At IU, how do I configure ArcGIS for license service failover?

At Indiana University, UITS manages a two-server Unix system to provide automated failover capability for ESRI software. The primary and secondary ESRI license servers are esri1 and esri2, respectively. To ensure uninterrupted access to the UITS license service for ESRI, UITS recommends that you configure your computer for license server failover by creating a system environment variable specifying the names and port numbers of the ESRI license servers.

Note: You must have administrative rights to make the following changes to your computer; log in as an administrator if necessary.

Note: At Indiana University, the University Information Security Office (UISO) recommends that you normally refrain from running your Windows computer as an administrator. For more, see What is the principle of least privilege?

To configure ArcGIS for license service failover:

1. From either the desktop or the Start menu, right-click My Computer, and then select Properties.
   
   
2. Click the Advanced tab, and then Environment Variables.
   
   
3. To add a variable, under "System variables", click New.
   
   
4. The New System Variable window will appear:
   
   
   1. In the "Variable name" field, enter: ARCGIS_LICENSE_FILE
   2. In the "Variable value" field, enter: 27004@esri1.uits.indiana.edu;27004@esri2.uits.indiana.edu;

      Note: The semicolon (;) at the end of the variable value is essential; you must include it.

5. To close each of the open windows, click OK.
   
   
6. To verify the license server variable is set correctly:
   
   
   1. From the Start menu, select All Programs or Programs, then Accessories, and then Command Prompt.
      
      
   2. In the window that opens, at the prompt, enter: set ARCGIS_LICENSE_FILE
   3. If the variable is set correctly, you should see the following statement in return: ARCGIS_LICENSE_FILE=27004@esri1.uits.indiana.edu;27004@esri2.uits.indiana.edu;

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