The first step in this project is to set up a workspace, so you can build, test, and verify all of the components that we are going to put together in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for our Airline Compensation Management system. In this chapter, we would like to show you how to set up and configure a development workspace that you can use for the project. Hence, we will cover the following topics:
System requirements
Workstation requirements
Virtualization options
Setting up Microsoft Hyper-V on the Workstation
Setting up Server Environment on the VM
Setting up SharePoint 2010
Setting up Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
Setting up Development Tools
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 and SharePoint Server 2010 require certain hardware and several software applications that work together. We are going to install and set up all of the components for our development workspace in a single virtual image.
Note
Before setting up Microsoft Dynamics CRM and SharePoint Server for your production environment, please refer to the Implementation Guide for hardware and software requirements for each of the products.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 requires 64-bit hardware.
The following table lists the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for a Microsoft Dynamics CRM server running in a Full Server configuration. These requirements assume that additional components, such as Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft Exchange Server are not currently installed or running on the system.
|
Components |
Minimum |
Recommended |
|---|---|---|
|
x64 architecture or compatible dual-core 1.5 GHz processor |
Quad-core x64 architecture 2 GHz CPU or higher such as AMD Opteron or Intel Xeon systems | |
|
2 GB RAM |
8 GB RAM or more | |
|
10 GB of available hard disk space |
40 GB or more of available hard disk space |
Note
Because we will have SharePoint Server 2010 installed on the same virtual image, it requires at least 4 GB RAM and a Duo-core x64 architecture 2 GHz CPU to run both server products smoothly. Alternatively, you may install SharePoint Foundation 2010 instead of SharePoint Server 2010, for better performance.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 must be installed on a 64-bit operating system. The following table lists the supported software requirements for CRM and SharePoint:
Note
For more details about the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 hardware and software requirements, please visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg554695.aspx.
You do need a powerful workstation in order to run the virtualized environment smoothly. The recommended configuration is as follows:
Processor: Intel Core Duo CPU
Memory: At least 4 GB RAM; recommended 8GB RAM
Hard disk: At least 40 GB or more of available hard disk space
Internet Access: Wireless and/or Cable adaptor
Operating System: 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
In addition to the system requirements for Windows Server 2008 R2 as described in the release notes, a 64-bit system with hardware-assisted virtualization enabled and data execution prevention (DEP) is required. It is also recommended to ensure that you have a clean install of x64 edition of Windows Server 2008 R2 to be able to use the Hyper-V technology.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2011 and SharePoint Server 2010 can be deployed in a virtualized environment. You have several options for your virtualization solutions from different vendors. However, please understand the limitations of using a virtualized environment before you use them in your production environments. We will set up the CRM development workspace in a single VM image (Virtual Machine image) that is running on the workstation. The following table lists the three different virtual products that you can use to set up the development workspace on your host computer:
|
Software |
Vendor |
License |
|---|---|---|
|
Microsoft |
Free with Windows Server | |
|
VMware |
Free | |
|
Oracle |
Free |
In this book, we choose to use Microsoft Hyper-V running on a 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition. For more information about Hyper-V, please see the Microsoft Virtualization website at http://www.microsoft.com/virtualization/en/us/default.aspx.
If you are running Windows 7, you may set up the development workspace by using VirtualBox, which also supports 64-bit Guest OS and a VHD (virtual hard disk). You can create a VHD by using the Disk Management tool in Windows 7 (go to Start | Run: type in diskmgmt.msc and press Enter, then select Action | Create VHD).
To set up Hyper-V on your Windows Server 2008 Workstation, please follow these steps:
Install the Hyper-V server role on the workstation:
Start | Run…, type in "ServerManager.msc" and press Enter.
Right-click Roles and then select Add Roles.
Select Hyper-V and then click Next and then Install.
Create two Virtual Network connections that allow a remote desktop connection from the workstation to the VM:
Open Hyper-V manager, select the Virtual Network Manager… on the Action menu, add two Virtual Networks as per the following table, and then click OK.
