How to: Configure SSL to Secure the Connection to Microsoft Dynamics NAV Portal Framework

You can help secure Microsoft Dynamics NAV data that is transmitted over the Internet by enabling Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) on the SharePoint site that is running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Portal Framework.

SSL is a web protocol that encrypts data that is transmitted over a network to make the data and the network more secure and reliable. A website that is enabled with SSL uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) instead of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) as a communication protocol. Enabling SSL on a website requires that an SSL certificate is installed on the web server. An SSL certificate is a small file that the web server uses to prove its identity and establish a trusted connection with the browser that is trying to access the SharePoint site. When a browser connects to a SharePoint site, the web server replies by sending its certificate to the browser. This certificate contains the web server's public encryption key and the name of the authority that granted the certificate. The browser verifies the certificate using the authority's public key

To configure SSL, you must follow these steps:

  • Obtaining an SSL Certificate

  • Adding an HTTPS Binding That Uses the Certificate on the SharePoint Site

  • Creating an Alternative Mapping to HTTPS on the SharePoint Site

Obtaining an SSL Certificate

In a production environment, you should obtain an SSL certificate from a certification authority. Some large organizations may have their own certification authorities, and other organizations can request a certificate from a third-party organization. In a test or development environment, you can create your own self-signed certificate.

To create a self-signed SSL certificate

  1. To open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager and do one of the following:

    • In Windows 7, on the Start menu, in the Search Programs and Files box, type inetmgr, and then press Enter.

    • In Windows Server 2008 R2, on the Start menu, choose Administrative Tools, and then choose Internet Information Service (IIS) Manager.

  2. In the Connections pane, choose the top-level node for the server.

  3. On the Home page, under IIS, choose Server Certificates, and then in the Actions pane, choose Open Feature.

  4. On the Server Certificates page, choose Create Self-Signed Certificate.

  5. In the Specify Friendly Name dialog box, type a brief name for the certificate, and then choose the OK button.

    The new certificate appears on the Server Certificate page.

Adding an HTTPS Binding That Uses the Certificate on the SharePoint Site

After you get the certificate, you add a binding to the HTTPS protocol on the SharePoint site. When you add the binding, you associate it with the certificate.

To add an https binding with the certificate to the website

  1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

  2. In the Connections pane, expand the Sites node, and then choose the SharePoint site to which you want to add the binding.

  3. In the Actions pane, choose Bindings.

  4. In the Site Bindings dialog box, choose Add.

  5. In the Add Site Binding dialog box, set the Type field to https.

    You can use the default port 443 or change it to another port. If you change it to another port, you will have to provide the port number in the URL when you try to open the Microsoft Dynamics NAV SharePoint client.

  6. Set the SSL certificate: field to the certificate that you obtained or created for the site.

  7. Choose theOK button. Choose the Close button.

Creating an Alternative Mapping to HTTPS on the SharePoint Site

To give access the SharePoint site that is running Microsoft Dynamics NAV Portal Framework using SSL, you use the SharePoint Central Administration to map the URL for https to the SharePoint site. For example, if the site URL is http://MySite, then you map the URL https://MySite.

To create an alternative mapping to https on the SharePoint Site

  1. Open SharePoint Central Administration, and then choose Application Management.

  2. Under Web Applications, choose Configure alternate access mappings.

  3. On the Alternate Access Mappings page, choose Edit Public URLS.

  4. On the Edit Public Zone URLs page, in the drop-down list box next to Alternate Access Mapping Collection, choose Change Alternate Access Mapping Collection.

  5. On the Select an Alternate Access Mapping collection page, choose the name of the SharePoint site collection.

    You return to the Edit Public Zone URLs page.

  6. In the Public URLs section, in the Custom box, type the https URL for the site.

    Typically, this will be the URL in the Default box, except prefixed by https instead of http, for example, https://MySite.

  7. Choose the Save button.

See Also

Concepts

Deploying Microsoft Dynamics NAV Portal Framework
Microsoft Dynamics NAV SharePoint Client and Portal Framework