WebGISDR tool error – "The system cannot find the path specified"

Error Message

When running the WebGISDR tool from the path C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Portal\tools\webgisdr, the command prompt may return an error similar to the following:

"The system cannot find the path specified".

This occurs even though:

• The tool’s location is correct.
• Permissions are properly assigned to the service account.
• The tool name and directory structure are typed accurately.

Other Portal for ArcGIS tools execute successfully, but WebGISDR fails specifically.

Cause

The WebGISDR tool requires Java to run and relies on the JAVA_HOME environment variable to locate the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

• If the JAVA_HOME variable is missing, the tool cannot find the required JRE.
• If the variable points to an invalid path (for example, including \bin at the end, such as C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_xxx\bin), the system is unable to locate the necessary Java executables.

As a result, even though other Portal for ArcGIS tools may work correctly, the WebGISDR tool fails specifically because it directly depends on the proper configuration of the JAVA_HOME environment variable.

Solution or Workaround

1. Open System Environment Variables on the machine.
2. Check if a variable named JAVA_HOME exists.
   • If it exists and includes \bin at the end, for example:

C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_xxx\bin

3. Remove the "\bin".

Correct path:

C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_xxx

4. If the variable does not exist, create a new system variable:
   • Name: JAVA_HOME
   • Value: C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_xxx

Note:
Navigate to C:\Program Files\Java\, on the machine where WebGISDR tool is being run to verify the version of jre.

5. Save the changes.
6. Re-run the WebGISDR tool, it should work successfully.