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Convergence session: Enterprise Portal Deployment Tips and tricks

Here is a quick summary of what Jackie Olson from Ax support team presented in Convergence for the Enterprise Portal / Role Center deployment Tips and tricks interactive session. Thanks Jackie for putting together this document. This is very helpful.

Convergence session: Enterprise Portal Deployment Tips and tricks

Requirements:

 

In addition to what you already have for AX 2009, you will also need the following –

1. A web server to host your Role centers and Enterprise Portal site. This may be a Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2008 server with IIS. (EP server)

· Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with SP 1 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 with SP 1. (Foundation for EP)

· Install SQL Server Analysis Management Objects (AMO) for the SQL version you are using. You can install this from SQL 200x feature pack download site.

· You may also install SQL 2005 or *2008 Reporting Services (SSRS) on the same web server as your EP server OR you may install your SSRS on a different Server

 

Note: SSRS 2008 does not use IIS.

 

2. Currently a Bug – SSAS and SSRS (SQL 2005 and SQL 2008) cannot be on separate boxes if you are on a Windows 2008 domain functional level

 

3. Keep your server machine names to 15 characters or less.

 

 

Possible Deployment Scenarios:

Note:

If using more than one machine, you will need to set up Kerberos authentications. Please refer to Kerberos documentation for more information.

 

One machine -

SQL, SSAS, web server hosting both EP and SSRS.

Two machines –

Server1 - SQL and SSAS

                Server2 - Web-server hosting EP and SSRS

Or

Server1 - SQL, SSRS and SSAS on Machine1

                Server2 - Web-server hosting EP

 

Three machines –

Server1 - SQL and SSAS

Server2 - Web-server hosting EP

Server3 - SSRS on Machine3

 

Then click on the System Requirements link –

https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/ax/using/default.mspx

 

 

Resources:

 

AxUpdatePortal - required only if you have made changed in AOT and you want to push these changes to the web server you would use this utility.

 

NLB - https://blogs.msdn.com/solutions/archive/2008/10/17/setting-up-ep-in-nlb-cluster.aspx

 

URL:

SSRS and SSAS Integration for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/howtodocuments/ax2009_ssrs_ssas_integration.htm?printpage=false

 

Using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009

https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/ax/using/default.mspx

 

 

Known Issues:

 

· If SQL server is on clustered environment – Analysis Extension install will not create the OLAP database

Workaround: Manually run the script on your AX 2009 cd (support/analysis services/scripts/DynamicsAX.xmla)

 

· Keep your server machine names to 15 characters or less.

 

· AX 2009 SP1 required if using SQL 2008 (due to requirements for .Net 3.5 SP1). See SP1 documentation. You also need to copy a dll from SP1 to your CD to be able to install Reporting extensions. (SQL 2005 SP 2 required error message)

o https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/downloads/servicepacks/dynamicsax2009sp1.htm?printpage=false

o

 

·  AX 2009 SP1– not taking (5.0.1000.52). Bug logged. Application/Kernel. May see compile errors

o Workaround – remove all kernel hotfixes prior to SP 1. (5.0.593.19)

· External websites form – bug.

· Manage Deployment does not work with on a 64 bit machine. You will have to use AXUpdatePortal

· On the Role Center/RP machine you need to install AMO

 

 

For most up to date Known Issues list please visit –

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/howtodocuments/ax2009_ssrs_ssas_integration.htm?printpage=false

 

 

Tips/Tricks:

 

· Turn off UAC (Windows server2008)

· Turn off Windows firewall

· Turn off anti-virus

· The person to install EP/Role Center must be the person who also created the web application (someone who is the site owner)

· The only person that can login to EP site is the person that installed EP.

· To allow others to get to the EP site, there are 4 areas of security you have to consider –

1. SharePoint security

2. SSRS security

3. SSAS security (via roles)

4. Dynamics AX Security

· If you are dealing with > 1 machine for EP/Role Center install – you will need to setup Kerberos. (see Kerberos document here -

https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/documentation/howtodocuments/ax2009_ssrs_ssas_integration.htm?printpage=false

 

· Make sure to install the 2 pre-requisites for Reporting Extensions.

o Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Shell (isolated mode)

https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e6e1c3df-a74f-4207-8586-711ebe331cdc\&displaylang=en

Installing this component is a two-part process.

Part 1: Install the redistributable package

Download and install the Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Shell (isolated mode) Redistributable Package from the Microsoft Download Center.

Part 2: Install the shell After you install the redistributable package, you must install the shell. Complete the following steps to install the shell. 1. On the computer's hard drive, locate the VS 2008 Shell Redist\Isolated Mode folder. 2. Double-click the .exe file located in that folder. For example, if you installed the US English version of the redistributable package, double-click the vs_shell_isolated.enu.exe file. 3. Follow the directions in the Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Shell (isolated mode) wizard to complete the installation.

o Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5

https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e6e1c3df-a74f-4207-8586-711ebe331cdc\&displaylang=en

Note: You must install this SDK regardless of your operating system. When installing the SDK, install the .NET Development Tools. The other components in the SDK are not required.

 

· Refer to the latest installation manual from the “Using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009” site -

Using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009

https://www.microsoft.com/dynamics/ax/using/default.mspx

Comments

  • Anonymous
    March 25, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    March 25, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    March 31, 2009
    I have a post here: http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.axapta/browse_thread/thread/431455068def9e2d# What is this "External websites form – bug." that you refer to above? Is this related to my issue of not being able to display SRS reports on the EP page when accessed via the External Public URL? they display fine via the internal url so Kerberos appears to be working.

  • Anonymous
    April 15, 2009
    Is it possible to deploy external DAX 2009 Enterprise Portal over VPC?