Microsoft Dynamics GP ®

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 on

Microsoft Azure
White Paper

A guide to planning, deploying and managing Microsoft

Dynamics GP 2015 on Microsoft Azure.

Date: March 2015

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................ 4
Checklist .............................................................................................................................. 4
What’s in this guide ............................................................................................................... 5

Part 1: Microsoft Azure Account .................................................................. 6

Sign up for a Microsoft Azure Account...................................................................................... 6
Create a Subscription ............................................................................................................ 6
Sign up for a Microsoft Azure Support Plan ............................................................................... 7

Part 2: Planning .......................................................................................... 8

Licensing ............................................................................................................................. 8
Microsoft License Mobility through Software Assurance ........................................................... 8
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 ............................................................................................... 9
Remote Desktop Services (RDS) .......................................................................................... 9
Microsoft SQL Server .......................................................................................................... 9
Other Licensing Considerations – Microsoft Azure Billing / Cost Allocation ................................. 9
Legal ..................................................................................................................................10
Security ........................................................................................................................... 10
Privacy ............................................................................................................................ 10
Compliance ...................................................................................................................... 10
Microsoft Dynamics GP Components .......................................................................................11
Deployment Models ..............................................................................................................12
Extend Corporate Network ................................................................................................. 12
Dedicated Private Virtual Network ....................................................................................... 13
System Requirements ..........................................................................................................13
High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) .......................................................................16
Availability Set ................................................................................................................. 16
SQL Server HADR ............................................................................................................. 17
Redundant Storage ........................................................................................................... 17
Host O/S Maintenance ....................................................................................................... 17

Part 3: Deploy Microsoft Dynamics GP ...................................................... 19

Creating a Virtual Network ....................................................................................................19
Creating Virtual Machines .....................................................................................................20
Configuring Active Directory ..................................................................................................22
Configuring Microsoft SQL Server ...........................................................................................23
Installing Microsoft Dynamics GP Desktop Client and Creating Databases ................................ 26
Configuring Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services................................................................27
Configuring the Tenant Services Server ..................................................................................28
Configuring the Web Components Web Server .........................................................................30
Configuring the Web Components Session Host Server .............................................................31
Configuring Remote Desktop Services ....................................................................................32
Configuring a Management Reporter Server ............................................................................37

Part 4: Maintenance .................................................................................. 39

Database Maintenance and Backups .......................................................................................39
Data Disk......................................................................................................................... 39

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

 Backup Directly to Blob Storage.......................................................................................... 39
Managing Virtual Machines ....................................................................................................40
Updating Microsoft Dynamics GP ............................................................................................41

Part 5: Troubleshooting and Technical Support......................................... 42

Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................42
Contacting Billing and Technical Support .................................................................................43
Microsoft Azure................................................................................................................. 43
Microsoft Dynamics GP ...................................................................................................... 44

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Introduction
This guide provides information for deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 on Microsoft Azure.
Microsoft Azure provides the infrastructure you need to run Microsoft Dynamics GP on a dependable,
secure and scalable cloud platform.

Flexibility and familiarity make the infrastructure services in Microsoft Azure an ideal platform for
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015. The Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 you deploy in Microsoft Azure is
exactly the same one that you would deploy in your own office or data center. Since Microsoft Azure
infrastructure services (WAIS) is a virtual machine environment, the process of deploying and
managing Microsoft Dynamics GP on WAIS should be very familiar to you already. Your knowledge and
previous experience deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP on premise or as a hosted service will be
beneficial when deploying on WAIS. You have flexibility with respect to the license model you choose
to use when deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure. And because the product is
constant, you can be reassured that you can move your deployment into or out of Microsoft Azure
seamlessly.

The following Microsoft Azure infrastructure services features are used as building blocks when you
create a Microsoft Dynamics GP environment.

1. Virtual Machines – The virtual machines are the Windows Servers that host the Microsoft
Dynamics GP components and other pre-requisite software.
2. Virtual Network – A virtual network provides a network in the cloud for cross-machine
communication.
3. Storage Account – A storage account stores the data disks and the virtual machine VHD files.

How you will configure the infrastructure services features will be depend on the needs of your
Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment. For example, how many virtual machines are required, the
network configuration for cross-machine communication, and disk configuration for storing data must
be configured in Microsoft Azure to support the Microsoft Dynamics GP installation. After the Microsoft
Azure environment is set up and configured, the Microsoft Dynamics GP components and required pre-
requisite software can be installed on the virtual machines in much the same way as they would be on
virtual machines in an on premise or hosted environment.

Checklist
The following checklist provides an overview of the steps for deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP on
Microsoft Azure.

Step For more information, see…

Sign up for a Microsoft Azure account Sign up for a Microsoft Azure Account
https://account.windowsazure.com/Home/Index

Create subscription Create a Subscription

Determine deployment configuration Deployment Models

Create Virtual Network Creating a Virtual Network

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/jj156007.aspx

Create Virtual Machines Creating Virtual Machines

http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/windows/tutorials/virtual-
machine-from-gallery/

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Deploy Microsoft Dynamics GP Deploy Microsoft Dynamics GP

Create backup and scheduled Database Maintenance and Backups

maintenance procedures

Maintain virtual machines Managing Virtual Machines

Update Microsoft Dynamics GP Updating Dynamics GP

What’s in this guide

This document provides guidelines for deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 on Microsoft Azure. The
information contained in this guide is intended to be used along with the main product documentation
for Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015. The guide is divided into the following parts:

 Part 1, Microsoft Azure Account contains information on signing up for a Microsoft Azure
Account and creating a subscription.
 Part 2, Planning contains information on planning your deployment, including licensing,
common deployment configurations, and server sizing.
 Part 3, Deploy Microsoft Dynamics GP describes how to set up the Microsoft Azure services for
Microsoft Dynamics GP and install Microsoft Dynamics GP on the Microsoft Azure services.
 Part 4, Maintenance contains information about maintaining the Microsoft Dynamics GP
deployment, including upgrading to the newest releases.
 Part 5, Troubleshooting and Technical Support contains information on troubleshooting and
getting technical support for issues with Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure.

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Part 1: Microsoft Azure Account

This part contains information about signing up for a Microsoft Azure Account and creating a
subscription. It contains the following sections:

 Sign up for a Microsoft Azure Account provides directions for signing up for a Microsoft Azure
Account.
 Create a Subscription provides directions for creating one or more subscriptions for the
Microsoft Azure Account.
 Sign up for a Microsoft Azure Support Plan provides information for signing up for a Microsoft
Azure support plan.

Sign up for a Microsoft Azure Account

You will need to sign up for a Microsoft Azure Account before creating any of the service components.
Use these steps to create a Microsoft Azure Account.

1. Go to http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/
2. Choose to create a new account using either the free trial or purchase option. If you are
deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP for development or testing purposes, you can sign up as an
MSDN subscriber. If you select the purchase option, you will have the option of buying the
Azure services using Pay-as-You-Go, Microsoft Reseller or Enterprise agreement.
3. Log in using the Microsoft Account that will be the owner of the Microsoft Azure account. Sign
up for a Microsoft Account if needed.
4. Assuming that the Microsoft Account is not already the owner of a Microsoft Azure account, a
wizard window will open and walk you through the process of setting up a new account.

Create a Subscription
You will create one or more subscriptions for the Microsoft Azure account. A subscription is a grouping
of Microsoft Azure services and applications, including the virtual machines discussed earlier. The
subscription provides a way to control the access to and the use of the Microsoft Azure subscribed
service. On the account billing, the resource usage of Microsoft Azure services for each subscription is
reported separately. In a situation where you will have multiple Microsoft Dynamics GP deployments,
you may decide to use a separate subscription for each deployment in order to track expenses related
to each deployment. All of the Microsoft Dynamics GP components for a single deployment need to be
deployed to the same subscription however. You can set up different administrators for each
subscription as required. See Overview of Subscription Management1 for additional information.
Use the following steps to create a subscription.

1. Sign in to the Azure account management portal2.

2. Click Account Center to manage the account.
3. Click to add a subscription.

1
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/hh531793.aspx
2
https://account.windowsazure.com/Home/Index

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

 4. Click a subscription offer from the available list to create the subscription.

Note: You can rename the subscription after it has been created.

Sign up for a Microsoft Azure Support Plan

Microsoft Azure support plans provide technical and billing support for Microsoft Azure. The Microsoft
Azure support plans offer flexible support options that will allow you to select the right level of support
for your Microsoft Azure deployment. The support options range from support services included with
your Microsoft Azure Account at no charge to Premier support services. Information on the available
support plans and purchasing a plan can be found on the Microsoft Azure Support3 page. Technical
and billing support for Microsoft Dynamics GP will continue to be offered using the existing programs.
Refer to the Microsoft Dynamics GP support section in Part 5 of this document for additional
information.

3
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/support/plans/

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Part 2: Planning

Planning your Microsoft Azure deployment of Microsoft Dynamics GP includes making decisions about
which Microsoft Dynamics GP components to deploy, what configuration to use, and what the system
requirements are for those components. These are decisions that must be made in all Microsoft
Dynamics GP deployments, this part of the document covers the special considerations that impact
these decisions when deploying on Microsoft Azure. This part contains the following sections.

