Import Site

URL:: https://<root>/importSite
Methods:: POST
Required Capability:: Access allowed only with the default administrator role
Version Introduced:: 10.2

Description

The importSite operation imports a site configuration into the currently running site. Importing a site means replacing all site configurations (including GIS services, security configurations, and so on) of the currently running site with those contained in the site configuration file. The site configuration file can be obtained through the Export Site operation, which writes the information to either a file location accessible to ArcGIS Server or to a directory where you can download the configuration file.

The importSite operation also restores a site from a backup that was created using the exportSite operation. The importSite operation uses the server directory paths from the exported configuration. These paths must be available for the importSite operation to complete successfully.

This operation will restore all information included in the backup, as described in Export Site. Once the import is complete, this operation returns a report that should be reviewed. Fix any problems listed in the report to ensure that the site functions as expected.

Request parameters

Parameter	Details
`location`	The file path to an exported configuration or an ID referencing the stored configuration on the server. Example Use dark colors for code blocksCopy `1 location=i5fad5582-80bc-4155-a21c-62f326354aba`
`validate`	Introduced at ArcGIS Enterprise 11.1. This parameter validates the file path specified in the `location` parameter, ensuring that it is accessible before performing the `importSite` operation. If set to `true`, the path will be validated, and the operation will return either a success response or an error message. The default value is `false`. Values: `true` \| `false`
`restartWebServer`	Introduced at ArcGIS Enterprise 11.3. This parameter specifies whether the server should restart once the operation completes. It's recommended to enable the server to restart (`true`) if this operation is called multiple times between restarts. The default value is `false`. Values: `true` \| `false`
`f`	The response format. The default response format is `html`. Values: `html` \| `json` \| `pjson`

Example usage

The following is a sample POST request for the importSite operation that demonstrates validating the file location:

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POST /arcgis/admin/importSite HTTP/1.1
Host: machine.domain.com
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
Content-Length: []

location=\\server\share\backup\Jan-15-2023_11-50-33.agssite&validate=true&f=pjson

JSON Response examples

The response below highlights the server's failure to start a service during the importSite operation. For demonstration purposes, a service's input data path was edited to point to a nonexistent file before exporting the site. The same exported configuration file was supplied as input to the importSite operation. When importSite completes, the response warns that a service could not be started during the importSite operation because the file could not be found. This information can be used to fix the issue by editing the data path of the service and running it again.

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{
  "status": "success",
  "result": [
    {
      "source": "SITE",
      "messages": [
        {
          "level": "INFO",
          "message": "This operation completed in 1.52 mins"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "SERVICES",
      "messages": [
        {
          "level": "WARNING",
          "message": "SampleWorldCities.MapServer=Startup state of service 'SampleWorldCities.MapServer'
            on machine 'MSCONFIG.ESRI.COM' was FAILED. Can not open file path/to/data/WorldCities.ms.
            The system cannot find the file specified. Probable cause: The file is inaccessible to Server.\n",
          "details": {
            "service": "SampleWorldCities.MapServer",
            "state": "FAILED",
            "message": "",
            "machines": [
              {
                "machine": "MSCONFIG.ESRI.COM",
                "state": "FAILED",
                "reports": [
                  {
                    "state": "FAILED",
                    "message": " Can not open file path/to/data/WorldCities.ms.
                      The system cannot find the file specified. Probable cause: The file is inaccessible to Server."
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The sample response below is for a request that had the validate parameter set to true. This example demonstrates a success response, meaning that the path was accessible to ArcGIS Server:

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{
  "status": "success"
}

The sample response below is for a request that had the validate parameter set to true. This example demonstrates a failure, meaning that the path was not accessible to ArcGIS Server:

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{
  "status": "error",
  "messages": ["Unable to read from \\server\share\backup\Jan-15-2023_11-50-33.agssite. Verify the location is accessible and the service account running Portal for ArcGIS can read from it."],
  "code": 500
}

The sample response below is for a request that had the restartWebServer parameter set to true.

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{
  "status": "success",
  "result": [
    {
      "source": "SITE",
      "messages": [
        {
          "level": "INFO",
          "message": "Import operation completed in '00hr:05min:38sec'."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "SECURITY",
      "messages": [
        {
          "level": "INFO",
          "message": "Configuration options pertaining to HTTPS were changed during the import operation and the Server is restarting. The site should become available shortly."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "recheckAfterSeconds": 20
}