Setting Up the
Development Workspace
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
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.
Hardware requirements
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
Processor 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
Memory 2 GB RAM 8 GB RAM or more
Hard disk 10 GB of available hard disk
space 40 GB or more of available hard disk space
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.
Software requirements
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:
Components Supported
Components Supported
SQL Server and
Reporting Services Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (x64), Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter or Developer edition, with SP1 or a later version Internet Information
Services (IIS) IIS 7.0 or a later version, in Native Mode
Active Directory modes Windows 2000 Mixed or Native, Windows 2003 Interim or Native, Windows 2008 Interim or Native
.Net Version ASP .NET 4.0 Software Component
Prerequisites SQL Server Agent service, SQL Server Full Text Indexing, Indexing Service, IIS Admin, World Wide Web Publishing, and Windows Data Access Components (MDAC) 6.0
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.
Workstation requirements
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
Virtualization options
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 Hyper-V Microsoft Free with Windows Server VMware Server 2 VMware Free
VirtualBox 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).
Setting up Microsoft Hyper-V
To set up Hyper-V on your Windows Server 2008 Workstation, please follow these steps:
1. 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.
2. 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 3. 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.
Setting up the Server Environment
on the VM
We need to create a new VM image, and then install and configure Windows server and SQL server on the VM.
Windows Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server
2008 R2 installation
Please follow the below steps to set up VM, and install Windows Server and SQL Server:
1. 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.
2. Install the guest OS on the CRM 2011 VM:
Operating System Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition. Server Name Rename the server on the 1st start.
Server Name: BPS (BusinessProductivityServer). You may choose your server name.
Server Roles Active Directory Domain Services, Application Server,
DNS Server, Web Server (IIS). Enable Remote Desktop
connection on VM This allows you to share data between VM and HOST. Domain Administrator account Account: xrm\Administrator.
3. 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.
4. 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.
Setting up SharePoint 2010
Install and configure SharePoint Server on the VM. Create a new site collection called CRM Document Workspace.
Installing SharePoint 2010 Server
1. Install KB979917—QFE for Sharepoint issues—Perf Counter fix & User Impersonation.
2. 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
Creating a SharePoint web application that
supports both Windows and Claims Based
Authentication
1. Create a new Web Application:
Authentication Claims Based Authentication IIS Web Site SharePoint-6666
Port 6666
Host Header <empty>
Path C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\ VirtualDirectories\6666 Allow Anonymous No
Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) No Enable Windows Authentication Yes Integrated Windows
authentication NTLM
Application 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
2. Create a Site Collection:
Title CRM Document Workspace URL http://BPS:6666 Template Document Workspace Primary Site Collection
Administrator xrm\Administrator Secondary Site Collection
Setting up Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
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.For development purposes, you can develop a CRM Online solution in an On-Premise development workspace, and then import the solution to CRM Online.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM On-Premise
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:
1. 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.
2. Navigate to the folder that contains the Microsoft Dynamics CRM installation files.
3. Click on SetupServer.exe to start the installation.
4. On the Welcome to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Setup page, click Next to move to the next step.
Note: It is recommended to get the latest installation file for Microsoft Dynamics CRM; however it is not required.
5. 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. 6. Accept the License Agreement by selecting the I accept this license
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.
7. 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.
11. 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.
12. Select the Create a new Web Site option on the Select a Web Site page, and then click Next to continue.
13. 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.
Note: You may leave the E-mail Router box blank. However, if you decide to install the E-mail router later, you have to add the computer where the E-mail Router is installed to the PrivUserGroup in Active Directory.
15. On the Specify Reporting Services Server page, enter the Report Server URL and then click Next to continue.
16. 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.
17. Review the Ready to Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM page, and then click Install to start the installation of Dynamics CRM.
19. 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:
20. 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.
You might see an Error Event 17203, MSCRMTracing—Invalid Trace Directory.
Setting up Development Tools
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.
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.
