Scalable Architecture

ArcIMS Offers a Highly Scalable Server Architecture

Specifically designed to grow with an organization, ArcIMS is a completely scalable solution for publishing GIS data, maps, and applications. ArcIMS is designed so it can easily be scaled to handle the demands of everything from the smallest Intranet to a high-volume Internet site. To successfully power large-scale sites, ArcIMS incorporates proven technology developed from ESRI's many years of experience in providing Web-enabled GIS.

ArcIMS establishes a common platform for the exchange of Web-enabled GIS data and services. It is more than just an Internet mapping solution—it's a framework for distributing GIS capabilities over the Internet. As a publishing technology, ArcIMS features unique capabilities for supporting a wide variety of ESRI clients. As a serving technology, ArcIMS includes a wide variety of ESRI serverside technologies and provides unique opportunities for data integration.

Specifically built to serve GIS on the Internet, ArcIMS is designed to make it easy to create map services, develop Web pages for communicating with the map services, and administer sites. ArcIMS operates in a distributed environment that consists of both clientside and serverside components. Typically, the client requests information from an Internet or Intranet server. Then the server processes the request and sends the information back to the client viewer.

ArcIMS server technology is part of a multitier architecture. The ArcIMS framework consists of clients, services, and data management. The wide variety of supported clients and the server potential are what set ArcIMS apart from other Internet GIS competitors.