Name
Connection Type
External—Virtual Network
External (with your network connection)
Internal—Virtual Network
Internal only
Hyper-V will create two new network connections. Go to Control Panel | Network and Internet | Network Connections, and rename the connections to:
Hyper-V External Connection
Hyper-V Internal Connection
Set up the Internet access via a wireless network:
Out of the box, Hyper-V doesn't support Internet access via the wireless network. We need to create a wireless network connection in order for VM to access the Internet.
Go to Control Panel | Network and Internet | Network Connections, and select both Hyper-V Internal Connection and your Wireless Network Connection, right-click and select Bridge Connections. This will create a Network Bridge between the workstation and VM, which allows Internet access via the workstation's wireless connection.
We need to create a new VM image, and then install and configure Windows server and SQL server on the VM.
Please follow the below steps to set up VM, and install Windows Server and SQL Server:
Create a new VM for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 server:
Open the Hyper-V manager, and then select New | Virtual Machine… from the Action menu:
Name and Location
Name: CRM 2011
Location: D:\Hyper-V\
Assign Memory
Depends on your total memory; recommend minimum 4 GB.
Configure Networking
Hyper-V Internal Virtual Network.
Hyper-V External Virtual Network.
(In Settings | Add Hardware | Network Adapter).
Connect Virtual Hard Disk
Create a virtual hard disk:
Name: CRM 2011.vhd,Location: D:\Hyper-V\,
Size: recommend minimum 40GB.
Installation Options
Select a path to the Windows Server 2008 R2 drive or ISO image.
Install the guest OS on the CRM 2011 VM:
Install SQL Server 2008 R2:
Instance Features
Database Engine Services, SQL Server Replication, Full-Text Search, Reporting Services, Management Tools.
Run as Service Account
Run Active Directory Users and Computers (
dsa.msc), then go to Users, right-click on the Administrator account, select Copy, and then create a new administrator account: xrm\AdminService.Open the account, change the Account option to Password never expires, and then use this account to run SQL services.
Authentication Mode
Windows authentication mode.
Reporting Services Configuration
Native mode default configuration.
Now we have a Windows Server 2008 R2 + SQL Server 2008 R2 workspace. Please validate the installation by checking the system event log: Go to Start | Run…, type in "eventvwr" and press Enter, then check the Administrative Events and correct any errors.
Run Windows Update and take a snapshot at this stage:
Install and configure SharePoint Server on the VM. Create a new site collection called CRM Document Workspace.
Install KB979917—QFE for Sharepoint issues—Perf Counter fix & User Impersonation.
Run the SharePoint installation file, and follow the wizard to install the software prerequisites first, and then install the SharePoint Server:
Configuration Database Server
BPS
Configuration Database Name
SharePoint_Config
Database Access Account
xrm\AdminService
Specify port number
2010
Authentication Provider
NTLM
Authentication
Claims Based Authentication
IIS Web Site
SharePoint-6666
Port
6666
Host Header
<empty>
Path
C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\6666Allow Anonymous
No
Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
No
Enable Windows Authentication
Yes
Integrated Windows authentication
NTLM
Sign In Page URL
Default Sign In Page
URL
http://BPS:6666Application Pool
Create a new application pool: SharePoint-6666
Run as account: xrm\AdminService
Database Server
BPS
Database Name
WSS_Content
Database Authentication
Windows authentication
Service Application Connections
default
Title
CRM Document Workspace
URL
http://BPS:6666Template
Document Workspace
Primary Site Collection Administrator
xrm\Administrator
Secondary Site Collection Administrator
Administrator@xrm.local
There are different options for setting up Dynamics CRM for your development workspace. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides a quick way for you to get a CRM instance running without installing any hardware or software, so that you can focus more on your project tasks. On the other hand, Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise allows you to control where to install the application and where to store your data. This makes integration with your existing application much simpler than CRM Online. Both have their pros and cons; you may select the option that makes the most sense for your organization.