 Licensing provides information on licensing Microsoft Dynamics GP and the required software
on Microsoft Azure.
 Legal provides information on protecting customers data deployed on Microsoft Azure.
 Microsoft Dynamics GP Components provides information about the Microsoft Dynamics GP
components that can be deployed on Microsoft Azure.
 Deployment Models describes the two common configurations that are used when deploying
Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure.
 System Requirements provides sizing recommendations for the virtual machine instance sizes
that are available in Microsoft Azure.
 High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) provides information on setting up the
Microsoft Azure environment for high availability and disaster recovery.

Licensing
Licensing the various components of the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 solution is an important
consideration in all deployment types. For deployments on Microsoft Azure, you will want to evaluate
the special licensing terms specific to Microsoft Azure and the impact that these decisions have on the
overall cost of the solution.

All Microsoft software installed in the Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine environment must be properly
licensed. Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines include by default a license for use of Windows Server in
the Microsoft Azure environment. Certain Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine offerings may also include
additional Microsoft software on a per-hour or evaluation basis. Click here4 to view additional common
FAQs regarding licensing on Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines.

Microsoft License Mobility through Software Assurance

License Mobility through Software Assurance gives Microsoft Volume Licensing customers the flexibility
to deploy eligible server applications with active Software Assurance on Microsoft Azure. With this
Software Assurance benefit, there is no need to purchase new licenses and no associated mobility
fees, so you can easily deploy existing licenses on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

With License Mobility through Software Assurance, you can:

 Deploy certain server application licenses purchased under your Volume Licensing agreement
in Microsoft Azure data centers.
 Extend the value of your server application licenses by deploying them on-premises or in the
cloud.
 Take advantage of the low cost computing infrastructure for changing business priorities.
More program benefit details and information can be found here5.

For information about Microsoft’s License Mobility program see:

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/software-assurance/license-mobility.aspx

4
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/licensing-faq/
5
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/license-mobility/

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015
Use the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2015 and Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Pricing and Licensing page on
Partner Source to learn more about the Perpetual Licensing and Service Provider License agreement
(SPLA) licensing programs – both of which are supported for on-Azure deployments.

Consult the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Licensing Guide6 to improve your understanding of how to
license Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015.

Remote Desktop Services (RDS)

There are two ways to license Remote Desktop Services (RDS), formerly known as Terminal Services
in Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines.
1. Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Subscriber Access Licenses (SALs) purchased through the
Microsoft Service Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA) may be used to deliver graphical user
interface functionality for applications on Microsoft Azure virtual machines.
2. Volume Licensing customers who have active Software Assurance on their RDS User CALs are
entitled to RDS CAL Extended Rights, which allow use of their RDS User CAL with Software
Assurance against a Windows Server running on Microsoft Azure or other service providers’
shared server environments.

To read more about licensing RDS with Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines, see:
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/licensing-faq/ and Product Use Rights (PUR) document7.

Microsoft SQL Server

There are three ways to license Microsoft SQL Server in Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines:
1. Install or upload your own SQL Server image using the license mobility benefits under
Software Assurance.
2. Obtain the SQL Server image from the image gallery and pay the per-minute rate of SQL
Server in Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines.
3. If you are a Service Provider with a signed Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA), install
or upload your SQL Server Standard image with Subscriber Access License (SAL) reported via
your SPLA.

You will want to carefully evaluate each of these options for Microsoft SQL Server as the cost models
can be very different. The deployment model you choose to employ and the number of users that will
be supported are key factors in this decision.

Other Licensing Considerations – Microsoft Azure Billing / Cost Allocation

For many Service Providers offering a hosted solution, determining how to bill Customers for monthly,
consumption-based charges from Microsoft Azure will represent a new challenge.

To learn what billing information is available, Partners should review the Understand Your Bill for
Microsoft Azure8 pages on the Microsoft Azure Portal. These pages provide an overview of the
Microsoft Azure billing process, links to sample invoices and a description of the daily usage data file
that can be exported and analyzed.

Microsoft Azure billing is done monthly at the Account level. Charges for various services are grouped
and reported at the Subscription level. To simplify the cost allocation exercised, Partners supporting
multiple Customer deployments may wish to segregate each Customer’s services to individual
subscriptions.

6
https://mbs.microsoft.com/Files/partner/GP/PriceOrder/Licensing_Policies/DynamicsGP2015LicensingGuide.pdf
7
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/about-licensing/product-licensing.aspx
8
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/support/understand-your-bill/

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Note:
Please note that this whitepaper does not supersede or replace any of the legal documentation
covering use rights for Microsoft products and does not constitute a commitment of licensing program
availability. For current product use rights and licensing program availability for products licensed
through Volume Licensing (including SPLA), please refer to http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/. For
current product use rights and licensing program availability for products licensed through Order
Central, please refer to https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/northamerica/pricing-ordering.

Legal
Together with Microsoft, Partners must work together to protect Customer data and provide guidance
to Customers when it comes to security, privacy, and compliance practices.

Microsoft runs Microsoft Azure services with common operational practices and features across
multiple geographies and jurisdictions. However, it is ultimately up to Partners and Customers to
determine if Microsoft services satisfy their regulatory needs.

To help provide Partners and Customers with up to date information the Microsoft Azure Trust Center9
provides detailed information on security, privacy, and compliance topics for Microsoft Azure
customers.

Security
This topic provides an overview of the provisions Microsoft is taking to provide a secure environment
within geographically dispersed datacenters. Among the extensive list of Security-related resources,
the Standard Response to Request for Information: Security and Privacy 10 outlines how Microsoft
Azure meets the suggested principals and mapped them to the International Standards Organization
(ISO) 27001:2005 and ISO 27002. This standardized response empowers Partners and Customers
with in-depth information to evaluate different offerings in the market place today.

Privacy
Includes links to multiple resources that describe Privacy practices of the Microsoft Azure environment.
It includes a link to the Microsoft Azure Privacy Statement11 an overview of privacy terms and a
discussion of the location of Customer data, E.U. Data Protection Directive.

Compliance
This topic provides resources to help Partners and Customers comply with the specific laws and
regulations applicable to their unique industry and use scenario.

9
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/support/trust-center/
10
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26647
11
http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/support/legal/privacy-statement/

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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Microsoft Dynamics GP Components
This section provides information about the Microsoft Dynamics GP components that can be deployed
on Microsoft Azure. How you license Windows Server will determine how you deploy some of the
Microsoft Dynamics GP components on Microsoft Azure. The Microsoft Dynamics GP components that
require Remote Desktop Services (RDS) for end-user access over the Internet can be deployed on
Microsoft Azure only if you are able to license RDS using the methods provided in the Remote Desktop
Services licensing section. You can also use Remote Desktop for Administration to run these
components for administrative purposes. User access to applications using remote desktop, will be
limited to a maximum of 2 concurrent administrator users using Remote Desktop for Administration.
Refer to the following list for component availability.

Component Availability
Microsoft Dynamics GP databases Yes

Microsoft Dynamics GP client Yes12

Microsoft Dynamics GP web client Yes

Service Based Architecture Yes

Companion Application Service Yes

eConnect Yes13

SQL Server Reporting Services Reports Yes

Excel Reports Limited14

Integration Manager Yes15

Analysis Cubes Limited16

Management Reporter Yes17

ISV Solutions Limited18

12
The Microsoft Dynamics GP desktop client can be used for end-user access through Remote Desktop Services.
The Microsoft Dynamics GP desktop client can be used for administrative purposes with Remote Desktop for
Administration.
13
If the application that is using eConnect requires Remote Desktop Services for end-user access, then you will
need to properly license RDS. If access is for administrators only, then Remote Desktop for Administration can be
used.
14
Excel reports connect directly to the Microsoft Dynamics GP databases. Because the SQL Server is not exposed
to the Internet, the Excel reports must be run from a computer connected to the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network.
This means that Microsoft Excel to be run on a Remote Desktop Services server or from a computer on the network
connected to the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network.
15
Integration Manager can be used for end-user access through Remote Desktop Services. Integration Manager
can be used for administrative purposes with Remote Desktop for Administration.
16
Analysis Cubes reports connect directly to the Microsoft Dynamics GP databases. Because the SQL Server is not
exposed to the Internet, the Analysis Cubes reports must be run from a computer connected to the Microsoft Azure
Virtual Network.
17
The Management Reporter report designer and desktop viewer can be used for end-user access through Remote
Desktop Services. The Management Reporter report designer and desktop viewer can be used for administrative
purposes with Remote Desktop for Administration. The Web Viewer can be used by all end-users to view reports.
18
ISV products must be evaluated on a product-by-product basis.

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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Deployment Models
The deployment models for Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure are the same models available
for on premise and hosted environments. The models range from a single-machine deployment joined
to your corporate network, to a scale out multitenant public cloud deployment using a private virtual
network in Microsoft Azure. The difference in these models on Microsoft Azure when comparing with
an on premise installation is the setup of the environment, (machines, network configuration, etc.).
The machine configurations, like single-machine and scale-out, available for deploying Microsoft
Dynamics GP on premise are also available for deploying in Microsoft Azure. They can be used in both
of the network configurations discussed below. In both of these network configuration models, all of
the Microsoft Dynamics GP components, with the exception of some ISV products that integrate using
Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP, are installed to one or more virtual machines in Microsoft
Azure. For performance reasons you will want to avoid installing some of the Microsoft Dynamics GP
components to your on premise network and some to virtual machines in Microsoft Azure.

