Anveo OnPrem Installation (Type B and C)
There are different variants of the Anveo Mobile App installation: As managed variant with Anveo Mobile App Cloud Service and as self-managed variant with the Anveo Server. For an overview of the available variants, see the system requirements. This installation guide describes Anveo Type B and C: self-managed.
When should I use managed or self-managed?
The managed variant is the significantly faster and simpler option. Anveo provides the App Service and Delta Service as a SaaS solution. If you do not want to run your own Anveo server, please choose the Anveo Type A installation variant (managed).
The Anveo Server provides the Anveo App Service as well as the Delta Service (for Anveo B installations). Both the Anveo Server and the PostgreSQL database are multi-instance capable, allowing them to be used for multiple systems such as production and sandbox environments.
The Anveo App Service is the connection between the Anveo Mobile App installed on mobile devices and Microsoft Dynamics System. It is used for authentication and security and can be installed in front of a firewall to protect your system.
The Anveo Server is required for the Anveo infrastructure variants Anveo B and C. You can easily install it using a setup. Alternatively, the Anveo Mobile App Cloud Service can be used to install the Anveo Server. More information about the Anveo Mobile App Cloud Service can be found here.
Anveo Infrastructure Variant B also requires the installation of a PostgreSQL database. The PostgreSQL database provides the Anveo Delta Server, which is mandatory for the Anveo Delta Service. This installation is described below. In Anveo Infrastructure Variant C, the Delta Server is installed directly into the SQL database where the Microsoft Dynamics database resides. Therefore, the Delta Service is not required for this installation variant.
Install Anveo Server
Install the Anveo Server by running the “Anveo Server Setup.exe“. Select the language and the target directory.
After that you will be asked to select a port and a password. The password will be needed later for the setup in Microsoft Dynamics. For security reasons, it should only be known to the administrator.
Due to the encrypted transfer of data between the Anveo server and the Anveo mobile app client, we recommend the use of an SSL certificate. For more information regarding the use of a certificate, please see our Knowledge Base here. For test environments, you can leave this field blank and a self-signed certificate will be created
Where can I find the thumbprint of my SSL certificate?
You can find the thumbprint of your SSL certificate as follows:
Enter “Certificates” or “certlm.msc” in the Windows search. You will get the following window:
Under the “Details” tab you will find the thumbprint:
After entering the “Thumbprint” you can check your settings and start the installation.
Please note: When Copy&Paste from this field, invisible special characters are included at the beginning or end, depending on the Windows version. These should be removed by deletion.
After the installation is complete, you can check whether the Anveo Server was started successfully.
In case of an error, please check the error messages. Possible causes can be an incorrect thumbprint of the SSL certificate or an already assigned TCP port.
Installation of the PostgreSQL database
To use the Anveo Server within the Anveo B installation, the PostgreSQL database is required. You can download it from this link.
Please note that for Anveo Varainte C the PostgresSQL database is not required and this section can be skipped. Please continue with “Windows Firewall Setup”.
For test environments, we recommend installing the PostgreSQL database on the same server as the Anveo Server.
For live systems, we recommend using separate servers. This allows the Anveo server to be located as a frontent server in the DMZ, whereas the PostgreSQL is installed in a secured environment. When installing on a different server, additional security settings must be made in PostgreSQL, which are not documented here. More detailed information can be found at this link.
In the first step, select the installation location.
Install the components selected by default. The Stack Builder is not required. So you can remove it from the components to be installed.
In the next step you can change the destination directory of the database.
Please set the password for the database. This password should be very different from that of the Anveo server and also known only to the administrator.
The next step is to set the port for the PostgreSQL database. If possible, the default port (5432) of PostgreSql should be used. However, if necessary, you can change it.
You can customize the language/location in the next step. We recommend that you keep the default setting.
Before starting the installation, you can still check all entries.
Finally, the installation is started:
Windows Firewall Setup
Communication between the Anveo Server, the Anveo Mobile App and Dynamics requires setting up the appropriate ports in the Windows Firewall.
Communication Anveo Server with Microsoft Dynamics
The Anveo Server communicates with the Microsoft Dynamics Web Service via the Anveo Server configuration port. This is port 8888 by default, but can be set differently when installing Anveo Server. This port only needs to be opened for communication with Microsoft Dynamics Web Services. It is not recommended to set this port to Public.
Open the Windows Firewall.
Specify the type.
The port is specified in the next step.
The next step is to specify the direction.
And in which case the firewall rule should take effect.
Finally, the new firewall rule needs a meaningful name.
Communication Anveo Server with the Anveo Mobile App
Communication from the Anveo Server to the Anveo Mobile App requires two ports per instance. By default, these are ports 7020 and 7021. These ports must be publicly accessible.