Note
For development purposes, you can develop a CRM Online solution in an On-Premise development workspace, and then import the solution to CRM Online.
Because we are building a CRM environment for our development workspace, just to keep it simple, we are going to install and configure CRM in a standalone virtual server.
To perform a fresh install of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, follow these steps:
Log on to the server with a domain user account that has administrator-level privileges to Active Directory and that is also a member of the Administrator group on the local computer.
Navigate to the folder that contains the Microsoft Dynamics CRM installation files.
Click on SetupServer.exe to start the installation.
On the Welcome to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Setup page, click Next to move to the next step.
On the Product Key Information page, enter your product key (you can use the MSDN/TechNet Plus license if you are a subscriber, or you can use the 90-day trail key) in the product key boxes, and then click Next to continue.
Accept the License Agreement by selecting the I accept this license agreement checkbox, and then click Next to continue.
Note
Note: Dynamics CRM 2011 detects the missing required components and it will display them in the Install Required Components page. You must install the missing components prior to moving to the next step. If you have already installed all required components, the Install Required Component page will not appear.
Browse to the location into which you want to install CRM on the Select Installation Location page. Select Full Server on the Specify Server Roles page, because we are installing it in a single virtual server image. Click Next to continue.
On the Specify Deployment Options page, select Create a new deployment option.
Select the required instance of SQL server, and then click Next to continue.
On the Select the Organization Unit page, select the location into which you want the CRM organization unit to be installed, and then click Next to continue.
On the Specify Security Account page, select the Security account for the Microsoft CRM services and ASP.NET components, and then click Next to continue.
Select the Create a new Web Site option on the Select a Web Site page, and then click Next to continue.
On the Specify E-mail Router Setting page, enter the server name where the E-mail Router is installed, and then click Next to continue.
On the Specifiy the Organization Name page, enter the Display Name, select the Currency and Base Language for your organization, and then click Next to continue.
On the Specify Reporting Services Server page, enter the Report Server URL and then click Next to continue.
On the Help Us Improve the Customer Experience page, select whether you want to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program and then click Next to continue. When everything passes the System Checks (as shown below) click Next to continue.
Review the Ready to Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM page, and then click Install to start the installation of Dynamics CRM.
When the setup completes successfully, the Microsoft Dynamics Server setup completed page appears. Select the Launch Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions Setup checkbox, and then follow the wizard to complete the installation.
Click Finish to complete the installation. Now that the server has been installed, try browsing the server at
http://bps; you will see the default Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 user interface, as shown in the following screenshot:
After installing CRM, check the event log: Go to Start | Run, type in "eventvwr" and press Enter. Expand Event Viewer | Custom Views | Administrative Events. If you see any errors, please fix them before continuing.
Note
You might see an Error Event 17203, MSCRMTracing—Invalid Trace Directory.
That's because CRM has a default trace output directory:
c:\crmdrop\logs, that doesn't exist. You can fix this error by creating the folder structure and granting permission to the Network Services account.For more information about CRM tracing, please visit KB907490 - How to enable tracing in Microsoft Dynamics CRM: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907490.
To complete this task, you will also need to install Visual Studio 2010. You can download a trial version of Visual Studio 2010 from http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/try.
Visual Studio 2010 can be either installed in VM, or install on your host computer for better performance and manageability. More details about setting up Visual Studio on the Host computer and enable remote debugging, please visit Jim Wang's blog: http://jianwang.blogspot.com/2011/07/crm-2011-plugin-development-workspace.html.
Note
Because Visual Studio 2010 does not support the Integration Services, Report Services and Analysis Services projects for SQL Server 2008/R2. If you are developing CRM reports, you need the Visual Studio 2008 or Business Intelligence Development Studio (an optional component in the SQL Server 2008/R2 installation), as well as the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Report Authoring Extension.