Extend Corporate Network

This model allows you to extend your corporate network with a network of resources hosted in
Microsoft Azure. In this model you create secure site-to-site connectivity between your on-premises
network and a Microsoft Azure Virtual Network. The Microsoft Azure Virtual Network becomes an
extension of your corporate network, with access to on premise resources such as directory services
and Domain Name System (DNS). The Microsoft Dynamics GP components are installed to virtual
machines on the virtual network in Microsoft Azure. The quantity and configuration of these virtual
machines is based on your deployment needs, much like deploying to computers on your corporate
network. The following diagram shows a simple Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client deployment on a
Microsoft Azure Virtual Network connected to an on premise network.

In this diagram the VPN (Virtual Private Network) represents the secure site-to-site connectivity
between the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network and the corporate network. The virtual network is
configured to use the DNS services on the corporate network for name resolution of the Microsoft
Azure Virtual Machines. The Web Server and SQL Server virtual machines are joined to the corporate
network domain for directory services, including the authentication of Microsoft Dynamics GP users. If
additional server roles are required for the Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment, additional virtual
machines would be added to the virtual network in Microsoft Azure and joined to the corporate
network domain.

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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

An additional option in this model is to add a read-only domain controller, with local DNS, to the
Microsoft Azure Virtual Network to improve latency for name resolution and user authentication.

Dedicated Private Virtual Network

In this model a Microsoft Azure Virtual Network is created that is fully contained within Microsoft
Azure. It is not connected to an on premise network. All of the Microsoft Dynamics GP and required
infrastructure components are installed on virtual machines on the virtual network. Unless a single
machine configuration is being used, you will need to add an Active Directory domain controller with
DNS to the virtual network. The virtual network will be configured to use the domain’s DNS system for
name resolution of machines on the virtual network. The quantity and configuration of the virtual
machines is based on your deployment needs, much like deploying to computers on your corporate
network. The following diagram shows a simple Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client deployment on a
dedicated private Microsoft Azure Virtual Network.

In this diagram the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network contains an Active Directory domain controller
with DNS. The virtual network is configured to use the DNS services on the domain controller for name
resolution of the Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines. The Web Server and SQL Server virtual machines
are joined to the domain in Microsoft Azure for directory services, including the authentication of
Microsoft Dynamics GP users. If additional server roles are required for the Microsoft Dynamics GP
deployment, additional virtual machines would be added to the virtual network in Microsoft Azure and
joined to the domain in Microsoft Azure.

System Requirements
The system requirements for deploying on Microsoft Azure are the same as deploying Microsoft
Dynamics GP on premise or in other data centers. The virtual machines in Microsoft Azure have
standard processor and memory configurations that are based on the instance size. The instance sizes
range from VMs with 1 core and .75 GB RAM to 16 cores with 112 GB RAM. You can scale the instance
size up or down as usage patterns change. You can also add additional instances to scale out as
demand increases. The following table contains the compute instance sizes for Microsoft Azure Virtual

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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Machines at the time this guide was created. Refer to the Pricing Details19 page for the latest instance
sizes and pricing.

Basic Tier
Economical option if you won’t be load balancing or require memory-intensive virtual machines.
Compute Instance Name Virtual Cores RAM
A0 Shared 768 MB

A1 1 1.75 GB

A2 2 3.5 GB

A3 4 7 GB

A4 8 14 GB

Standard Tier
Use for most all GP components. Offers flexibility to scale up to memory intensive or scale-
out using load balancing.
Compute Instance Name Virtual Cores RAM
A0 Shared 768 MB

A1 1 1.75 GB

A2 2 3.5 GB

A3 4 7 GB

A4 8 14 GB

A5 2 14 GB

A6 4 28 GB

A7 8 56 GB

19
http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/virtual-machines/

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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Optimized Compute Tier
Provides faster CPU and more memory along with solid state drives. Recommended use
would be for the SQL Server in a deployment with a large number of GP users.
Compute Instance Name Virtual Cores RAM
D1 1 3.5 GB

D2 2 7 GB

D3 4 14 GB

D4 8 28 GB

D11 2 14 GB

D12 4 28 GB

D13 8 56 GB

D14 16 112 GB

There are additional G-Series, network optimized and compute intensive tiers that may be evaluated for special
situations.

Use the published Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 system requirements20 when determining the compute
instance size required for each of the virtual machine instances in your configuration. The table below
maps out the published system requirements to the Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine instance sizes at
the time this guide was created. In each server configuration you will be able to start with a specific
size and then increase or decrease the instance size as needed. You may also add additional virtual
machine instances for those Microsoft Dynamics GP servers that can be scaled out. These guidelines
should serve as a starting point and be adjusted based on your individual configuration.

Servers Instance Size

Microsoft SQL Server  Profile 1 – A2
 Profile 2 – A2, D1
 Profile 3– A3, D2
 Profile 4 – A4+, D3, D4, D11+

Remote Desktop Services Server  Up to 15 users - A2

 Up to 30 users – A3
 Up to 60 users – A4

Web Server (web client) Single Machine

 Up to 25 users – A2
 Up to 60 users – A3
 Up to 120 users – A4

Scale Out
 A2

20
https://mbs.microsoft.com/customersource/northamerica/GP/learning/documentation/system-
requirements/MDGP2015_System_Requirements

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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

Session Host Server (web client)  Up to 25 users – A2
 Up to 60 users – A3
 Up to 120 users – A4
Application Server (Web Services, SQL A2 (A3 if deploying multiple applications on single server)
Reporting Services, Companion App Service)

Application Server (Management Reporter A2

services)
* The “up to … users” recommendations are based on concurrent users.

There is a 20 core limit by default on a Microsoft Azure subscription. If your subscription is going to
require a total of more than 20 cores, you will need to open a quota increase ticket with Microsoft
Support here. A core is equal to a single A1 Virtual Machine instance. An A2 Virtual Machine instance
is equal to 2 cores, an A3 instance equals 4 cores, etc.

Example:
If you have 1 A3, 2 A2 and 1 A1 Virtual Machine instances in your subscription, the total cores for the
subscription is 9.

Compute Instance Size Cores

A1 1

A2 2

A2 2

A3 4

Total 9

High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR)

While the Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Services are designed to provide a high availability and fault
tolerant platform for applications, there are considerations you as the administrator need to plan for in
order to best utilize these capabilities. The Microsoft Azure high availability mechanisms protect the
high availability of the Virtual Machines (VMs), not specifically the applications which run on these
VMs. It is up to you as the administrator to use these mechanisms when implementing the application
in order to meet the HADR capabilities you require. The following sections contain information on the
high availability mechanisms available in Microsoft Azure to use with your Microsoft Dynamics GP
deployment.

Availability Set
An availability set in Microsoft Azure is a configuration option available when load balancing multiple
VMs that places the VMs in different fault and update domains. The result is that the application is still
available even if there is a failure or planned update to a VM instance that takes it off-line for a period
of time. The fault domain protects against unplanned failures by creating the VMs in a different “rack”
of servers, resulting in them being on different physical hardware and serviced by different networking
components. The update domain protects against downtime from planned updates to the host
operating system by placing the VMs on host machines configured with different maintenance
schedules.

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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE

An availability set requires that the application is installed on multiple VMs that have been configured
as a load balanced cloud service. Not all of the Dynamics GP components can be deployed in this
configuration however, the following Dynamics GP application components support being deployed on
a load balanced cloud service.

1. SQL Server (when utilizing SQL Server HADR)

2. Web Client/Service Based Architecture web server (Only possible if using a scale out
deployment with separate Session Host servers or if each of the servers runtime
service is configured for a unique port.)
3. Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP
4. SQL Server Reporting Services
5. Tenant Services
6. RDS Servers (GP client, Management Reporter, Integration Manager, eConnect, ISV
solutions)

Refer to the article Manage the High Availability of Virtual Machines21 for additional information.

SQL Server HADR

There are a number of different HADR technologies in the SQL Server product that are supported in
Microsoft Azure. These include the following.

 AlwaysOn Availability Groups

 Database Mirroring

 Log Shipping

 Backup and Restore with Microsoft Azure Blob Storage Service

These technologies can be used independently or together to provide the high availability and disaster
recovery required. When used with Microsoft Dynamics GP, the AlwaysOn and Database Mirroring
technologies provide failover capabilities for the Dynamics GP databases. The Log Shipping and
Backup and Restore with Microsoft Azure Blob Storage Service provide recovery capabilities for the
Dynamics GP databases. Refer to the article High Availability and Disaster Recovery for SQL Server in
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines22 for additional information.

Redundant Storage
The redundant storage mechanism of Microsoft Azure provides for multiple copies of the VM’s VHD
files and the data disks that store data such as the Dynamics GP databases. The first redundant
storage mechanism is locally redundant storage (LRS), which maintains three copies of the account
data within the primary data center. The second mechanism is geo redundant storage (GRS, also
known as geo-replication), which replicates the account data to a secondary data center. These
redundant copies are done automatically by the platform. You do need to be aware that for the
Microsoft Azure data disks used to store the Dynamics GP databases, if GRS is enabled the data and
log files for a database need to be placed on the same disk.

