Setting up the Dynamics GP Data Gateway for Popdock

Published: Oct 10, 2023

Setting up the Dynamics GP Data Gateway for Popdock

Published: Oct 10, 2023

Pre-requisites:

– Internet Information Services (IIS) installed on the server that hosts the gateway (How to install IIS)

– WebView2 and the .NET Hosting Bundle (8.0.15+) are required

  • The installer will install Webview2 if not present.
  • The installer will install the .NET Hosting Bundle if not present.

– Have an SSL/TLS certificate (Wildcard is recommended)

– Have an externally facing URL that will be bound to the gateway for the web service (i.e., www.example.com, localhost will NOT work for this)

– Whitelist the Popdock IP address for your Region listed on our website here

Hardware Requirements:

– Microsoft Windows Server 2012 or higher

– 8GB of RAM

IIS needs to be installed BEFORE the .NET Core Hosting Bundle. You may need to restart IIS after installing the bundle. To do so, open the command prompt as Administrator and run the command iisreset.

 

Installation and Setup Steps

1. Download the Dynamics GP Gateway.

2. Install the Gateway following the steps below:

a) Run the GatewayInstall.Bundle.exe to start the process.

b) Read the license terms and check Agree to the terms and conditions.

pd install with options


c) Select Options if you would like to install to a directory other than “Program Files\eOne Solutions\PopdockGateway”. Select OK to continue.

pd file location


‍d) Select Install to start the process.

pd install 2


e) You will receive a notification that this installation will be making changes to your system like in the image below. Select Yes to continue.

pd allow app to make changes

 
f) If you do not have the .NET 8 Hosting Bundle, .NET 8 Runtime or WebView2, it will install them now. If they are already present it will skip to finishing the installation.

‍.NET 8 Windows Server Hosting Bundle Installation

pd hosting install


If this window opens, check the box to accept the terms and condition and then select Install.

pd hosting bundle


When the installation has completed successfully, select Close to continue to the next portion of the installation.

pd hosting success

 
‍.NET 8 Desktop Runtime

pd runtime install


‍If this window opens, select Install to continue the process.

pd runtime


When the installation has completed successfully, select Close to continue to the next portion of the installation.

pd runtime success


g) The installation will continue. At the end you will see a message indicating Success or Failure. Select Close to finish the installation process.

pd success


3.  Configure the Gateway

a) The Popdock Gateway Config program allows for storing setup in a secure and encrypted manner. From the Start menu, select Popdock Gateway Config.

pd gateway config


b) Accept the notification that changes will be made.

pd gateway config warning


c) Start the configuration process by selecting Gateway authentication.

pd gateway screen


d) Choose an Authentication Type, either Token or basic to connect to the Gateway.

pd gateway authtype


If choosing Token, you will need to create a value or generate one using the Generate button. Copy this value to a secure place as you will need it later to connect to the Gateway. Select Save to update the config file.

pd gateway token


If choosing Basic Authentication, you will need both a User and a Password. This can be created using the Generate button. Copy these values to a secure place as you will need it later to connect to the Gateway. Select Save to update the config file.

pd gateway basic


e) Select Database settings next.

Enter your credentials to connect to the SQL Server that hosts the Dynamics GP data.

· Server: The local address and the instance to the SQL Server, and the port as necessary (ex. Demo1\SQL,75309).

· System Database: The name of the Dynamics GP System database (usually DYNAMICS).

· Username: The desired SQL Server user. This user does not need to be “sa” but they must have access to be able to read the SYS tables in order to access the metadata.

· Password: The password for the SQL Server user listed above.

Select Save to update the config file.

pd gateway database


4. Add the Gateway to an existing website within IIS Manager.

a) In IIS Manager, right-click Application Pools and then select Add Application Pool.

Application Pool in IIS.

b) Name the Application Pool something related to the GP Gateway, for example DynamicsGPGateway.

Add Application Pool window in IIS.  The Name field has been populated with DynamicsGPGateway.

c) Expand the Sites node in IIS Manager and then select the site in which you want to add the Dynamics GP Gateway. For example, you could add it to the Default Website. Right-click and then select Add Application.

 

IIS window showing the right-click menu of the Default Web Site.  Add Application is selected.

d) In the Alias field, enter a name for the application, for example DynamicsGPGateway. Select the Application pool from the previous step and then select the path used to install the Gateway in Step 2c. Then select OK.

 

Add Application window.  The Alias field has been filled in with DynamicsGPGateway.

4. Ensure the Gateway is properly bound with SSL security and is externally facing.

a) In IIS Manager, go to the site that you installed the Gateway on. In the upper right-hand corner, select Bindings.

IIS window with Binding highlighted.

b) In the bindings menu, select Add and within the Edit Site Binding window, change the Type to https. Leave the IP address as All Unassigned and the Port will be set to 443. If you are using a nonstandard port use that instead.

From there, add in the Host name as mentioned in the pre-requisites. Then select the SSL certificate that will be used for this binding. Finally, select OK.

Edit Site Bindings window.

5. Once the SSL security is setup, return to the site in IIS and select the new web service URL on the right-side. Browse to the site to make sure the Gateway is working.

IIS window with the new web service URL highlighted.

If everything is correct and setup properly, you will get this screen when you browse to the Gateway site.

Results of browsing to the new gateway.  It shows the message "Your Dynamics GP gateway is up and running."

6. Return to your Popdock web application and add your new GP Connector.

a) In Popdock, from the main menu, select Connectors.

image 12

b) Select Add Connector from the settings menu on the left side of the page and then select Dynamics GP from the list of connectors.

Dynamics GP connector.

c) From the Connection type dropdown list, select the connection type you chose during the setup, either Token or Basic Authentication.

 

· Gateway with Token Authentication: In the Gateway URL field, choose the URL that you used in IIS, and then use the Token you created previously.

image 92

· Gateway with Basic Authentication: In the Gateway URL field, choose the URL you used in IIS, then use the Username and Password that you created previously.

image 93

d) Select Validate from the Action menu to ensure that Popdock can connect to the GP Gateway.

e) Select Connect from the Action menu to start the process of creating the Dynamics GP lists in Popdock.

 Questions on setting up your Dynamics GP Gateway? Contact support@eonesolutions.com.

 

 

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