SharePoint 2013 Server – WorkFlow engine installation and configuration on Windows Server 2012R2

One year ago I made an article in Hungarian about the SharePoint 2013 Workflow engine configuration on Windows Server 2012R2. Now I merely translate into English and provide you. 🙂

Starting point:

We want to install the Workflow engine to Windows Server 2012R2 (and at least SharePoint 2013 SP1). We need to add the IIS (Internet Information Service) Role. Of course the server have to be a member of the SharePoint domain and we have to logon to this server as a local administrator.

Preparation, Installation:

1.) Open the IIS manager, which pop up a window to install the “Web Platform Installer”. (If you installed it before you can ignore it because in this case its icon is the open screen of the IIS manager. If you cannot find the icon and you cannot meet this popup window you can download from here: Microsoft Web Platform Installer 5.0)

2.) Start the “Microsoft Web Platform Installer 5.0” then search for – at first – the “Service Bus” expression, then short the results by name.
Install the next packages:
– Service Bus 1.0
– Service Bus 1.0 Comulative Update 1

If the CU Comulative Update went to failed you could download from here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36794 Please install this.

3.) Close the “Web Platform Installer” then start it and check the status of the Service Bus components. You can realize both are installed.

4.) Now please install the next packages from “Web Platform Installer”:
– Workflow Manager 1.0
– Workflow Manager 1.0 Refresh

Although the “1.0” goes to failed the reason is the installation of the “1.0 Refresh” (strange behaviour from MS). If you restart the “Web Platform Installer” you can see the all of WF components are installed.

5.) In case of Windows 2012 R2 you should install the Cumulative Update 2 for Workflow Manager 1.0 you need this soon.

 (Simple installer. This means you start and there is no response about the installation result)

6.) This is end of the installation and here comes the configuration…

Configuration:

1.) Important thing before the configuration:

– You do not need configure the Service Bus separate from the workflow.

– Create two (2) service account in the AD. One for the Workflow and one for the Service Bus. (e.g.: _svc_wf, _svc_sb)

– Check the proxy settings (best thing if you turn off) on the server you install. If the proxy settings are not adequate you will get an “502 Bad Gateway” from the installer then it stops. Furthermore it can cause some issues when you install the certificate.

2.) Start the “Workflow Manager Configuration Wizard” as administrator

3.) Chose the Custom Settings options (because you know what you want to do)

4.) The next screen you have to define the exact information for “Workflow Manager”a. Please use alias for the SQL server connection

b. Recommended to use prefix for the databases to be perceptible. This helps you in the future.

c. Please use here the DOMAIN_svc_wf user for workflows

d. If you are lazy you can use this user’s password as “Generation Key”

e. Accept the “Allow Workflow management over HTTP on this computer” option

5.) Click the next button then you can see the “Service Bus Configuration” screen.

a. Please use alias for the SQL server connection

b. Recommended to use prefix for the databases to be perceptible. This helps you in the future.

c. Please use here the DOMAIN_svc_sb user for workflows

d. If you are lazy you can use this user’s password as “Generation Key”

6.) Click the next button and you will see te the summary screen where you can check the parameters and values before the configuration. There is a good opportunity here: You can copy the PowerShell command which will be executed during the configuration (of course without the sensitive data such as passwords)

 Before you start the configuration please check again the proxy settings (best thing if you turn off) on the server you install. If the proxy settings are not adequate you will get an “502 Bad Gateway” from the installer then it stops.

7.) Start the configuration

When it’s done…

…you can check the logs as well.

8.) Check the real result. Run “Workflow Manager Shell” as administrator then execute the next command:

Get-WFFarmStatus

 You can see everything is working fine.

9.) It is done. We can continue with the integration (with SharePoint 2013)

Integration:

Now we link the Workflow engine with the SharePoint 2013 Server

1.) Although we allowed Workflow management over HTTP on this computer we use it over HTTPS with SharePoint. This means we need an SSL certificate. In this situation we use the machine own self-signed certificate. We export it (not from IIS manager because the private key is unnecessary). Start the MMC console and add the Computer Account certificate store.

2.) Export the certificate which is the name of the server (check the FQDN name of the certificate. Check it in the IIS manager. It should be binded to Workflow Manager WebSite)

3.) Then run the “SharePoint Management Shell” as administrator and execute the next commands:

$trustCert = Get-PfxCertificate “D:wf_sps.cer”
New-SPTrustedRootAuthority -Name “Workflow Manager Farm” -Certificate $trustCert

4.) Now we will configure the “Security Token Service”. Execute from “SharePoint Management Shell” the next commands:

$config = (Get-SPSecurityTokenServiceConfig)
$config.AllowOAuthOverHttp = $true
$config.AllowMetaDataOverHttp = $true
$config.Update()

5.) Finally we have to register the Workflow engine for each Sites where we would like to use the Workflow 2013. Execute from “SharePoint Management Shell” the next commands (for the url we need):

Register-SPWorkflowService -SPSite “http://intranet” -WorkflowHostUri “https://mywfsrv:12290”

Please customize theSPSite and the WorkflowHostUri according to your environment)6.) Validation
a. “Central Admin > Application management > Manage Service Applications > Workflow Service Application Proxy” navigate and you will see the “Workflow is Connected” message.
b. Open the SharePoint Designer 2013 and start to create a new workflow on that site where you configured (linked) the Workflow. You should be able to chose “SharePoint 2013 Workflow”. (If you can see only the SharePoint 2010 Workflow you missed something. Please check again.)Now you can start the workflow implementation for your customers…