Step by Step Setup Dynamics CRM Server

In this post, we will check Windows Server , SQL Server, and Dynamics CRM installation.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2015/2016 hardware requirements

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015/2016 system requirements and required technologies This Microsoft Dynamics CRM (on-premises) version requires the following software:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
• A Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory infrastructure
• An Internet Information Services (IIS) website
• Claims-based security token service (required for Internet-facing deployments)
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
• Microsoft Exchange Server or access to a POP3-compliant email server (required for email tracking)
• SharePoint Server (required for document management)
• Supported device, Microsoft Dynamics CRM app, or web browsers, such as later versions of Internet Explorer or the latest versions of Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Office for Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook and other Office integration features

Step by Step installation of Windows server, MS SQL server, Report server, Active directory and      MS CRM 2015/2016

1- Insert the Windows Server 2012 DVD, and once you get the following message press Enter to boot from the setup

2- Wait for a while till the setup loads all necessary files (Depending on your machine, it will take couple of minutes)

3- Once the setup files are loaded, the setup will start with the following screen. You can change these to meet your needs (the default values should be fine for now)

4- Once you click Next, you can start the installation, click “Install now”

5- You will see the following screen, wait until it finishes loading

6- In the following setup screen, you will see four options. Select Windows Server 2012 DataCenter Evaluation (Server With GUI).

7-After you click Next from the previous screen, Read the License terms, tick the “I accept the license terms” and click Next.

8-Now It will ask you for the drive (or partition) you want to install Windows on. Here I’m installing it on the one partition I have here. NOTE: This will remove the content of the partition. Either you create a partition to install windows on, or you can test this on a testing machine.

9-Now once we picked our partition, clicking on next from the previous screen will start the setup. This process might take a while.

10- Once the setup is done, it will restart and start your Windows Server 2012 for the first time. It will ask you then to set up a password for the Administrator user.

11- The setup will finalize your settings, might take a couple of minutes.

12- Once the setup is done, you can log in for the first time to your Windows Server, as the screen says, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to log in, and use the password you set in the setup process.

13 – Once you Log in, Windows Server 2012 will show the Server Manager

Windows server 2012 Installed with Datacenter.

Installing Active Directory on Windows Server 2012

1. Open theServer Manager from the task bar.
2. From theServer Manager Dashboard, select Add roles and features.

This will launch the Roles and Features Wizard allowing for modifications to be performed on the Windows Server 2012 instance.

1. SelectRole-based or features-based installation from the Installation Type screen and click Next.

Note: Roles are the major feature sets of the server, such as IIS, and features provide additional functionality for a given role.

The current server is selected by default. Click Next to proceed to the Server Roles tab.

1. From the Server Roles page place a checkmark in the box next toActive Directory Domain Services. A notice will appear explaining additional roles services or features are also required to install domain services, click Add Features.

Note: There are other options including, Certificate services, federation services, lightweight directory services and rights management. Domain Services is the glue that holds this all together and needs to be installed prior to these other services.

1. Review and select optional features to install during the AD DS installation by placing a check in the box next to any desired features; Once done click Next.

1. Review the information on theAD DS tab and click Next.

1. Review the installation and clickInstall.

Note: The installation progress will be displayed on the screen. Once installed the AD DS role will be displayed on the ‘Server Manager’ landing page.

Configuring Active Directory

Once the AD DS role is installed the server will need to be configured for your domain.

1. If you have not done so already,Open the Server Manager from the task bar.
2. Open the Notifications Pane by selecting theNotifications icon from the top of the Server Manager. From the notification regarding configuring AD DS click Promote this server to a domain controller.
3. From the Deployment Configuration tab selectAdd a new forest from the radial options menu. Insert your root domain name into the Root domain name

4. Review and select a Domain and Forest functional level. Once selected fill in a DSRM password in the provided password fields. The DSRM password is used when booting the Domain Controller into recovery mode.

Note: The selection made here will have lasting effects to features and server domain controller eligibility. For further information on Domain/Forest, functional levels see official Microsoft documentation.

Review the warning on the DNS Options tab and selectNext.

Confirm or enter a NetBIOS name and click Next.

Configure the location of the SYSVOL, Log files, and Database folders and clickNext.

Review the configuration options and clickNext.

The system will check to ensure all necessary prerequisites are installed on the system prior to moving forward. If the system passes these checks you will proceed by clickingInstall.

Note: The server will automatically be rebooted once the installation completes.

After the server is done rebooting, reconnect via RDP. Congratulations on successfully installing and configuring an Active Directory Domain Services on Windows Server 2012.

User Accounts required for Dynamics CRM 2015/2016 (give name as per you) 

1. Application Service: !svc.crm-app
2. Deployment Web Service: !svc.crm-deployment
3. Sandbox Processing Service: !svc.crm-sandbox
4. VSS Writer Service: !svc.crm-monitoring
5. Asynchronous Processing Service: !svc.crm-ap
6. Monitoring Service: !svc.crm-monitoring

Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server 2014

Insert the SQL Server 2014 installation DVD. Before you start to install the SQL server, install the NetFx3 feature, otherwise you will get error while the installation is in progress. To install the NEtFx3, type the following command in command prompt as shown in the snapshot below. Make sure you have inserted the installation media.

c:\> dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:netfx3 /all /source:d:\sources\sxs

To start the SQL server installation, click the first option after selecting installation tab from the installation center as shown below. Since this is going to be new SQL server installation select the first option.

