This reference architecture is presented as part of the ArcGIS Architecture Center to help organizations understand how they might combine ArcGIS and cloud infrastructure components in a standardized and well-defined configuration for disaster recovery. To make best use of it, the following approach is suggested:
Assess whether a warm standby approach matches your recovery objectives. Compare the recovery point and recovery time implications of this design against your organization’s requirements, and confirm that a recovery point tied to a scheduled backup cycle is acceptable. If you require continuous availability with no data loss, high availability within a region is the more appropriate starting point, and can be combined with this approach.
Use the logical reference architecture as a starting point for your own design. Where your requirements differ, such as a different pair of regions, additional federated server roles, or a highly available configuration within each region, the design process can provide useful considerations to resolve those differences.
Review the implementation approach to understand the sequence of work and, in particular, the decisions that are difficult to change later. Establishing DNS and the shared domain name before installing software is the most consequential of these.
Incorporate the design choices and considerations with respect to your organization’s non-functional requirements in areas like reliability, security, observability, and automation.
Plan to test the recovery path, not just build it. Schedule failover exercises and validate the standby site after restores. A disaster recovery design that has never been exercised carries unknown risk.
Learn more about the architecture practices illustrated in this reference architecture.
Esri offers system architecture design services should you need help in the design process.
These resources reference key concepts and practices that may not have been explicitly stated within the reference architecture, but can be significant contributors to successfully designing, implementing, and operating a replicated ArcGIS Enterprise deployment.