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Walkthrough: Implementing Security Certificates in a Test Environment

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In this walkthrough, you set up an environment to test integrating certificates into a configuration for connecting computers running the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components to Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server instances over a wide area network (WAN) with the chain trust configuration.

Prerequisites

To complete this walkthrough, you will need:

  • The Certificates snap-in for Microsoft Management Console (MMC). If you do not already have this snap-in installed, then follow these steps:

    1. Choose Start, choose Run, and then type Mmc.exe.

    2. In the console, on the File menu, choose Add/Remove Snap-in.

    3. In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, select Certificates, choose Computer Account, choose Local Computer, and then choose Add.

  • The makecert.exe utility or the Powershell Cmdlet New-SelfSignedCertificate.

    The makecert.exe utility is installed with Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft Windows SDK. For more information, see Makecert. The procedures in the walkthrough use makecert.

Configuring Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server

You create and install a root certification authority (CA) and a server certificate on the computer running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server.

To create a root CA and a private key file by using the makecert.exe utility

  1. On the computer running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server, create a temporary folder to use when you work with certificates.

  2. Open the command prompt as follows:

    • If you have Visual Studio installed on your computer, choose Start, choose All Programs, choose Microsoft Visual Studio 2012, choose Visual Studio Tools, and then right-click Visual Studio Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator.

    • If you have the Windows SDK installed on your computer, choose Start, choose All Programs, choose Microsoft Windows SDK, and then right-click Windows SDK Command Prompt (2010) (or CMD Shell) and choose Run as Administrator.

  3. At the command prompt, locate the temporary directory.

  4. Type the following command.

    makecert -n "CN=RootNavServiceCA" -r -sv RootNavServiceCA.pvk RootNavServiceCA.cer -a sha256

    Note

    The -aparameter specifies the signature algorithm. You cannot use sha1, which is the default. You must use sha256, sha384, or sha512.

  5. When you are prompted, enter a password.

    You need this password to create the service certificate.

  6. The RootNavServiceCA.cer certificate file and the RootNavServiceCA.pvk private key are saved in your temporary folder.

To use the Certificates snap-in to install the root CA on the computer running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server

  1. Start the Certificates snap-in for MMC on the computer running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server, and then add the Certificates snap-in.

  2. In the Certificates snap-in dialog box, choose Computer account, and then choose Next.

  3. In the Select Computer pane, choose Local computer: (the computer this console is running on), and then choose Finish.

  4. Choose OK to close the Add or Remove Snap-ins dialog box.

  5. In the left pane of MMC, expand the Certificates (Local Computer) node.

  6. Expand the Trusted Root Certification Authorities node, right-click the Certificates subfolder, select All Tasks, and then choose Import.

  7. In the Certificate Import Wizard, on the Welcome page, choose Next.

  8. On the File to Import page, choose Browse.

  9. Browse to the location of the RootNavServiceCA.cer certificate file, select the file, and then choose Open.

  10. On the File to Import page, choose Next.

  11. On the Certificate Store page, accept the default selection, and then choose Next.

  12. On the Completing the Certificate Import Wizard page, choose Finish.

    The RootNavServiceCA certificate is now visible in the list of trusted root CAs.

    You now create a certificate revocation list for the root certification authority and then install the certificate revocation list on the computer running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server. A certificate revocation list is required because WCF applications check the revocation list when validating certificates.

To create a certificate revocation list for the root certification authority

  1. At the command prompt, type the following command:

    makecert -crl -n "CN=RootNavServiceCA" -r -sv RootNavServiceCA.pvk RootNavServiceCA.crl -a sha256

  2. When you are prompted, enter the password that you used to create the root CA.

To install the certificate revocation list on the computer running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server

  1. In the Certificates snap-in, in the left pane of MMC, expand the Certificates (Local Computer) node.

  2. Expand the Trusted Root Certification Authorities node, right-click the Certificates subfolder, select All Tasks, and then choose Import.

  3. In the Certificate Import Wizard, on the Welcome page, choose Next.

  4. On the File to Import page, choose Browse.

  5. In the File Type field, select Certificate Revocation List (*.crl).

  6. Browse to the location of the RootNavServiceCA.crl file, select the file, and then choose Open.

  7. On the File to Import page, choose Next.

  8. On the Certificate Store page, accept the default selection, and then choose Next.

  9. On the Completing the Certificate Import Wizard page, choose Finish.

  10. Select the Trusted Root Certificate Authorities node, and then refresh the snap-in.

    A Certificate Revocation List folder that contains the RootNavServiceCA.crl file has been created.

To create and install a test certificate for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server computer

  1. At the command prompt, type the following command:

    makecert -sk NavServiceCert -iv RootNavServiceCA.pvk -n "CN=NavServiceCert" -ic RootNavServiceCA.cer -sr localmachine -ss my -sky exchange -pe NavServiceCert.cer -a sha256

    Note

    This command specifies the subject’s certificate name as NavServiceCert. You need this certificate name when you configure the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components.

  2. When you are prompted, enter the password that you used to create the root CA.

  3. Select the Trusted Root Certificate Authorities node, and then refresh the snap-in.

    You now have the NavServiceCert.cer certificate file in your temporary folder. The certificate is installed under the Personal node in the Certificates Snap-in.

To grant access to the certificate’s private key to the service account for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server

  1. In the left pane of MMC, expand the Certificates (Local Computer) node, expand the Personal node, and then select the Certificates subfolder.

  2. In the right pane, right-click the NavServiceCert certificate, choose All Tasks, and then choose Manage Private Keys.

  3. In the Permissions for NavServiceCert private keys dialog box, choose Add.

  4. In the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups dialog box, enter the name of the service account that is used by Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server By default, the service account is NETWORK SERVICE. Choose OK when done.