The installation will then check all the pre-requisites that are required to install the SQL server. If everything is fine, you will see green checks as shown below. Click OK.

Enter the product key and click Next. Or choose evaluation edition and click Next.

Accept the license terms and click Next.Check to include SQL server product updates and click Next.

The installation does the pre-requisite checks once again as you can see below.

On the Setup Role page, choose SQL server feature installation and click Next.

Select the required SQL features and click Next.

Under Instance Configuration, choose Default instance. You can also define custom instance name. Similarly, you have the option to choose the location where the instance will be stored. I will leave the defaults and click Next button.

Under Server Configuration, review the Service Accounts, I will leave the defaults. Here, you can also use Active Directory user for various SQL services.

Under Database Engine Configuration, choose Windows authentication mode. You also have option to choose both windows authentication and SQL server authentication. Then, add the users who will be managing this SQL server and click Next.

After the installation is complete, click Close. You can now start creating databases.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 Installation

1. Download the Dynamics CRM 2015 Server setup files.
2. Run Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup by navigating to the directory. It is recommended to do it with‘Run as Administrator’ 

1. 3.Welcome to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2015 Setup page 

On this page, we recommend that you click Get updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, to make sure that Setup has the most recent installation files. Click Next. 

1. If there is no update needed you can proceed with the setup by clicking Next.
2. Product Key Information : The next step is to enter the product key. You may insert a valid commercial product key or use one of the following 90-day trial keys.Microsoft Dynamics CRM Workgroup Server 2015 (5 CAL limit):NX77Y-BTBCV-JP3T3-8W7JH-94QJPMicrosoft Dynamics CRM Server 2015 (no CAL limit):CQWW3-TNXBF-HRQWC-CVTW9-M968H
3. License Agreement page ,On the License Agreement page, review the information and, if you accept the license agreement, click I accept this license agreement, and then click I Accept.
4. Install Required Components If Setup detects that components are missing, the Install Required Components page appears.
   • If you have already installed the required components, this page will not appear.
   • If you have not installed the required components listed, you can install them now. ClickInstall. When the components are installed, the status column will change fromNot Installed to Installed, and you can click Next to continue.

   Note: If you are prompted to restart the computer, do so, and then start Setup again.

   

5.  Once successfully installing all the required components, press Next to continue with the setup.
6. Select Installation Location On the Select Installation Location page, accept the default location or enter a different file installation location, and then clickNext.
7. Specify Server roles ,Here you can specify the server roles to install in the current serverTo take advantage of additional performance and scaling benefits in enterprise deployments, consider distributing specific server functionality, components, and services or server roles on different servers. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 supports distribution and scaling of server roles across multiple servers.There are 2 new services as part of the Back End Server roles and the Deployment Administration Server roles. These are the Email integration Service and the VSS writer service.
   

   Email Integration Service	Handles sending and receiving of email messages by connecting to an external email server
   VSS Writer Service	This service provides an interface to backup and restore Dynamics CRM data by using the Windows Server Volume Shadow Copy service (VSS) infrastructure

10. Specify Deployment Options On the Specify Deployment Options page, select the name of the computer that is running SQL Server to use the deployment box, type or select the instance of Microsoft SQL Server that will be used to store the Dynamics CRM database (MSCRM_CONFIG) For a new installation of Dynamics CRM, we select the option Create a new deployment.

1. Select the Organizational Unit On the Select the Organizational Unit page, click Browse to display your Active Directory structure. Select the location where you want the Microsoft Dynamics CRM organizational unit to be installed into, click OK, and then click Next. Microsoft Dynamics CRM security groups are     created in this organizational unit.

1. Specify Service Accounts On the Specify Service Accounts page, select the security accounts for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM services, and then click Next.

For each service, we strongly recommend that you select a low-privilege domain account that is dedicated to running these services and is not used for any other purpose.

Additionally, the user account that is used to run a Microsoft Dynamics CRM service cannot be a Microsoft Dynamics CRM user. This domain account must be a member of the Domain Users group.

Additionally, if the Asynchronous Service and Sandbox Processing Service roles are installed, such as in a Full Server or a Back End Server installation, the domain account must a member of the Performance Log Users security group.

If you select to run the ASP.NET service under a domain user account that is not a domain administrator or a local administrator, you must set a local security policy after you install Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2015 for the ASP.NET service to work correctly. Also, depending on the password policies that you have implemented for your organization, the password for the user may expire

There are a couple of new services in CRM 2015

1. Select a Web Site On the Select a Web Site page, click Create a new Web site or click Select a Web Site and select a website from the list. By default, Setup will use the default website.

Important: We strongly recommend that you verify the status of the existing website before you specify Setup to use an existing website. We strongly recommend that the website you select is configured for SSL. For more information see the IIS documentation. During the installation, Setup can bind the Microsoft Dynamics CRM application to the HTTPS website. If you select a network port other than a default port, ensure that the firewall does not block the port.

