This is my first try in setting up Microsoft Azure to create Dynamics NAV2015 and NAV2016 environment.

Sign Up to Microsoft Azure Service

At first, we need to have Microsoft Azure account, which is normally under corporate accounts. You can go to: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/ – then click ‘Try Now’, then follow the process of signing up and creating account. The azure web site requires your phone number for verification code, and your credit card information for verification.

Once you finish the signing up, you will be directed to new website, https://portal.azure.com – like this:

Sign up into Azure is done. Now we create a server, so that we can load NAV in it.

Create VM(s) in Azure

There’s a documentation released by Microsoft for this tasks: https://mbs.microsoft.com/files/partner/NAV/Readiness_Training/ReadinessTrainingNews/Step1Makeademoinstance.pdf

Click ‘New’ – Compute – Marketplace. Search for “Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016”

Continue … and we will see a ‘Create VM’ tab.

In ‘Host Name’ field, I put “NAV9D0”. this is just a name, that later will become your NAV service name, and web address.
User name : [use your user name], Password : [use your password]

When all are set, click ‘Create’. You will see the web pake like this:

When finish, click the newly created “NAV9D0” or other name you use, and you may look around to see that https://portal.azure.com environment.

Next, we can also use https://manage.windowsazure.com to manage our Azure server environment.

I’m sharing another way to create new VM from ‘manage.windowsazure.com’.

Click ‘+NEW’, select COMPUTE – VIRTUAL MACHINE – FROM GALLERY ; as the picture below:

I want to have NAV2015 also in this Azure VM, so I select ‘DYNAMICS’ – Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015′;

Next, we are give few option to plan the resource, which is the processor cores. Here, we need to provide Virtual Machine configuration details: Name, Size, Username & password. (For demo purposes we recommend to select a machine size A2 or A3.)

In the VM setting, select ‘Create a new cloud service’, provide VM name (simply put the same name as VM name). Select a region where the virtual machine will be operated. Set the ENDPOINTS, which are actualy Ports that we normally set when installing NAV.

Skip ‘Remote Desktop’ and ‘PowerShell’ ports. You need to add:

• HTTPS, TCP 443
• HTTP, TCP 80
• WinClient, TCP 7046
• SoapServices, TCP 7047
• ODataServices, TCP 7048
• HelpServer, TCP 49000

Click Next.

The wizard shows you the last pages, where normally we do not need to select anything here.

Click Next (check button), and the VM are preparing.

When it’s done, you will see another set of VM, like picture below;

That’s all the Azure & VM part. Now we continue to prepare NAV environment.

Prepare NAV Environment

From bottom ribbon, click CONNECT. It will send you a Remote Desktop shortcut for you to download. Save it in specific folder.

I assume you are quite familiar with RDC. Run it, and it will make you connect to the Azure VM that we have just created.

Use username and password as you’ve set in the Azure VM creation. Then you are connected when you see like this;

The first screen is a normal Server Manager.

Close it. Open Windows Explorer, and go to C:\DEMO

You will see there are many text file. Select ‘Initialize Virtual Machine’, Rigt-Click and select ‘Run with PowerShell’. Then continue the next files.

It will load a PowerShell window. When all are done, you will see many icons created in the desktop.

Select Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 (or what you are installing, can be NAV 2015 also). It will show like this;

If NAV2016 loads like a boss, it means the web client is also ready.

You can close the Remote Desktop, and go back to the brower tab ‘manage.windowsazure.com’. In the left pane click CLOUD SERVICES. From the list, in right area, click the link under URL column.

It will open a new page, like this:

Enjoy Your Coffee …

Click ‘Access Web Client’.

and you can zip your coffee …

This is Dynamics NAV App, in Windows Store …

Now all are set, and you are free to order double shoot espresso …