Employee Portal Setup Challenges

magnifique

Task:
We (theSOFTtribe (TST)) have developed a Human Resource and Payroll Solution in Dynamics Nav 5.0 and subsequently, we migrated it to Nav 2009. In order to provide real-time employee updates and web-based access, we decided to utilize the Employee Portal for Dynamics functionality which uses Sharepoint Services. However, we run into various challenges using the Message Queues Option and also the Web Services Option. Below is the steps we took and the challenges we have.
• All system requirements were met based Installation & System Management: Employee Portal for Microsoft Dynamics Nav 2009::
 Install Microsoft Windows Server 2003
 Install Microsoft Internet Information Server (included with Windows Server 2003)
 Install Microsoft ASP.NET 1.1 (included with Windows Server 2003)
 Install Microsoft Message Queueing Services (included with Windows Server 2003)
 Install Microsoft SharePoint Services
 Install Microsoft Visual J# .NET 1.1 Framework Redistributable Package

• Configuration and Setup for the following were completed based Installation & System Management: Employee Portal for Microsoft Dynamics Nav 2009:
 Application Server
 SQL Server
 Dynamics Nav Employee Portal Back End Components
 Dynamics Nav Employee Portal Front End Components
 Setup Groups
 Setup Users
 Setup Web part Requests
 Setup Sharepoint Website

OPTION 1(Message Queues)
• Web application and Website is created in Sharepoint
• At the point of Adding Navision Employee Portal Web part in 2009, the following error appears:

“Error : Unable to add selected web part(s).
Card Web Part for Navision Employee Portal: Cannot import this Web Part”

Option 2 (Web Services)
• Created the NAV 2009 Web Service
• Created a new BDC compatible Web Service
• At the point of Testing the Web Service - http://localhost:7047/DynamicsNAV/WS/CR ... e/Customer

An error comes up:
Parser Error :
An error has occurred during the parsing of a resource requirement to service this request.
Parser Error Message : could not create type ‘NEPService.NEPService’

davmac1

Are you running this on a 32 bit Windows Server? 64 bit is not supported by the xml interface used by NAS.

kriki

[Topic moved from 'NAV 2009' forum to 'NAV/Navision' forum]

magnifique

Its a 32Bit Server

Petrelli

We got a 64 bit server, but my question is: is it possible to install it on a front end server from SharePoint?

davmac1

You should install Employee Portal, Navision Application Server, and Sharepoint on the same 32 bit Windows Server. It should be on a different server from your SQL Server or Navision database Server.

krussellm

There is a recent hotfix to allow the front-end to work on a 64-bit server. I am the first to use it. There was a lame unrelated installation problem using virtual directories so they are fixing that right now. I should be getting the hotfix in the next few days to work on a 64-bit server. Call them up in about a week and ask for the new installation program for NEP to use on 64-bit. I believe the article number is 956161 because that was in my original hotfix download email but maybe it has changed.

Kris

krussellm

I couldn't wait for Microsoft to come back with this due to time constraints so I figured out how to manually install Employee Portal on a 64-bit SharePoint Server.

Here is what I did:

I noticed that there was a WSP file in one of the EP installation file folders. It is called NavisionEmployeePortal.wsp. I found out that it was a solution deployment file that is used for SharePoint. There are commands that I ran in sequence to deploy this solution and add features.

Make sure the following service is running: Windows SharePoint Services Administration

Install NEP on a test or virtual 32-bit SharPoint server. Browse to the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\FEATURES and copy the folders "card", "headerline", "list", and "search". On the 64-bit SharePoint server, copy those folders to the same location that they were copied from on the 32-bit server. If you don't have the capability to install a SharePoint 32-bit test server, let me know and I will try to send the files zipped up.

Open the command prompt and change the directory to the following:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\BIN

Run the following commands:
stsadm -o addsolution -name -filename <full directory path to NavisionEmployeePortal.wsp>
stsadm -o deploysolution -name NavisionEmployeePortal.wsp -url <SharePoint URL> -immediate
NOTE: The SharePoint URL needs to be in the format: http://sharepointurl/ (the exact url to use can be found at sharepoint central admin... app management... web application list... under URL)

stsadm -o installfeature -name card
stsadm -o installfeature -name headerline
stsadm -o installfearure -name list
stsadm -o installfeature -name search
stsadm -o activatefeature -name card
stsadm -o activatefeature -name headerline
stsadm -o activatefeature -name list
stsadm -o activatefeature -name search