Note: If you are planning another instance on this Anveo server, you can for example enable additional ports like 7022-7023.
Create a new firewall rule and specify its type.
Enter the appropriate ports.
Follow the further steps as described above. Finally, enter a meaningful name again.
After the setup is successfully completed, you should see the new rules in the firewall.
Please note:
If the PostgreSQL database is not installed on the same server, another port must be enabled. On the server of the PostgreSQL installation, port 5432 (or the customized port) must be opened by default for communication with the Anveo server. This port must also be accessible only internally and should not be accessible from the outside.
Setup in Microsoft Dynamics
In Microsoft Dynamics, open the Anveo Mobile App Setup Wizard.
Start the setup of the Anveo Mobile App in Microsoft Dynamics by specifying that you have installed the Anveo Server on your own infrastructure (Self-managed Anveo Server). Additionally, specify a unique Anveo instance name. This will be used later on the mobile devices for login. The instance name should contain your company name and be as short and concise as possible. Here you can find a list of instance names that are not allowed.
In the next section, you will be prompted to enter the connection details to the Anveo server.
The App Service Address (external) is the “Full Qualified Domain Name” (FQDN) for which you need a valid, officially confirmed certificate. The Anveo server can be reached by the Anveo mobile app client from the outside via this address. In order for an SSL certificate check to be performed, an FQDN should be used at this point, not an IP address.
The App Service TCP Port defaults to 7020 unless manually adjusted. If multiple Anveo App Services are provided by one Anveo server, this port differs from the default.
The App Service http Port is normally 7021. This may also be different for multiple installations.
The Anveo Server Address (internal) is the internal address at which Microsoft Dynamics can reach the Anveo Server. Important: This address should not be available to the outside world.
The Server Port is 8888 by default and was also defined during the installation of the Anveo Server.
You assigned the Anveo Server password during the previous installation of the Anveo Server.
After entering the connection data for the Anveo server, the next step is to set up the connection data to the PostgreSQL database.
The Database Address is the “Full Qualified Domain Name” (FQDN) or IP address under which the PostgreSQL database can be reached from the Anveo server. If the PostgreSQL database is installed on the same server as the Anveo server, please enter “localhost” here. If the PostgreSQL database is installed on a different server, external access must still be set up. You can find more information about this under this link.
The SSL mode is Disable.
The database user is “postgres” by default.
You have assigned the Database Password during the installation of the PostgreSQL database.
The next step is to specify the Web Service URL and the default client.
The next step is to set up the Anveo server.
The next step is to assign a license to the instance.
Please not:
This is not an error message. Please contact our team at [email protected]. They can create a trial license for you or assign your existing live license to the instance. To do this, enter your Anveo instance name that you assigned at the beginning. After you have a response from our team, please restart the Anveo Wizard.
The Anveo Wizard continues the setup by setting the “Job Interval”.
For the calculation of the delta data, we recommend creating a job in Microsoft Dynamics that automatically determines the changes in the Dynamics data and transmits them to the Anveo Delta Service at regular intervals.
This calculation is started automatically every time Anveo users synchronize. The automatic job significantly minimizes the synchronization time, since the data is always calculated in the meantime and not at the time of synchronization.
Data replication to the Anveo Delta service
Replicating data to the Anveo Delta Service is a required feature that is automatically set up for the first installation using the Installation Wizard. However, if you are configuring the app to meet your needs, a closer look at the Anveo Delta Service setup is required.
What does the Anveo Delta service do?
In order to provide the user with fast synchronization, only the data changes (the data delta) and not always all data (so-called full load)
are transferred between Dynamics and the Anveo Mobile App. To this end, data changes in Dynamics are determined on the fly by the Anveo Delta Service and made available to the Anveo Mobile App via the Anveo App Service.
To this end, all data changes are periodically transferred from Dynamics to the Anveo Delta service so that it can perform the calculation quickly. This is handled by Delta Service Replication.
In the Anveo Mobile App client on the mobile device, only the data defined by the Anveo synchronization packages and the Delta server setup – see Delta server setup – is available.
Important! Re-login after configuration changes
Due to some Microsoft Dynamics limitations, it is necessary to log off and log on again all users after you have made some configuration changes to the Anveo Delta Service Setup. Therefore, we recommend making changes outside of working hours. Today, downtime is required for mobile users while changes are resynchronized. In future releases, you will be able to automatically resynchronize changes at night without downtime.
Install the Anveo Sales or Service App
If you have installed the Anveo Sales or Service App as an extension, you will now be asked if you want to set them up.
Anveo Sales App
Here you can find the installation manuals for the ready-to-use solutions of the Anveo Sales App.
Anveo Service App
Here you can find the installation manuals for the ready-to-use solutions of the Anveo Service App.