    Important

    In a production environment, you run Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server under a dedicated domain user account instead of the less secure NETWORK SERVICE account. Because this is a test implementation, the NETWORK SERVICE account is acceptable.

  5. In the Permissions for NavServiceCert private keys dialog box, select the account, and then select the Allow check box next to Full Control. Choose OK when done.

  6. In the right pane, double-click the NavServiceCert certificate.

  7. In the Certificate dialog box, choose the Details tab, and then select the Thumbprint field.

  8. Copy or note the value of the Thumbprint field.

To modify the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server configuration file to support login over a WAN

  1. Start the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Administration tool. For more information, see Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Administration Tool.

  2. Stop the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server instance. For more information, see Managing Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Instances.

  3. Modify the following settings for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server instance. For more information, see Configuring Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server.

  4. Modify the following settings in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Administration tool.

    Key New value Description
    ClientServicesCredentialType

    (General tab)    		 NavUserPassword or Username This parameter is on the General tab in the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Administration tool. The default value is Windows. When you change it to NavUserPassword or Username, client users who connect to the server are prompted for user name and password credentials. For more information on authentication mechanisms for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018, see Users and Credential Types. For information on how to provision users with initial username and password values, see How to: Create Microsoft Dynamics NAV Users.
    CertificateThumbprint

    (Client Services tab)    		 Value of the Thumbprint field in the previous procedure The default value is <key>. Remove any leading or trailing spaces in the thumbprint.

  5. Choose Save.

  6. Restart the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server instance.

If a problem or error occurs, see the Windows Event Log on the computer running the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server. For more information, see Monitoring Dynamics NAV Server Events Using Event Viewer.

Configuring the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client

With the chain trust configuration, only the root CA and the certificate revocation list must be installed for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components. To do this, complete these procedures on the computer running the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components.

To install the root CA

  1. Start the Certificates snap-in for MMC on the computer running the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components, and then add the Certificates snap-in.

    Note

    This procedure is identical to the one that you followed for installing the root CA on the computer running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server.

  2. In the Certificates snap-in dialog box, choose Computer account, and then choose Next.

  3. In the Select Computer pane, choose Local computer: (the computer this console is running on), and then choose Finish.

  4. Choose OK to close the Add or Remove Snap-ins dialog box.

  5. In the left pane of MMC, expand the Certificates (Local Computer) node.

  6. Expand the Trusted Root Certification Authorities node, right-click the Certificates subfolder, select All Tasks, and then choose Import.

  7. In the Certificate Import Wizard, on the Welcome page, choose Next.

  8. On the File to Import page, choose Browse.

  9. Browse to the location of the RootNavServiceCA.cer certificate file, select the file, and then choose Open.

  10. On the File to Import page, choose Next.

  11. On the Certificate Store page, accept the default selection, and then choose Next.

  12. On the Completing the Certificate Import Wizard page, choose Finish.

To install the certificate revocation list

  1. Start the Certificates snap-in for MMC on the computer running the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client or Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client, and then add the Certificates snap-in.

  2. In the Certificates snap-in dialog box, choose Computer account, and then choose Next.

  3. In the Select Computer pane, choose Local computer: (the computer this console is running on), and then choose Finish.

  4. Choose OK to close the Add or Remove Snap-ins dialog box.

  5. In the left pane of MMC, expand the Certificates (Local Computer) node.

  6. Expand the Trusted Root Certification Authorities node, right-click the Certificates subfolder, select All Tasks, and then choose Import.

  7. In the Certificate Import Wizard, on the Welcome page, choose Next.

  8. On the File to Import page, choose Browse.

  9. In the File Type field, select Certificate Revocation List (*.crl).

  10. Browse to the location of the RootNavServiceCA.crl file, select the file, and then choose Open.

  11. On the File to Import page, choose Next.

  12. On the Certificate Store page, accept the default selection, and then choose Next.

  13. On the Completing the Certificate Import Wizard page, choose Finish.

To modify the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Windows client configuration file to add certificate information

  1. Open the ClientUserSettings.config configuration file.

    The location of this file is Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Dynamics NAV.

    By default, this file is hidden. Therefore, you may have to change your folder options in Windows Explorer to view hidden files.

  2. Modify the following settings.

    Key New value Description
    ClientServicesCredentialType NavUserPassword or Username The default value is Windows. When you change it to NavUserPassword or Username, client users who connect to the server are prompted for user name and password credentials. For more information on authentication mechanisms for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018, see Users and Credential Types. For information on how to provision users with initial username and password values, see How to: Create Microsoft Dynamics NAV Users.
    DnsIdentity The subject name of the service certificate The default value is <identity>.

    For this walkthrough, set the key to NavServiceCert.

  3. Save and close the ClientUserSettings.config file.

    When you start the client, you are prompted for a valid user name and password for the server domain.

To modify the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client configuration file to add certificate information

  1. On the Dynamics NAV web server instance, open the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client folder. By default, the folder is C:\inetpub\wwwroot\DynamicsNAV110.

  2. Open the configuration file in a text editor, such as Notepad.

  3. Find the <DynamicsNavSettings> element, and then change the following settings:

    Key New value Description
    ClientServicesCredentialType NavUserPassword or Username The default value is Windows. When you change it to NavUserPassword or Username, client users who connect to the server are prompted for user name and password credentials. For more information on authentication mechanisms for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018, see Users and Credential Types. For information on how to provision users with initial username and password values, see How to: Create Microsoft Dynamics NAV Users.
    DnsIdentity The subject name of the service certificate For this walkthrough, set the key to NavServiceCert.

  4. Save the configuration file.

    For more information about configuring the credential type for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client, see How to: Configure Authentication of Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client Users.