This topic addresses common questions about the behavior of ArcGIS Server 10.8.1 when used with ArcGIS software components from earlier release versions.
ArcGIS Server 10.8.1 is similar in architecture and appearance to 10.1 and later versions; it can be directly upgraded from these versions without being uninstalled.
The answers in this topic apply to ArcGIS software components at versions 10.3 and later.
Can I federate an ArcGIS Server site with a portal of a different version?
The elements of your ArcGIS Enterprise base deployment, including the hosting server, must all be at the same version as your portal. All ArcGIS GeoEvent Server sites, GeoAnalytics Server sites, and ArcGIS Image Server raster analytics sites must also match the portal's version.
However, some ArcGIS Server sites at version 10.5 or later can be federated with a portal of a more recent version. This applies to additional ArcGIS GIS Server sites beyond the hosting server, and to any ArcGIS Image Server not designated for raster analytics.
An ArcGIS Server site cannot be federated with a portal from an earlier version than its own.
Can I connect to ArcGIS Server from an earlier version of ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro?
Yes, you can add a user connection or publisher connection from any currently supported version of ArcMap, and a user connection from any version of ArcGIS Pro, to any currently supported version of ArcGIS Server.
Can I administer ArcGIS Server using a different version of ArcMap?
No. You must use the same version of ArcMap to administer a server. If you are currently using different versions of the two software components, consider using the ArcGIS Server Manager web application to administer your server.
Can I publish a service to ArcGIS Server from an earlier version of ArcGIS Desktop?
Generally, yes. If you're publishing a geoprocessing service, the ArcGIS Desktop version must match ArcGIS Server.
Editing data store properties during publishing is considered an administrative process, which has compatibility limitations.
Legacy:
If your server uses web-tier authentication, or if it is federated with an ArcGIS Enterprise portal, you must use ArcGIS Desktop 10.2 or later to publish.Can I publish a service to ArcGIS Server from a later version of ArcGIS Desktop?
Generally, yes. However, you will not be able to take advantage of any new functionality until your server is upgraded to the same version.
If you're publishing a geoprocessing service, the ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server versions must match.
You cannot publish an image service that contains a mosaic dataset from ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro to an earlier version of ArcGIS Server. New features added to mosaic datasets in each version cannot be processed by earlier versions of ArcGIS Server.
Can I configure a different version of ArcGIS Web Adaptor with ArcGIS Server?
No. To configure ArcGIS Web Adaptor with ArcGIS Server, both software components must be of the same version.
To upgrade ArcGIS Web Adaptor, you must uninstall the instance at the previous version, and install an instance at the new version. By specifying the same name as your previous Web Adaptor, you can guarantee your Web Adaptor URLs will remain identical after upgrading.
Can I reuse a cached map I created in an earlier version of ArcGIS Server?
Yes. Map caches from previous versions (10.1 and later) are immediately available after you upgrade.
The compact cache storage format provides optimal performance when consuming cached map and image services, with a reduced number of files created in the cache directory, compared to the exploded cache format. If your cache is in the exploded format, and you want your existing cache to leverage these performance improvements, you must upgrade the cache. For details, see Compact caches.
Can I connect to geodatabases of an earlier version from ArcGIS Server?
Yes. See Client and geodatabase compatibility for a list of compatible versions.
Can I publish services to ArcGIS Server that contain data from geodatabases of an earlier version?
In most cases, the geodatabase version does not have to match the version of ArcGIS Server. For specific information on which geodatabase versions are supported with ArcGIS Server 10.8.1, see Client and geodatabase compatibility.
Do I need to upgrade my geodatabase to use it as the ArcGIS Server managed database?
Earlier geodatabase versions can be used as the managed database for an ArcGIS Server site. For specific information on which geodatabase versions are supported with ArcGIS Server 10.8.1, see Client and geodatabase compatibility.
Managed databases are enterprise geodatabases registered with ArcGIS Server sites to facilitate feature access in scenarios when you need data to be stored in a different location than the source location. To learn more, see Copy data when publishing to ArcGIS Server.
Note:
Feature services and WFS services published from ArcGIS Pro to a stand-alone server must reference data in an enterprise geodatabase, and cannot use a managed database.