Host O/S Maintenance

Since you are the administrator of your VMs, you are in control of applying updates to the operating
system of your VM. You however are not in control of the updates applied to the host operating
system. The host operating system is updated at least quarterly and updates are performed by the

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platform as outlined in the article Microsoft Azure Host OS Updates23. The process of applying an
update to the host operating system shuts down and restarts all of the VM instances on the machine.
The Dynamics GP components that are deployed using an availability set will continue to function as
expected using the VM instance in a different update domain than the one being updated. The
Dynamics GP components that are not deployed using an availability set will be off-line for the period
of time it takes to update the host OS and restart the VM instance. In addition, any user processes
running on your VM instance at the time of the host OS update will be terminated. In order to best
plan for this scenario and to keep user sessions from being terminated abnormally, a notification of an
upcoming host OS update is sent 2-3 days prior to the Microsoft Account that is the owner of the
Microsoft Azure subscription. An update to this from previous versions of this white paper is that
notification is not sent for virtual machines that are configured in an availability set per this article.
The updates are typically scheduled for non-business hours in the given region. You will need to
handle this update in the same way you handle an update to your VM instance, which would include
informing users of the maintenance time and keeping users out of Dynamics GP during the update
period.

23
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Part 3: Deploy Microsoft Dynamics GP
The deployment of Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure is very similar to an on premise
deployment. The setup of the network and virtual machines in Microsoft Azure is where the
deployment of Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure is the most different from on premise
deployments. You will use the Microsoft Azure Management Portal or PowerShell for most of the setup
actions. These include setting up a virtual network, creating virtual machines, and configuring the
virtual machines through Remote Desktop for Administration. After setting up the environment, you
will install the Microsoft Dynamics GP components on the virtual machines that are acting as the SQL
Server, Web Server, Session Host machines, and so on. This part contains the following sections.

 Creating a Virtual Network provides directions for setting up a virtual network in Microsoft
Azure.
 Creating Virtual Machines provides directions for creating a virtual machine instance in
Microsoft Azure.
 Configuring Active Directory provides information about configuring Active Directory on a
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine.
 Configuring Microsoft SQL Server provides directions for configuring SQL Server on a Microsoft
Azure Virtual Machine for use with Microsoft Dynamics GP.
 Configuring Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services provides direction for configuring SQL
Server Reporting Services on a Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine for use with Microsoft
Dynamics GP.
 Configuring the Tenant Services Server provides direction for configuring a Microsoft Azure
Virtual Machine as a host for Tenant Services. Tenant Services is an optional Microsoft
Dynamics GP component required only if you are installing Microsoft Dynamics GP for use by
multiple customer organizations (tenants).
 Configuring the Web Client Web Server provides directions for configuring a Web Server on a
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine for use with Microsoft Dynamics GP web client.
 Configuring the Web Client Session Host Server provides directions for configuring a Microsoft
Azure Virtual Machine as a Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client session host.
 Configuring Remote Desktop Services provides directions for configuring Remote Desktop
Services on a Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine for use with Microsoft Dynamics GP.
 Configuring a Management Reporter Server provides directions for configuring a Microsoft
Azure Virtual Machine for use with Management Reporter.

Creating a Virtual Network

A Microsoft Azure Virtual Network must be created in your subscription so that you can create and run
the Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine instances. The Microsoft Azure Virtual Network may be connected
to a physical network for site-to-site connectivity, it could also be set up as a dedicated private
network in the cloud. The virtual machines serve as the Windows Server hosts for the Microsoft
Dynamics GP components deployed on the virtual network you create.

Before setting up your virtual network, you will need to determine the design that will best meet your
deployment scenario. Things to consider include whether you will be joining this network to another
network, the address ranges for the network and how domain name resolution (DNS) will be handled.
In the current Microsoft Azure release, it may be difficult to make changes to the virtual network after

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virtual machines have been deployed. Refer to the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network24 and Microsoft
Azure Name Resolution Overview25 articles for design considerations.

When deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure, you have two options. You can create a
private virtual network that is fully-contained within Microsoft Azure, or you can create a virtual
network in Microsoft Azure that is connected to your existing physical network. In either case, all of
the Microsoft Dynamics GP components will be deployed to virtual machine instances on the Microsoft
Azure Virtual Network. You may want to connect to an existing network to leverage Active Directory
services for user authentication or other on premise resources. The decision of whether or not to
connect the virtual network to your physical network will determine how you configure name
resolution (DSN) for the virtual network. The virtual network and name resolution articles above
provide the type of name resolution that is required or recommended for each of the scenarios. When
creating a private virtual network with multiple virtual machines, you will need to create a domain
controller for authentication and name resolution (DNS). The virtual network will need to be
configured to use the domain controller’s IP address for DNS. This means that you must modify the
DNS setting for the virtual network after creating the domain controller virtual machine on the virtual
network.

You create a virtual network by using the Microsoft Azure Management Portal or by creating and
importing a network configuration file. Refer to the article Create a Virtual Network in Microsoft
Azure26 for information about creating a virtual network using the Microsoft Azure Management Portal.
Refer to the article Configuring a Virtual Network Using Network Configuration Files27 for information
about using the network configuration file.

Creating Virtual Machines

All of the Microsoft Dynamics GP components, along with the required software like Microsoft SQL
Server and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, will be installed on Windows Server virtual
machine instances in Microsoft Azure. Depending on your deployment needs, you will use one or more
virtual machine instances. For example, you may have a SQL Server virtual machine, a Web Server
virtual machine and an Active Directory virtual machine.

A virtual machine instance can be created from a VHD template image available in the Microsoft Azure
platform image gallery or from an image or VHD disk you create and upload. You also have the ability
to capture a configured virtual machine instance as a template image for creating additional virtual
machine instances. Refer to the article Virtual Machines28 for additional information.
Follow the steps in the article Create a Virtual Machine29 to create the virtual machines. Use the
following guidelines when creating the virtual machine instances for Microsoft Dynamics GP. The
remaining sections in this part provide information that applies to the virtual machine configuration for
each of the server roles used in Microsoft Dynamics GP.

1. Use a unique name that identifies the virtual machine. (Example: GPSQLServer)

2. Select the virtual machine instance size based on the information provided in the System
Requirements section.

24
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/jj156007.aspx
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/jj156088.aspx
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https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/azure/dn631643.aspx
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/jj156097.aspx
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/jj156003.aspx
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 3. Enter a name and password for the virtual machine’s administrator account.

4. Indicate whether the virtual machine will be a standalone virtual machine or whether it will be
connected with other virtual machines to provide load balancing and high availability.

Standalone Virtual Machine

Selecting the “Create a new cloud service” option for the Cloud Service field will create a new
cloud service for the virtual machine using the DNS name provided in the cloud service DNS
name field. The cloud service, along with endpoints created on the virtual machine, provide
external communication to the virtual machine. Communication from machines not on the
virtual network is considered external communication. You can use this option to set up a
virtual machine for any of the server roles in your Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment. You will
also use this option to set up the first virtual machine in a load-balanced configuration.

Connect to existing Virtual Machine

Selecting an existing cloud service name in the Cloud Service drop down will configure this
virtual machine to work with an existing virtual machine for load balancing. When selecting
this option, all virtual machines connected together will be load balanced by a single cloud
service using the DNS name provided. You can use this option for virtual machines that serve
the following roles in your Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment.

1. SQL Server (when utilizing SQL Server HADR)

2. Web Client/Service Based Architecture web server (Only possible if using a scale out
deployment with separate Session Host servers or if each of the servers runtime
service is configured for a unique port.)
3. Web Services for Microsoft Dynamics GP
4. SQL Server Reporting Services
5. Tenant Services
6. RDS Servers (GP client, Management Reporter, Integration Manager, eConnect, ISV
solutions)

5. If you have selected to create a new cloud service, provide the DNS name that will be used for
external communication to the virtual machine. The name will be in the format of
*.cloudapp.net. Where the * would typically be the virtual machine name. If you selected an
existing cloud service, the DNS name for the cloud service will default in and can’t be
changed. If you will be using a domain name other than the provided cloudapp.net DNS
name, you will need to create a CNAME record to map your custom domain name to the DNS
name selected during the creation of the virtual machine. Another alternative is to add an A
record to the virtual IP address of the virtual machine. It is recommended that you use a
CNAME record as the public IP address for the cloud service could possibly be changed if the
machine is shut down from within the Azure Management Portal, but the cloudapp.net DNS
name doesn’t change when shut down. Refer to the article Configuring a custom domain name
for a Microsoft Azure cloud service or storage account30 for additional information.

6. If you are an administrator for more than one Microsoft Azure Subscription, select the
subscription you want the virtual machine created in.

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 7. Select the virtual network and subnet to put the VM in. All of the virtual machines used in a
single Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment must be created on the same virtual network.

8. Select to have a storage account automatically created or select and existing storage account
for the virtual machine’s VHD file.

9. If you are connecting multiple virtual machines together in a cloud service to perform an
action like load balancing, provide the name for an availability set. The availability set can be
created with the first virtual machine created in a cloud service. Select the existing availability
set for each additional virtual machine being added to the cloud service. The availability set
ensures that the virtual machine instances are created in different fault and update domains.
Using this option provides further protection against a single point of failure, such as a failing
network switch, that could affect the entire cloud service.

10. Add any endpoint you know will be required for the virtual machine. Endpoints can also be
added as needed after the creation of the virtual machine.

