Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 SP2 Web Client Scale-Out Deployment: Creating Required Service Accounts

Microsoft Dynamics GPDepending on your selected options when installing the Microsoft Dynamics GP web client, there are between three and four service accounts required.

The three which are always required are:

  1. Web Application User
  2. Session Service
  3. Session Central Service

The one which is optional dependent on installation options is:

  1. Management Console Application User

This last is only required if the Management COnsole is installed to a different web site to the web client.

To create the service accounts, you need to be logged onto the Domain Control (in my case DC1 which is running Windows Server 2008 R2) and open Active Directory Users and Computers.

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 SP2 Web Client Scale-Out Deployment: Creating Security Groups In AD For The Web Client

Microsoft Dynamics GPThere are two security groups required for the Microsoft Dynamics GP web client:

  1. A group for users who can access the web client
  2. A group for users who can access the web client’s management console.

To create these groups we need to be logged onto the domain controller which on my test system is AZC-DC1.

On the domain controller, open Active Directory Users and Computers.

I decided to create a business unit called Microsoft Dynamics GP but you could create the required groups anywhere. To create the web console user’s group click the Create Group button on the toolbar:

Active Directory Users and Computers

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MB3-701 Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Financials Certification Acquired

Microsoft Certified Technology SpecialistAfter updating one of my Microsoft Certifications earlier this month , I have today taken and passed the MB3-701 Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Financials exam.

This gives me both of the current Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 certifications which are available. I am looking out for an update to the Inventory & Order Processing certification in the hopes Microsoft produce one.

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 SP2 Web Client Scale-Out Deployment: Avoiding Trust Relationship Problems

Microsoft Dynamics GPIf a wildcard domain certificate has been used then you won’t need to follow the steps in this post. If, like me, you’re using individual machine certificates then you will have problems with trust relationships between servers unless you install the certificate from each machine on all of the others.

To accomplish this, the certificates need to be exported and then imported. As an example, I am going to transfer the certificate from the Session Control Server (SC1) to the first Session Host (SH1).

To do this open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager, select the machine and double click Server Certificates:

Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 SP2 Web Client Scale-Out Deployment: Adding An SSL Certificate To The Session Hosts

Microsoft Dynamics GPIn addition to an SSL certificate for the Session Control Server certificates are also needed for the Session Hosts.

It is possible to add SSL certificates without the use of IIS, but I am not an expert in this area. To this end, I installed IIS the same way as on the Session Control Server and then created the certificate the same way too.

However, you choose to create the certificate for the Session Host machines, make sure you have one for each of the machines or apply the wildcard SSL certificate to each.

If anyone knows a way of applying a certificate to a machine without installing IIS I’d appreciate you leaving a comment below.

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 SP2 Web Client Scale-Out Deployment: Binding An SSL Certificate To The Session Control Website

Microsoft Dynamics GPNow that the SSL certificate for the Session Central Server has been created, it needs to be bound to the website to which the Session Control Server will be installed.

To bind the certificate, open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager and, in the Connections pane expand the server and Sites nodes and then right click on the website you intend to use, which in this example is the Default Web Site and select Edit Bindings…:

Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 SP2 Web Client Scale-Out Deployment: Creating A Self-Signed SSL Certificate On The Session Central Server

Microsoft Dynamics GPThe Session Control and Session Host machines require an SSL certificate. In a production environment I would recommend using a wildcard SSL domain certificate, but as this is only my test environment I am going to use a self-signed SSL certificate.

To create a self-signed SSL certificate, open Internet Information Serices (IIS) Manager and double click on Server Certificates:

Internet Information Serices (IIS) Manager

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Sales Analytics Dashboard Available Now From DynamicAccounting.net

Microsoft Dynamics GPIn what looks to be the first in a set of analytics dahsboards, Mark Polino has released a Sales Analytics dashboard on his DynamicAccounting.net site.

The dashboard builds on the ideas covered in Mark’s recent Building Dashboards with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 and Excel 2013 and can provide a really good shortcut to getting started using an Excel dashboard rather than rolling your own from scratch.

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Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Reporting – Second Edition eBook Giveaway

Microsoft Dynamics GPI am pleased to announce that I have teamed up with Packt Publishing and are organizing a give away especially for you. All you need to do is submit a comment below the post and win a free e-copy of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 Reporting – Second Edition by David Duncan and Christopher J Liley. Five lucky winners stand a chance to win an e-copy of the book.

Keep reading to find out how you can be one of the Lucky Ones.

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Extending IIS With ASP.NET 4.5 On Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft Dynamics GPThis is not something I need for the series of posts I am currently writing on the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 SP2 Web Client Scale-Out Deployment as my web server is running Windows Server 2012, but you may be performing the install on Windows Server 2008 R2 so I thought I would include this for completeness.

If you are running Windows Server 2008 R2 then extending a website with ASP.NET 4.5 required the use of the command line.

Open a Command Prompt with Administrative permissions and type the following and then hit Return:

cd C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\

Then type the following and hit Return:

aspnet_regiis —i

Once the command has finished running, the website will be extended with ASP.NET 4.5 and be ready for the Session Control Service to be installed.

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