has been downloaded from My Esri, continue with the authorization process highlighted below. This workflow does not require internet access but requires access to the Portal site.

  1. Navigate to the Portal Home site and sign in with an administrator account.
  2. Navigate to Organization > Licenses > Import Licenses > import the JSON file, and select the JSON file obtained in the previous steps.
  3. Any previously imported license will be overwritten with the new one and you will receive a congratulatory message indicating that your Portal was successfully licensed.

Article ID: 000023270

Software:
  • Portal for ArcGIS

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