A few years ago I wrote “Build your SharePoint 2013 development machine on Windows Server 2012” series, I mainly work in the cloud now, but as the blogs was so popular, I thought I would create a new series for the newer version of SharePoint.
You can access other parts of this post below.
- Part 1 – Introduction
- Part 2 – Setting up and configuring Host Computer using Hyper V
-
- Installing Windows Server 2012 R2
- Setting up the Menu
- Syspreping
- Installing Windows Server 2012 R2
- Part 4 – Installing Active Directory
- Part 5 – Creating Certificate Authority
- Part 6 – Creating SQL & SharePoint Machine
- Part 7 – Adding AD Accounts
-
- Installing SQL 2016
- Installing SQL 2016
- Part 9 – Installing SharePoint 2016
- Part 10 – Configuring Central Administration for SSL
- Part 11- Configuring Services
- Part 12 – Configuring Hosting Apps and HNSC
- Part 13 – Configuring My Sites and User Profiles
- Part 14 – Enterprise Search Centre
-
Part 15 – Configuring Workflow – (This post)
- Installing SharePoint Designer
- Installing SharePoint Designer
-
- Installing Visual Studio
- Cleaning up Hyper V Checkpoints
- Installing Visual Studio
The configuration of the Workflow Manager for SharePoint 2016 is the same as it was for SharePoint 2013. Not only do you need to install the separate Workflow Manager components, once installed SharePoint designer will show SharePoint 2013 Workflow in a dropdown when deciding which platform to build the workflow on.
We will be installing Workflow Manager 1.0 CU3. Although my instructions add all this to the SharePoint Machine, the reason why Microsoft have made the Workflow manager separate is for scaling. There is no need for this to be installed on the SharePoint box. You could create another Windows Server 2012 R2 and add that to the domain and run the Workflow manager on that. There are probably a few more steps required in configuring. Here is a full walkthrough provided by Microsoft Technet https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/SharePoint-2016-Workflow-acd5ba2a if you wish to delve in deeper.
Installing SharePoint Designer 2013
Wait! SharePoint Designer 2013? Yes.
There is no SharePoint Designer 2016, there is no plan to release one either. Microsoft have stated that they will support SPD 2013 with SharePoint 2016. We are installing SharePoint Designer here because I can use it to prove if you have correctly configured Workflow Manager with SharePoint 2016 correctly.
SharePoint Designer 2013 is a free tool from Microsoft.
- Download SharePoint Designer 2013 32bit from the Microsoft Site.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-GB/download/details.aspx?id=35491 - Once downloaded run the file sharepointdesigner_32bit.exe
- Accept the License terms and click Continue.
- Click Install Now, (Unless you wish to customise and change file location, user information etc)
- Once installed, I’d recommend performing a Windows Update. From the Start Menu, type Windows Update, open the application and run any updates required. Reboot if necessary.
Check to see Workflow settings in SharePoint Designer
- From the start menu, type SPD and open SharePoint Designer 2013.
- Once it has loaded up, click Open Site
- Type the URL https://dev.cfcode2016.com click Open
- If prompted, enter your credentials
User: cfcode2016\SP_SetupPassword: Pa55w0rd
- From the Navigation menu, select Workflows
- On the ribbon menu, select List Workflows > Documents
- In the Create List Workflow dialog, at the bottom you will see a dropdown box for Choose the platform to build your workflow on. Only SharePoint 2010 will be listed.
- When we come back to this later, we will see SharePoint 2013 Workflow. Close SharePoint Designer for now.
Configuring Workflow Manger accounts
The Workflow Manager will run under new accounts that we haven’t created yet.
- On the Domain Controller machine, in the start menu, type Active Directory Users and Computers and open it.
- Expand the tree in the left hand pane to see the Managed Service Accounts OU. Select the Managed Service Accounts OU.
- Right click in the right hand pane, and select New > User.
- Create a user called SP_Workflow. Set the full name and log on name to SP_Workflow. Click Next.
-
In the password dialog screen, enter the following and click Next
- Password and Confirm Password as: Pa55w0rd
- Untick User must change password at next logon.
- Leave User cannot change password as unticked
- Tick Password never expires
- Leave Account is disabled as unticked
- Click Next. Then click Finished.
Setting up SQL with the correct Security Accounts
- On the SharePoint Machine, from the start menu, type SQL Server Management Studio and open up the application
- In SQL Server click Connect. (This should be to SQL2016 database instance).
- In the left hand menu expand Security. Right click Logins. And select New Login…
- In the Login – New dialog box, click the Search button.
- Click the Locations button and select Entire Directory.
- Type SP_Workflow in the Enter the object name to select, and click Check Names. This will resolve the name. Click OK.
- In the left hand panel select Server Roles.
- Tick both securityadmin and dbcreator then click OK.
- Close down SQL Server Management Studio
Giving SP_Workflow administrative rights on the SharePoint machine.
- From the start menu, type Edit local users and groups and open up the application.
- In the left hand panel, select Groups
- In the right hand pane, double click Administrators
- On the Administrators Properties dialog box, click Add
- Type SP_Workflow in the Enter the object name to select, and click Check Names. This will resolve the name. Click OK.
- Close Edit local users and groups.
Install the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 5.0
- Go to the URL https://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx and download the latest Microsoft Web Platform Installer
- Once downloaded run the file wpilauncher.exe
- If like my machine it is already on there, it will just open the Web Platform Installer 5.0 else it will install it for you. Accept the License Agreement and click Install. Then click Finish when complete.
Install Workflow manager
- From the Start menu, type Web Platform Installer and open the application
- In the search box in the top right of the screen, type Workflow Manager and press Enter.