When you select the Create a new Web site option, Setup creates a new website for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You can specify the following option:

Port Number: Type the TCP port number that Microsoft Dynamics CRM clients will use to connect to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 2015. The default port number is 5555. Click Next

14. Specify E-mail Router Settings On the Specify E-mail Router Settings page, in the E-mail Router server name box, type the name of the computer where the Email Router will be installed.

This computer will route Microsoft Dynamics CRM email messages. If you will not install the Email Router you can leave this box blank. However, if you install the Email Router later you must add the computer where the Email Router service is running when you use Local System, or if you use a domain user account, the account, to the PrivUserGroup security group. Click Next

Note: If you want to use Server Side Synchronization or do not want to specify the email router name you can leave it blank and click Next

1. Specify the Organization Settings

On the Specify the Organization Name page, specify the following information.

• In theDisplay Name box, type the name of your organization.
• In theUnique Database Name box, you can keep the name that is automatically generated or you can type a unique name that must be limited to 30 characters. Spaces and extended characters are not allowed.
• UnderISO currency code, click Browse, select the ISO currency code that you will use as the base currency for the organization in the list, and then click OK.
  You can change the currency’s symbol, name, or precision.
• In theSQL collation list, keep the default selection or select a different database collation that the organization database will use to sort and compare data characters. Click Next.

Important
After Setup is complete, you cannot change the database collation, base ISO currency code, or the organization unique name. However, you can change the base currency name and base currency symbol.

1. Specify Reporting Services Server On the Specify Reporting Services Server page, type the Report Server URL. Make sure that you use the Report Server URL, not the Report Manager URL.To verify that you are using the correct URL, in a browser, type the Report Server URL as the address.Click Next

1. Help us Improve the Customer ExperienceOn the Help Us Improve the Customer Experience page, select whether you want to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program, and then click Next
2. Select Microsoft Update Option page On the Select Microsoft Update Option page, you must select either of the following options.Use Microsoft Update when I check for updates (recommended) – By selecting this option, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server will use the Microsoft Update settings on the computer. I don’t want to use Microsoft update- You should only select this option if the computer uses another method to install updates such as by using Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).
3. System Checks This page is a summary of all requirements and recommendations for a successful installation. Errors must be resolved before installation can continue. If no errors, or only warnings appear, you can continue with the installation. To do this, click Next
4. Ready to Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Review the Ready to Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM page, and then click Back to correct any warnings. When you are ready to continue, click Install. 

Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 Reporting Extensions

You must complete Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup before you run CRM Reporting Extensions Setup. You must run Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions Setup on a computer that has a supported version of Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services installed

You can locate the setup file from ..\Server\amd64\SrsDataConnector folder, double click SetupSrsDataConnector.exe.

1. Welcome to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions Setup Select whether you want to update Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Setup. We recommend that, if updates are available, you let Setup download the latest version.

To do this, click Get updates for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, wait until the update process is complete, and then click Next

1. License Agreement Review the information and, if you accept the license agreement, click I accept this license agreement, and then click I Accept.
2. Install Required Components If Setup detects that components are missing, the Install Required Components page appears.
   1. If you have already installed the required components, this page will not appear.
   2. If you have not installed the required components listed, you can install them now. ClickInstall. When the components are installed, the status column will change fromMissing to Installed, and you can click Next to continue.
3. Specify Configuration Database Server If you are using the default instance of the SQL Server, enter the name of the computer that is running SQL Server and contains the Microsoft Dynamics CRM configuration database that is named MSCRM_CONFIG, and then click Next.Note: If you are not using the default SQL Server instance, enter <machine-name>\<instance-name>
4. Specify SSRS Instance Name Select a Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services instance that will be used for Microsoft Dynamics CRM reporting, and then clickNext.
5. Select Microsoft Update Option Select whether you want to use Microsoft Update for checking for updates for your Microsoft products, and click Next.We recommend that you use the Microsoft Update to check for updates because this keeps your computer up-to-date and secure.
6. Select Installation Location Click Browse, and select a path where you want to install CRM Reporting Extensions, and then click Next.
7. System Checks This page is a summary of the requirements for a successful CRM Reporting Extensions installation. Errors must be corrected before installation can continue. All errors must be resolved. If no errors or only warnings appear, you can continue with the installation. To do this, click Next.You may get the below error id the Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Reporting Service was installed via default settings- then the service account is set to Report Server
8. To resolve the issue, open the Reporting services configuration manager and update the Service Account to something else such as “NetworkService”Once you click on Apply, you will be prompted for the File Location and the password of the Back Encryption Key. Click Apply and ExitThe table below summarizes the account and provides recommendations for using the service accounts for Reporting Service.For best results, specify an account that has network connection permissions, with access to network domain controllers and corporate SMTP servers or gateways. The following table summarizes the accounts and provides recommendations for using them.

Read more about Service account for SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services

10. Ready to install Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions Review this page, and then click Back to correct any errors. When you are ready to continue, click Install.

1. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Reporting Extensions Setup Completed Click Finish

Thanks!!!