Configuring Active Directory

In a Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment on Microsoft Azure, users are typically authenticated as
Windows accounts in order to be granted access to the application. With Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015,
you also have the option of signing in using an Organizational Account, aka Azure Active Directory. In
this case you would only need to set up an Active Directory domain to facilitate component to
component communication across virtual machines if needed In deployment scenarios where there are
multiple virtual machines serving different roles within the deployment, using Active Directory to
authenticate users across the machines is recommended. The configuration of your virtual network will
determine how you configure Active Directory. The requirements for deploying Active Directory on a
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine differ very little from on premise deployments, but there are a few
differences that you will need to be aware of. Refer to Guidelines for Deploying Windows Server Active
Directory on Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines31 for additional information.

In an environment where you have configured a private virtual network in Microsoft Azure, you will
need to set up the first virtual machine as an Active Directory domain controller. Follow the steps in
the article Install Active Directory forest in the Microsoft Azure network32 for directions on setting up
Active Directory in a private Microsoft Azure Virtual Network. You may also choose to deploy additional
domain controllers for improved availability and performance if needed.

In an environment where you have connected the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network to your on premise
network, you may choose to configure a virtual machine as an additional Active Directory domain
controller for your on premise forest. This can improve the availability and performance of Active
Directory. Follow the steps in the article Install a Replica Active Directory Domain Controller in
Microsoft Azure Virtual Networks33 for directions about using a Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine as an
additional domain controller for your on premise Active Directory forest.

31
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/jj156090.aspx
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http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/manage/services/networking/active-directory-forest/
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If you will be using the Active Directory domain controller virtual machine for name resolution (DNS)
on the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network that it is deployed on, you will need to modify the configuration
of the existing Microsoft Azure Virtual Network after the domain controller is set up. Use the following
steps to configure the Microsoft Azure Virtual Network to use the domain controller virtual machine for
DNS.

1. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual network you created. Click the
Configure tab.

2. Enter the name and Internal IP address of the Domain Controller virtual machine. (The
internal IP address can be found on the dashboard page of the virtual machine.)

3. Save the changes using the SAVE option on the bottom of the page.

Configuring Microsoft SQL Server

All Microsoft Dynamics GP deployments require a Microsoft SQL Server to manage the databases that
contain the business data. When deploying on Microsoft Azure, a Microsoft SQL Server installation on a
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine will be used. Microsoft Dynamics GP does not support using Microsoft
Azure’s SQL Database feature that provides a database-as-a-service. Use the following steps when
creating the Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine to host the Microsoft SQL Server. Refer to the
Performance Guidance for SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines34 white paper for the latest
information.

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 1. Create the virtual machine using a Windows Server or SQL Server image. If you choose to
create a virtual machine using a SQL Server image, you will have additional steps to perform
after the virtual machine is created to configure Microsoft SQL Server for use with Microsoft
Dynamics GP. If you choose to create a virtual machine using a Windows Server image, you
will need to install SQL Server to the VM using the configuration provided in the GP installation
documentation.

2. Attach at least one data disk to the virtual machine. The data disk stores the SQL Server data
and log files. Based on the SQL Server performance white paper you may want to add multiple
disks for storage and performance reasons. You may also want to create additional data disks
for SQL backups. (Repeat the following steps for each disk you want added.) If you are using
Geo Redundant Storage (GRS) for the data disks, make sure and place the data and log files
for the databases on the same disk. The recommended host cache configuration of the data
disk will depend on the total number of concurrent GP users accessing the data disk and the
size of the data disk. Setting the “HOST CACHE PREFERENCE” to read only will cache the disk
to the local machine’s physical disks and may improve performance in configurations with
fewer than approximately 250 concurrent users. The maximum size of the data disk in order
to use the read only cache setting is 640 GB, so if your data disk is larger than this you will
need to set the “HOST CACHE PREFERENCE” to none.
a. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine you created. On
the bottom of the screen, click Attach and then click Attach Empty Disk.
b. Provide the size for the data disk.
c. If you will have fewer than approximately 250 concurrent Dynamics GP users
accessing the data disk and the data disk is less than 640 GB, it is recommended that
you set “HOST CACHE PREFERENCE” to READ ONLY. If you will have more than 250
concurrent GP users or the data disk is larger than 640GB then set “HOST CACHE
PREFERENCE” to NONE.

3. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. On the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Open Disk Management to initialize and format the data disks that were attached.
b. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
c. Create the following folder structure at the root of the data disk.
i. Data – MSSQL\DATA
ii. Log – MSSQL\LOGS

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 d. Install Microsoft SQL Server using the recommended settings in the Microsoft
Dynamics GP installation manual 35. (Skip this step if you used a virtual machine image
with Microsoft SQL Server already installed.)
e. Open SQL Server Management Studio and make the following changes:
i. Right-click on the SQL Server and choose to view the properties.
1. Select the Security page and verify that the Server Authentication is
set to SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode. If it is not, then
choose that setting.

2. Select the Database Settings tab and change the Database default
locations to the folders that you created in the data disks you attached
to the virtual machine.

3. Click OK to save settings. (Restart SQL Server for the settings to take
effect.)
ii. Create a new SQL Server Login with sysadmin privileges, or as an alternative
enable the ‘sa’ account to use when setting up Dynamics GP. If enabling the
‘sa’ account, enter a password for the account. (This step only needs to be
done if you didn’t perform it during the SQL Server installation, or if the virtual
machine was created from the Image Gallery.)

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 f. Verify there is sufficient disk space on the C: drive. There must be at least 1 GB of
free space available.
g. Note whether the Reporting Services, Analysis Services, Full-text Search Services, and
Integration Services are installed and running on the image. If you won’t be using any
of these services on this server, stop the services and change them to manual or
disabled.
h. Use Windows Explorer to assign Full Control permissions to the MSSQL\DATA folder for
the “NT Service\MSSQLSERVER” account if this permission hasn’t already been
granted. Verify security settings to be sure correct permissions are set.
i. Use Windows Explorer to assign Full Control permissions to the MSSQL\LOGS folder for
the “NT Service\MSSQLSERVER” account if this permission hasn’t already been
granted. Also assign the same permissions as are assigned by SQL Server to the “NT
Service\SQLSERVERAGENT” and “NT Service\MSSQLFDLauncher” accounts if they
haven’t already been granted.
j. Add an inbound rule to allow access to the SQL Server (default port 1433) to the
virtual machine’s firewall.

In order to further protect the SQL Server from unauthorized access, you may want to consider
removing the endpoint on the host virtual machine for the remote desktop connection. Removing this
public endpoint will require that all virtual machine administration for the SQL Server is done from
another machine within the virtual network.

Installing Microsoft Dynamics GP Desktop Client and Creating Databases

When you create the Microsoft Dynamics GP databases will depend on whether you are in a single
tenant or multitenant deployment environment. In a single tenant deployment, the databases are
typically created after Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services have been
installed and configured. In a multi-tenant model, the databases are typically created as part of
provisioning each new customer. A program called Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities, which is installed
with the Microsoft Dynamics GP Desktop Client, is used to create the databases.

The installation of the Microsoft Dynamics GP desktop client used to create the databases can be on
the SQL Server virtual machine or another virtual machine depending on your configuration. It is
recommend that you install on another virtual machine, such as the Microsoft Dynamics GP web
client’s session host or the Remote Desktop Services session host server, in order to keep the SQL
Server virtual machine as clean as possible with sufficient operating system disk space. Use the
following steps to install the Microsoft Dynamics GP desktop client, create the databases, and deploy
the Business Intelligence Reports.

1. Install the Microsoft Dynamics GP Desktop Client using the directions in the installation
manual36.

2. Use Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities in the desktop client installation to create the Microsoft
Dynamics GP databases. Make sure and select to create the databases on the data disk
attached to the SQL Server virtual machine instead of the operating system disk. If you are
using Geo Redundant Storage (GRS) for the data disk, make sure and place the data and log
files on the same disk.

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 3. You can select to deploy the SQL and Excel reports for the database in Microsoft Dynamics GP
Utilities or use the Reporting Tools Setup window within Microsoft Dynamics GP. If you plan to
allow client computers that are not on the network to access the SQL Reports, make sure and
use the public URL to SQL Server Reporting Services during the deployment.

Configuring Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

If you will be using SQL Server Reporting Services reports for your Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment
on Microsoft Azure, you must install Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services on a virtual machine
instance. How users will be accessing the SQL reports will determine whether you install SQL Server
Reporting Services on the same server as the SQL Server database engine or a different server. If
users will be accessing reports from client computers that are not connected to the virtual network, it
is recommended that you deploy SQL Server Reporting Services to a different virtual server than the
SQL Server database engine. Use the following steps to create a Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine to
host Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. Refer to the SQL Server Business Intelligence in
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines37 page for the latest information.

1. Create the virtual machine using a Windows Server or SQL Server image. If you choose to
create a virtual machine using a SQL Server image, you will have additional steps after the
virtual machine is created to configure Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services for use with
Microsoft Dynamics GP. If you choose to create a virtual machine using a Windows Server
image, you will need to install SQL Server to the VM using the configuration provided in the GP
installation documentation.