- Click Add on the Workflow manager 1.0 Refresh (CU2) and click Install at the bottom.
- Click I Accept
- When complete, click Continue.
- Click Finish.
- Close the Workflow Manger Configuration Wizard that has popped up.
Apply Cumulative Update 3.0 for Workflow Manager 1.0
- Close and re-open the Web Platform Installer 5.0 we are going to install the CU 3. (You need to close and re-open otherwise the installer thinks Workflow Manger 1.0 hasn’t been installed)
- Type Workflow Manger and press Enter in the top right search box.
- Click Add for Workflow Manager 1.0 Cumulative Update 3, then click Install at the bottom.
- Click I Accept. Once installed click Finish. Click Exit on the Web Platform Installer.
Configure the Workflow manager
- From the start menu, type Workflow Manager Configuration
- Click on Configure Workflow Manger with Custom Settings
-
In the Configure Farm Management Database,
- Enter your SQL Server Instance: sql2016.cfcode2016.com
- Tick Use the above SQL Server Instance and Settings for all Databases
- Enter the Database Name: WF_ManagementDB
- Click Test Connection button to ensure all working OK.
-
In the Configure Instance Management Database
- Enter the Database Name: WF_InstanceManagementDB
- Click Test Connection button to ensure all working OK.
-
In the Configure Resource Management Database
- Enter the Database Name: WF_ResourceManagementDB
- Click Test Connection button to ensure all working OK.
-
In the Configure Service Account
- Enter the User ID: CFCODE2016\SP_Workflow
- Enter the Password: Pa55w0rd
-
In Configure Certificates
- Leave Auto-generate ticked
- Certificate Generation Key: Pa55w0rd
- Confirm Certificate Generation Key: Pa55w0rd
-
In Configure Ports leave default port numbers
- https: 12290
- http: 12291
- Leave Allow Workflow management over HTTP on this Computer unticked
- Leave Enable firewall rules on this compute unticked (As we have disabled our firewall)
-
In Configure Admin Group
- Leave BUILTIN\Administrators
- Click Next button
- On the Service Bus Configuration page, please provide the following
-
In Configure Farm Management Database
- Enter the Database Name: Sb_ManagementDB
- Click Test Connection button to ensure all working OK
-
In Configure Gateway Database
- Enter the Database Name: Sb_GatewayDB
- Click Test Connection button to ensure all working OK
-
In Configure Message Container Database
- Enter the Database Name: Sb_MessageContainerDB
- Click Test Connection button to ensure all working OK
-
In Configure Service Account
- Tick Use the same service account credentials as provided for Workflow Manager
-
In Configure Certificate
- Tick Auto-generate
- Tick Use the same certificate generation key as provided for Workflow Manager
-
In Configure Ports
- https: 9355
- tcp: 9354
- Message Broker Port: 9356
- Internal communication Port Range: 9000
- Untick Enable firewall rules on this computer (as we have disabled out firewall)
-
In Configure Admin Group
- Leave BUILTIN\Administrators
- Click Next button
- On the Summary page, click the Tick button at the bottom right of the screen to start installation.
- The configuration process can take up to 10 minutes to complete. Once complete, you will see a success pag
Add Workflow Manager Certificate into SharePoint
- In Start Menu, type IIS and open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
- Expand your server name, and Sites. You will now see a site called Workflow Management Site
- Click on Workflow Management Site, then on the right hand pane, click Bindings
- Select https and click edit.
- On the Edit Site Binding, under SSL certificate you will see a Certificate that matches your Server Name. Click the View button.
- On the Certificate dialog, click on the Details tab.
- Then click Copy to File button.
- On the Certificate Export Wizard click Next.
- On the Export Private Key page, select No, do not export the private key, click Next
- On Export File Format page, select DER encoded binary X.509 (.CER) Click Next
- On File to Export page, select a path and filename on your machine. Click Next.
- Click Finish. You will receive a successful export message.
Import Certificate into SharePoint Trust
- Open SharePoint 2016 central administration
- Under Security > General Security click Manage Trust
- Click the New button in the ribbon.
-
On the Establish Trust Relationship page, enter following information:
- Name: Workflow Manager
- Root Authority Certificate: <Select your file from previous steps>
- Click OK.
- You will see your certificate in the store.
Register Workflow Service Proxy
- In Start Menu, type SharePoint 2016 management Shell (run as administrator) and open the application
-
In the console type:
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters. Learn more about bidirectional Unicode charactersRegister-SPWorkflowService -SPSite "https://intranet.cfcode2016.com" -WorkflowHostUri "https://cfsp2016.cfcode2016.com:12290"
Verify the Configuration of Workflow Manager.
- Open SharePoint 2016 central administration
- Click Application Management
> Manage services applications
- At the bottom of the Manage Services Applications page, there will be Workflow Service Application Proxy
- If you click on Workflow Service Application Proxy it will take you a status page that will show you that workflow is now connected.
Check to see Workflow Settings are working in SharePoint Designer
- From the start menu, type SharePoint Designer and open the application
- Once SharePoint designer has opened, click Open Site.
- Type the URL https://dev.cfcode2016.com click Open.
- If prompted, enter your credentials
User: CFCode2016\SP_Setup
Password: Pa55w0rd - From the Navigation menu, select Workflows
- On the ribbon menu, select List Workflow > Documents
- In the Create List Workflow dialog, at the bottom you will see a dropdown box for Choose the platform to build your workflow on. Both SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint 2013 should be listed if the Workflow is set up correctly.
We are almost at the end. You SharePoint farm is configured to give you a good start as a development machine. Only thing left now is actual development tools. That will be covered in my final post of the series. Shut down your machines, take a checkpoint. (We will remove checkpoints in the last post)