Deploying the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web and Mobile Clients

Article
10/25/2017

Applies to: Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018. See Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2017 version.

Giving users the capability to access to data by using the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client, Microsoft Dynamics NAV Tablet client, Microsoft Dynamics NAV Phone client, and Outlook add-in requires a Internet Information Services (IIS) web site as part of your deployment. The website, which we refer to as Dynamics NAV Web Server instance, hosts the files that provide content and services to client users over the Internet. This article highlights several factors to consider to help you set up Dynamics NAV Web Server instances that suit your deployment requirements.

If you just want to get started installing the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components, see How to: Install the Web Server Components.

ASP .NET Core on IIS

Dynamics NAV Web Server instances run on ASP.NET Core on IIS, which in part dictates the directory structure of the instances. For more information about ASP .NET Core, see Introduction to ASP.NET Core.

Network Topology

The following illustration shows the component infrastructure that supports Dynamics NAV Web Server instances on your network.

NAV Web Client network architecture

Each Dynamics NAV Web Server instance must connect to a Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server, which in turn connects to the database that contains the application and business data. Multiple Dynamics NAV Web Server instances can connect to the same Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server. You can deploy these components on one computer or on separate computers. For example, you can install the Dynamics NAV Web Server instance on one computer and the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server and SQL Server database on another computer. The topology that you choose depends on the network resources and the infrastructure of the Dynamics NAV components. The installation and configuration process is different for each scenario.

For information about the common deployment scenarios, see Deployment Scenarios for the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server Components.

Important

The Dynamics NAV mobile app and web client aren't supported in a deployment scenario that uses Azure Active Directory Application Proxy.

Creating a Dynamics NAV Web Server instance

There are two ways to create a Dynamics NAV Web Server instance. You can use the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 Setup or the Dynamics NAV Web Server PowerShell cmdlets.

Using Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 Setup

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 Setup is the quickest way to get a web server instance up and running, and is typically how you install the first Dynamics NAV Web Server instance in your deployment.

Setup installs the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components, which does the following:
- Installs and configure IIS with the required prerequisites, including Microsoft .NET Core - Windows Server Hosting
- Installs a web server instance on IIS.
- Installs components and files in a WebPublish folder that enables you to add additional web server instances without having to use the Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 installation media (DVD).
You can only use Setup to install a single Dynamics NAV Web Server instance.
Setup does not let you choose the site deployment type for the web server instance. By default, it creates a SubSite instance. For more information, see Site Deployment Types.
For information about how to install the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components, see How to: Install the Web Server Components.

Using Dynamics NAV Web Server PowerShell cmdlets

There are several PowerShell cmdlets that enable you to create, configure, and remove Dynamics NAV Web Server instances from a command line interface. To create a web server instance, you use the New-NAVWebServerInstance cmdlet, which has the following advantages over Setup:

You can create multiple web server instances.
You have more flexibility regarding the site deployment type of the Dynamics NAV Web Server instances on IIS. For example, you can create a root-level website instance or a subsite application instance under a container website.

Important

Using the the New-NAVWebServerInstance cmdlet requires that Microsoft .NET Core Windows Server Hosting is installed and IIS is installed and configured with the prerequisites. So unless you have previously installed the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components by using Setup, you will have to install and configure the prerequisites manually. For more information about the prerequisites, see How to: Install and Configure Internet Information Services for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client.

For information about how to create a Dynamics NAV Web Server instance by using the New-NAVWebServerInstance cmdlet, see Creating and Managing Dynamics NAV Web Server Instances Using PowerShell.

Deployment Phases

Typically, you will deploy the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in phases, which can influence the network topology and security settings that you deploy. For example, in the development phase, you develop, test, and fine-tune the application. In this phase, you might consider deploying the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in a single-computer scenario. When you move to the production phase, you deploy the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client in the full network infrastructure.

Security

User Authentication

Dynamics NAV supports four methods for authenticating users who try to access the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client: Windows, UserName, NavUserPassword, and AccessControlService. Windows authentication is configured by default. For more information, see Users and Credential Types and How to: Configure Authentication of Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client Users.

Service Account for Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server and Dynamics NAV Database Access

When you install Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server and Dynamics NAV database components, you must identify an Active Directory account to provide credentials for the servers. By default, Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 Setup runs Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server and the Dynamics NAV database under the Network Service account, a predefined local account that is used by the service control manager.

Tip

We recommend that you create and use a domain user account for running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server and accessing the Dynamics NAV database. The Network Service account is considered less secure because it is a shared account that can be used by other unrelated network services.

For more information, see Provisioning the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Server Account.

Securing the Connection to Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client With SSL

You can help secure Dynamics NAV data that is transmitted over the Internet by enabling Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) on the connection to the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web client. You can configure SSL when you install the Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Server components or after the installation.

For more information, see How to: Install the Web Server Components and How to: Configure SSL to Secure the Connection to Microsoft Dynamics NAV Web Client.