2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. Install Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services using the recommended settings in the
Dynamics GP installation manual 38. (Skip this step if you used an image with Microsoft
SQL Server already installed.)
c. Use the Reporting Services Configuration Manager to configure SQL Server Reporting
Services. If users will be accessing the reports over the internet, it is recommended
that you configure reporting services for SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). Refer to article
Configure SSL Connections on a Native Mode Report Server39 for additional
information.
d. Follow the setup instructions in the Microsoft Dynamics GP System Setup Guide on the
Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 installation media to configure SQL Server Reporting
Services for use with Microsoft Dynamics GP.
e. Add an inbound rule to allow access to the SQL Server Reporting Services port to the
virtual machines firewall.
f. Note whether the Database Engine, Analysis Services, Full-text Search Services, and
Integration Services are installed and running on the image. If you won’t be using any
of these services on this server, stop the services and change them to manual or
disabled.

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 3. If users will be accessing the SQL reports from client computers not connected to the virtual
network, add a public endpoint for the virtual machine.
a. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. Click the
ENDPOINT tab.
b. On the bottom of the screen, click Add.
c. Select to add a standalone endpoint if the virtual machine is not load balanced with
another virtual machine. If you want to load balance the same endpoint as another
virtual machine in the same cloud service, select to “Add an endpoint to an existing
load-balanced set” radio button and select the load balanced set from the drop down.
d. Add an endpoint for the SQL Server Reporting Services port (typically 443).

If you will be setting up multiple SQL Server Reporting Services virtual machine instances as load
balanced, create additional virtual machine instances using these same steps. When creating the
virtual machine, choose to join the cloud service created when setting up the first SQL Server
Reporting Services virtual machine.

Configuring the Tenant Services Server

If you will be deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP for use by multiple customer organizations (tenants),
you will need to install Tenant Services on a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure. The Tenant Services
can be installed on a virtual machine that is running other Microsoft Dynamics GP components, or the
Tenant Services can be installed on a dedicated virtual machine. Use the following steps when creating
a dedicated Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine to host Microsoft Dynamics GP Tenant Services. Refer to
the TSInstallAdminGuide.pdf on the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015 Documentation download page for
information about preparing the server for Tenant Services.

1. Create the virtual machine using a Windows Server image.

2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. Install the Dynamics GP Tenant Services using the instructions in the
TSInstallAdminGuide.pdf available from the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2015
Documentation download page.

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If you will be setting up multiple Tenant Services virtual machine instances as load balanced, create
additional virtual machine instances using these same steps. When creating the additional virtual
machine, choose to join the cloud service created when setting up the first Tenant Services virtual
machine. Only internal communication from other multitenant GP components installed on the virtual
network is required, as a result it is recommended that you use one of the two options described
below to configure the internal load balancing.

1. The first option is to use DNS load balancing by adding a new A record in your internal DNS for
each of the Tenant Service virtual machines using a load balanced name and the internal IP
address of the virtual machine. The Tenant Services URL used by other applications will be the
load balanced name you used for the A records added to your DNS. Refer to the Configuring
DNS load balancing40 article for additional information.

Example: In this example, two new A records with a FQDN of

TenantServicesLB.gpwithazure.com are mapped to the internal IP addresses of the two virtual
machines that you installed Tenant Services on are added to DNS. (10.11.0.8 and 10.11.0.9)
When you then use an address such as http://TenantServicesLB.gpwithazure.com/... for the
URL to the tenant services, DNS will use a round robin approach to distributing the requests.

2. The second option is to use the new Azure Internal Load Balancing (ILB) feature to load
balance virtual machines that reside inside of a virtual network. You will create a load-
balanced set to configure a Virtual IP address (VIP) for the virtual machines hosting Tenant
Services. The multitenant applications will then use the VIP address when communicating to
Tenant Services and Azure will load balance the requests across the virtual machines. Refer to
the Configure an internal load-balance set41 for additional information and step directions on
creating an Azure ILB.

Example:

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 1. Open the Microsoft Azure Powershell console and connect to your Microsoft Azure
subscription.
2. Create an ILB instance for the tenant services cloud service.
Sample command where GPTS is the cloud service name and GPTSILB is the ILB instance
name.
Add-AzureInternalLoadBalancer -ServiceName GPTS -InternalLoadBalancerName GPTSILB

3. Add endpoints for both the Tenant Services Management Service port and Tenant Services
Discovery Service port. By default these are 48630 and 48631.
Sample commands where GPTS1 is the name of the first virtual machine. Run the
commands for each virtual machine replacing the name of the virtual machine.
Get-AzureVM –ServiceName GPTS –Name GPTS1 | Add-AzureEndpoint -Name TSDISC -
Protocol tcp -LocalPort 48630 -PublicPort 48630 –DefaultProbe -InternalLoadBalancerName
GPTSILB | Update-AzureVM

Get-AzureVM –ServiceName GPTS –Name GPTS1 | Add-AzureEndpoint -Name TSMGMT -

Protocol tcp -LocalPort 48631 -PublicPort 48630 –DefaultProbe -InternalLoadBalancerName
GPTSILB | Update-AzureVM

4. Create an A record in DNS for the VIP of the ILB instance. The Tenant Services URL used
by other applications will be the FQDN name you used for the A record added to your DNS.
Example: http://TenantServicesLB.gpwithazure.com/

If you didn’t specify an IP address during the creation of the ILB instance, use the
following command to get the VIP.
Get-AzureService -ServiceName GPTS | Get-AzureInternalLoadBalancer

Configuring the Web Components Web Server

If you will be deploying the Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Components, you will need to create one or
more Microsoft Azure virtual machines on your virtual network. The Microsoft Dynamics GP Web
Components can be installed in a single machine or scale out deployment configuration. Use the
following steps along with the Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Components Installation and Administration
Guide42 to set up the Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine as a web server.

1. Create the virtual machine using a Windows Server image.

2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. Import the security certificate to the computer’s personal store.
c. Install Internet Information Services (IIS) and ASP.NET by adding the Web Server
(IIS) role. Make sure and select the ASP.NET and Windows Authentication features on
Windows Server 2008 R2 and the ASP.NET 4.5, Windows Authentication, and HTTP
Activation features on Windows Server 2012.
d. Create a new web site or configure the default web site for SSL.

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 e. Add an inbound rule for the IIS web site’s port to the virtual machines Windows
firewall.
f. Install Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client using the instructions in the Microsoft
Dynamics GP Web Client Installation and Administration Guide 43.

3. Add a public endpoint for the web site’s port.

a. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine, and then click
the ENDPOINT tab.
b. On the bottom of the screen, click Add.
c. Select to add a standalone endpoint if the virtual machine is not load balanced with
another virtual machine. If you want to load balance the same endpoint as another
virtual machine in the same cloud service, select to “Add an endpoint to an existing
load-balanced set” radio button and select the load balanced set from the drop down.
d. Add an endpoint for the IIS web site’s port (typically 443).
e. If you have installed the Session Server feature on this server, add an endpoint for the
runtime service’s port if it is not the same port as the web site.

If you will be setting up multiple Web Server virtual machine instances as load balanced, create
additional virtual machine instances using these same steps. When creating the virtual machine,
choose to join to the cloud service created when setting up the first Web Server virtual machine,
selecting to create an availability set.

Configuring the Web Components Session Host Server

If you will be deploying the Microsoft Dynamics GP web components using a scale out deployment,
then you will need to add one or more Microsoft Azure virtual machines as session hosts. In a scale
out deployment of the web components, the components installed on the web server will be
responsible for load balancing the session host servers. This requires that each session host virtual
machine instance be configured as a standalone virtual machine. Use the following steps along with
the Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Components Installation and Administration Guide to set up the
virtual machine as a session host.

1. Create the virtual machine using a Windows Server image.

2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. Import the security certificate to the computer’s personal store.
c. Install Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client per the instructions in the Microsoft
Dynamics GP Web Components Installation and Administration Guide. (Note: Make
sure and install the GP Web Resource Cache for improved performance.)

3. Add a public endpoint for the runtime service’s port.

a. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine, and then click
the ENDPOINT tab.

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 b. On the bottom of the screen, click Add Endpoint.
c. Add an endpoint for the runtime service’s port.

Configuring Remote Desktop Services

If you will be deploying any of the Microsoft Dynamics GP components that require Remote Desktop
Services (RDS) for user access, you will need to add one or more Microsoft Azure virtual machines as
RDS servers. There are many options for the configuration of the RDS servers, it is recommended that
the RD Gateway service is used and the Microsoft Dynamics GP application component is published as
a remote app to provide the most secure access.

In planning your RDS server configuration, you need to determine the number of virtual machines that
will be required. If you will require more than one RDS server, you will likely be setting up a load
balanced RDS Server farm using two or more virtual machines. The following are a few examples of a
Microsoft Azure virtual machine configuration for RDS Servers.

Single Machine
A single machine configuration consists of one virtual machine with all of the required RDS role
services installed on it. These services would typically consist of RD Connection Broker, RD Session
Host, RD Gateway, RD Web Access and RD Licensing. A single machine configuration doesn’t offer any
redundancy, the result is that if the virtual machine is unavailable for any reason users will not have
access to the application.

Use the following steps to set up a single Microsoft Azure virtual machine as an RDS server host.

1. Create the virtual machine using a Windows Server image.

2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.

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 b. If you already have a security certificate you will be using for the RD Gateway, then
import the security certificate to the computer’s personal store.
c. Open server manager and add the Remote Desktop Services role and role services.
d. Configure Remote Desktop Services. (i.e. Configure certificates, Create Session
Collection, etc.)
e. Install the Microsoft Dynamics GP components that require RDS to access by using the
directions provided in the Microsoft Dynamics GP installation manual 44.
f. Configure the Microsoft Dynamics GP application component as a RemoteApp.

3. Add a public endpoint for the RD Gateway and RD Web Access ports.
a. In the management portal, select the virtual machine, and click the ENDPOINT tab.
b. On the bottom of the screen, click Add Endpoint.
c. Add an endpoint for the RD Gateway port and RD Web Access port if used. (Port 443
by default.)

Load Balanced Session Hosts

A load balanced session host configuration consists of two or more virtual machines configured as
stand-alone cloud services. In this configuration, the RD Gateway, RD Connection Broker, RD
Licensing and RD Web Access role services are installed to a single stand-alone virtual machine and
are not configured for high availability. The RD Session Host role service is installed on one or more
stand-alone virtual machines. The RD Connection Broker on the virtual machines is load balancing
user sessions on one or more virtual machines with the RD Session Host role service installed. A load
balanced session hosts configuration only offers redundancy for the RD Session Hosts, the result is
that if the virtual machine hosting the other role services is unavailable for any reason users will not
have access to the application.

Use the following steps to set up two or more Microsoft Azure virtual machines as RDS Server farm
hosts.

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 1. Create the virtual machines using a Windows Server image.
2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. If you already have a security certificate you will be using with the RD Gateway, then
import the security certificate to the computer’s personal store.
c. Open server manager and add the Remote Desktop Services role and role services.
d. Configure Remote Desktop Services. (i.e. Configure certificates, Create Session
Collection, etc.)
e. Additional configuration for the RD Session Host.
i. Install the Microsoft Dynamics GP components that require RDS to access by
using the directions provided in the Microsoft Dynamics GP installation
manual45.
ii. Configure the Microsoft Dynamics GP application component as a RemoteApp.
3. Add a public endpoint for the RD Gateway and RD Web Access ports.
a. In the management portal, select the virtual machine hosting the RD Gateway and RD
Web Access features, and click the ENDPOINT tab.
b. On the bottom of the screen, click Add Endpoint.
c. Add an endpoint for the RD Gateway port and RD Web Access port if used. (Port 443
by default.)

Repeat the steps above for each of the virtual machines.

High Availability Server Farm

A high availability server farm configuration consists of multiple virtual machines with the RDS role
services configured for high availability. This configuration provides for redundant virtual machines
that are load balanced so that users may continue to access the application as long as one of the
servers hosting the role service is available. There are a number of possible configurations for this
environment, the following are two possible configurations.

The first configuration example has all of the RDS role services deployed on two or more virtual
machines connected together as a load balanced cloud service in Microsoft Azure. This provides a
single public virtual IP address for load balanced user access to the RD Gateway and RD Web Access
role services. Each machine also has an internal IP address for the RD Connection Broker and RD
Session Host communications. In this configuration, all of the RDS role services are installed on each
of the virtual machines. The RD Connection Broker is configured for high availability and will use a SQL
Server database for session information. The RD Connection Broker is distributing the user sessions
across the RD Session Host virtual machines.

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Use the following steps to set up a high availability RDS server farm on load balanced Microsoft Azure
virtual machines.

1. Create the virtual machines using a Windows Server image. (When creating the 2nd and all
additional virtual machines, choose to join to the cloud service created when setting up the
first virtual machine, selecting to create an availability set.)
2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. If you already have a security certificate you will be using with the RD Gateway, then
import the security certificate to the computer’s personal store.
c. Open server manager and add the Remote Desktop Services role and role services.
d. Configure Remote Desktop Services. (i.e. Configure certificates, Create Session
Collection, Configure RD Connection Broker for high availability, etc.)
Note: When configuring the RD Connection Broker for high availability you will provide
a load balanced address for the RD Connection Broker, it is suggested you don’t use
the same domain name as the load balanced cloud service.
e. Install the Microsoft Dynamics GP components that require RDS to access by using the
directions provided in the Microsoft Dynamics GP installation manual 46.
f. Configure the Microsoft Dynamics GP application component as a RemoteApp.
3. Add a public endpoint for the RD Gateway and RD Web Access ports.
a. In the management portal, select the virtual machine, and click the ENDPOINT tab.
b. On the bottom of the screen, click Add Endpoint.
c. Add an endpoint for the RD Gateway port and RD Web Access port if used. (Port 443
by default.)
4. Add an A record on your internal DNS for the RD Connection Broker load balanced address you
provided during the setup of RD Connection Broker for high availability and the internal IP
address of the virtual machine.

Repeat the steps above for each of the virtual machines.

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The second example has the RDS role services split up between two or more virtual machines
connected together as a load balanced cloud service and two or more machines configured as stand-
alone cloud services. This configuration is typically used in a deployment when you have a large
number of application users that require many RD Session Hosts. The virtual machines that have the
RD Gateway, RD Connection Broker, RD Licensing and RD Web Access role services installed will be
connected together as a load balanced cloud service in Microsoft Azure. The RD Session Host role
services are installed on virtual machines set up as stand-alone cloud services. The RD Connection
Broker is distributing the user sessions across the RD Session Host virtual machines.

Use the following steps to set up a high availability RDS server farm on load balanced Microsoft Azure
virtual machines.

1. Create the virtual machines using a Windows Server image. (When creating the 2nd and all
additional virtual machines, choose to join to the cloud service created when setting up the
first virtual machine, selecting to create an availability set.)
2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. If you already have a security certificate you will be using with the RD Gateway, then
import the security certificate to the computer’s personal store.
c. Open server manager and add the following Remote Desktop Services roles and role
services to the server.
i. RD Connection Broker
ii. RD Gateway
iii. RD Web Access
iv. RD Licensing
d. Configure the installed services.
i. Configure certificates for RD Gateway, RD Web Access and RD Connection
Broker as needed.

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 ii. Configure RD Connection Broker for high availability.
Note: When configuring the RD Connection Broker for high availability you will
provide a load balanced address for the RD Connection Broker, it is suggested
you don’t use the same domain name as the load balanced cloud service.
3. Add a public endpoint for the RD Gateway and RD Web Access ports.
a. In the management portal, select the virtual machine, and click the ENDPOINT tab.
b. On the bottom of the screen, click Add Endpoint.
c. Add an endpoint for the RD Gateway port and RD Web Access port if used. (Port 443
by default.)
4. Add an A record on your internal DNS for the RD Connection Broker load balanced address you
provided during the setup of RD Connection Broker for high availability and the internal IP
address of the virtual machine.

Repeat the steps above for each of the virtual machines that will be configured with the high
availability role services.

Use the following steps to set up two or more Microsoft Azure virtual machines as stand-alone RD
Session Host servers.

1. Create the virtual machines using a Windows Server image.

2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. If you already have a security certificate you will be using with the RD Gateway, then
import the security certificate to the computer’s personal store.
c. Open server manager and add the RD Session Host role service.
d. Install the Microsoft Dynamics GP components that require RDS to access by using the
directions provided in the Microsoft Dynamics GP installation manual47.
e. Configure the Microsoft Dynamics GP application component as a RemoteApp.

Repeat the steps above for each of the virtual machines.

Configuring a Management Reporter Server

If you will be deploying Management Reporter for use with Microsoft Dynamics GP, you will need to
install Management Reporter on a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure. The Management Reporter
server components can be installed on the same machine as other Microsoft Dynamics GP server
components or installed on a dedicated virtual machine. The Report Designer and Desktop Viewer
client components will need to be installed on an RDS Server so that end-users will be able to access
them. If you will be using the Report Designer and Desktop Viewer client only for administrative
purposes, they can be installed on the same virtual machine as the server components. Use the
following steps when creating the Microsoft Azure virtual machine to host Management Reporter. Refer
to the Management Reporter Installation Guides48 for additional information.

1. Create the virtual machine using a Windows Server image.

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 2. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine. At the bottom of the
screen, click Connect. This will open a remote desktop connection to the virtual machine.
a. Join the virtual machine to the domain.
b. Install and configure the Management Reporter Server using the instructions in the
Management Reporter Installation Guide.
c. If you will be using the Management Reporter Client components on this server, follow
the installation instructions in the Management Reporter Installation Guide. If you will
be using them on another server, open a remote desktop connection to that virtual
machine and perform the installation.

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Part 4: Maintenance
Even though the Microsoft Azure platform is built to provide high availability and fault tolerance, there
is still maintenance and backup procedures you will need to put in place for Microsoft Dynamics GP.
The maintenance procedures will make sure that your Microsoft Dynamics GP system is at the most
recent version, running correctly and with the best performance. The backup procedures will provide
periodic backups of mission-critical data. This part contains the following sections.

 Database Maintenance and Backups provides recommendations for creating scheduled

database maintenance and backup processes.
 Managing Virtual Machines provides information about changing the size, monitoring and
patching the Microsoft Azure virtual machines.
 Updating Microsoft Dynamics GP provides information about updating the Microsoft Dynamics
GP components to the latest release.

Database Maintenance and Backups

The database maintenance and backup strategy to implement on Microsoft Azure will follow the same
recommendations as an on premise deployment. The recommendations include scheduled database
maintenance tasks designed to keep the database running optimally and a database backup routine
that allows recovery to a previous point in time, avoiding costly re-work. The frequency of the
maintenance and backup procedures is determined based on your database activity and re-work
tolerance.

The key difference in building your maintenance and backup procedures on Microsoft Azure versus on
premise is where the database backups will be stored. The recommended storage location for the
database backups for a Microsoft Azure deployment is in Microsoft Azure blob storage. Microsoft Azure
blob storage provides a number of safeguards for the data. The first is locally redundant storage
(LRS). LRS maintains three copies of the account data within the primary data center. The second is
geo-redundant storage (GRS), which replicates the account data to a secondary data center in the
same region. GRS functionality is implemented through a feature called geo-replication, which is
turned on for a storage account by default, but can be turned off if you don’t want to use it. Refer to
the Microsoft Azure Storage49 page for information on creating and managing storage accounts. There
are two options for creating backups in Microsoft Azure blob storage.

Data Disk
A new empty data disk can be attached to the Microsoft Azure virtual machine that will be used to
store the backup files. The data disk will be visible like any other local disk when setting up your
maintenance plan. Select this disk as the backup file location when following the directions in the
Microsoft Dynamics GP Database Maintenance article for setting up a Microsoft Dynamics GP
maintenance plan using the SQL Server Maintenance Plan Wizard.

Backup Directly to Blob Storage

New functionality in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP1 CU2 provides the ability to backup directly to blob
storage in Microsoft Azure. The number of data disks that can be attached is limited based on the

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virtual machine instance size, so using this approach will not require the use of a data disk attached to
the virtual machine. There are currently a few restrictions on using this option from within SQL Server
Management Studio. Refer to the article SQL Server Backup and Restore with Microsoft Azure Blob
Storage Service50 for additional information.

Managing Virtual Machines

Microsoft Azure monitors the health of the hardware and network that the virtual machine
instance is running on. It will automatically move the VHD when there is a failure. Microsoft Azure
does not force operating system updates to running virtual machine instances. After the Microsoft
Azure virtual machine instances are deployed, you are responsible for patching, configuring and
maintaining the operating system and other software within your virtual machine instance.

Because a Microsoft Azure virtual machine instance is a Hyper-V image, you can use the same
processes and tools to manage the virtual machine as you would on premise. You are in complete
control of the monitoring and patching process and are able to use familiar tools like Microsoft
System Center and Windows Update to keep the operating system and other software running
properly.

It is recommended that you use published best practices information when determining the
approach to take for managing the Microsoft Azure virtual machines. The virtual machines
containing the Microsoft Dynamics GP components should be set up to have updates applied
during pre-determined maintenance windows to avoid service interruptions for users. By default
the virtual machine instances created from the Microsoft Azure Platform Image Gallery are
configured with Windows Update set to automatically install important Windows updates during a
maintenance window configured for 3:00 AM on the virtual machine’s clock. It is recommended
you evaluate this setting to determine if it fits into your desired maintenance process and adjust
accordingly.

You may also want to change the virtual machine instance size as usage patterns change. Follow
these steps to change the size of a virtual machine instance.

1. In the Microsoft Azure Management Portal, select the virtual machine, and then click the
CONFIGURE tab.

2. Select the desired size from the Virtual Machine Size drop-down.

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 3. On the bottom of the screen, click Save.

Changing the size of a virtual machine will result in a re-deployment of the virtual machine. You
will want to perform this procedure when no users are logged in and using Microsoft Dynamics GP
or other software on the virtual machine.

Updating Microsoft Dynamics GP

Updating Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure uses the same process as on premise
deployments. The Microsoft Dynamics GP product documentation and download site provides
step-by-step instructions for performing the update. The following is a high-level checklist of the
update process for Microsoft Dynamics GP.

1. Review the latest upgrade documentation and plan your upgrade.

2. Download the update from PartnerSource or CustomerSource.
3. Place the downloaded files in a share accessible by the virtual machines with Microsoft
Dynamics GP components installed.
4. Make a backup of the Microsoft Dynamics GP databases.
5. Install the update onto each virtual machine that is running the Microsoft Dynamics GP
Desktop Client installation.
6. Run Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities to upgrade the databases.
7. Install updates to the remaining Microsoft Dynamics GP components.
8. Verify the update for each additional component.

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Part 5: Troubleshooting and Technical Support
This part contains information about troubleshooting and accessing technical support if unexpected
application behavior occurs. It contains the following sections:

 Troubleshooting provides information on troubleshooting a Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft

Azure deployment.
 Contacting Technical Support provides information on accessing Microsoft technical
support.

Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Microsoft Dynamics GP on Microsoft Azure typically involves the same techniques that
you would use for any Microsoft Dynamics GP deployment. The Microsoft Dynamics GP product
documentation will serve as a good reference for identifying and resolving application issues. When
troubleshooting on Microsoft Azure, you will need to account for unique communication errors that you
may not have to consider in an on premise deployment.

Depending on the virtual network configuration and where users will be accessing Microsoft
Dynamics GP from, you may see issues related to communications not reaching the intended
destination. When Microsoft Dynamics GP is deployed on premise, the name resolution and
communication routing from the user’s client computer to the Microsoft Dynamics GP servers is
handled by your internal DNS and network configuration. Unless all users will be accessing
Microsoft Dynamics GP from an on premise network connected to the Microsoft Azure Virtual
Network, the communication from the user’s client computer to Microsoft Dynamics GP in
Microsoft Azure is handled by public DNS records and virtual machine endpoints.

An example of this type of issue is a user getting the following error when attempting to access
the Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client.

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When you suspect that the error could be a communications issue, you will want to start by verifying
that the virtual machine is running and accessible using the Microsoft Azure Management Portal. If the
virtual machine is running and accessible, verify the following configuration settings are set correctly.
1. If you are using a custom domain name, verify that an A or CNAME record exists in DNS.
2. Verify that an endpoint has been created for the virtual machine if communication is
originating from an external network.
3. If using SSL, verify that the custom domain name being used is covered by the security
certificate.
4. Verify that there are appropriate inbound and outbound rules configured on the virtual
machine’s Windows firewall for the TCP port that is being used.
5. Verify the TCP port being used is not blocked by a client-side firewall or proxy.

Contacting Billing and Technical Support

If you need to contact Microsoft Support with technical or licensing (operations) questions, you
need to be aware that there is different contact information for Microsoft Dynamics GP and
Microsoft Azure. In order to expedite resolution of the issue you need to identify the type of
question or issue you have in order to use the appropriate contact information. Use the
information below to best identify which support organization to contact.

Microsoft Azure
The following are examples of Microsoft Azure questions or issues. If you are experiencing any of
the following types of issues you will want to contact Microsoft Azure support.

1. Billing questions for Microsoft Azure services.

2. Errors in the Microsoft Azure Management Portal.
3. Errors running Microsoft Azure PowerShell cmdlets.
4. Unable to open a remote desktop connection to a Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine.

If you have a billing-related question, open the Microsoft Azure support option page51 and select
the technical and billing support option. You will need to log in using your Microsoft Account.
Microsoft Azure billing support is provided at no cost.

If your question is about using Microsoft Azure, you have the following options for obtaining
technical support. Refer to the Microsoft Azure Support Plan52 page for available plans and pricing
information.

1. Online Forums – Open the Forums page53 to obtain assistance with your questions from the
Microsoft Azure community.

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 2. Service Dashboard - Open the Microsoft Azure support option page54 and select the Service
dashboard option to get the current health status of the Microsoft Azure platform and
services.

3. Assisted Technical Support - Open the Microsoft Azure support option page, If you are an
existing Account holder – sign in using your Microsoft Account and create a support ticket.

4. If you have subscriptions that are not active, please contact Microsoft Support55.

Microsoft Dynamics GP
The following are examples of Microsoft Dynamics GP questions or issues. If you are experiencing any
of the following types of issues you will want to contact Microsoft Dynamics GP support.

1. Microsoft Dynamics GP licensing questions.

2. Errors while using Microsoft Dynamics GP.
3. Errors accessing Microsoft Dynamics GP on a server that is running and accessible using a
remote desktop connection. Example: Get an error attempting to access the web client on the
Web Server, but are able to open a remote desktop connection to the Web Server.

If your question is a licensing related question, contact your Partner if you are a customer.
Partners contact the Dynamics Regional Operations Centers (ROCs). The Regional Operations
Centers can be contacted on-line using PartnerSource pages.

If your question or issue is about using Microsoft Dynamics GP, you have the following options for
obtaining technical support.

1. Self-help Technical Support – Log onto PartnerSource or CustomerSource, click Support and
then Knowledge Base to search for articles on your question or issue.

2. Assisted Technical Support - Log onto PartnerSource or CustomerSource, click Support and
then New Technical Support Request to create a request to speak with a support engineer.

3. Partner Network – Access the Get Support page on the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN)56.

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 Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your
people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like and with familiar
Microsoft software, automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship and supply chain processes in a
way that helps you drive business success.

U.S. and Canada Toll Free 1-888-477-7989

Worldwide +1-701-281-6500
www.microsoft.com/dynamics

This is a preliminary document and may be changed substantially prior to final release.

The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the
date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a
commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of
publication.

This white paper is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this document.

Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of
this document may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
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Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject
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© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft, Active Directory, Excel, Hyper-V, Microsoft Dynamics, SharePoint, SQL Server, Windows, Microsoft Azure and Windows
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MICROSOFT DYNAMICS GP 2015 ON MICROSOFT AZURE