How to Set up a VHD for D365 finance and operations
Dr. Umesh Pandit
Advisor Solution Architect for Microsoft Dynamics 365, Azure, PPAC, CRM, M365 and AI
Set up a VHD for finance and operations.
Setting up a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) for Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365 F&O) involves several steps. The VHD can create a local development environment that mirrors the cloud-based Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations environment.
Prerequisites
- Windows Server or Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise: Required for running Hyper-V.
- Hyper-V Enabled Machine: Ensure your system supports Hyper-V and that it is enabled.
- Adequate Disk Space: Around 450 GB SSD would be great! The VHD requires significant disk space (approximately 250 GB or more).
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
1. Download the VHD
- Go to the Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) portal. https://lcs.dynamics.com/v2
- Sign in with your credentials. (First-time users of Hotmail/Gmail/Live or Outlook will not work) You can use like [email protected]
- Navigate to the project you want to set up the environment for.
- Go to the hamburger sign> Asset Library Select Downloadable VHD section
Click + Import
- Choose the version of D365 F&O you need and click pick! (One by one all parts for the same version)
Download one by one>
2. Extract the VHD
- The downloaded VHD file is usually compressed. Extract the VHD using a tool like WinRAR or 7-Zip.
- This will give you the actual VHD file that you will use to create your virtual machine.
3. Set Up Hyper-V
- Open Hyper-V Manager on your system.
- Click on New and select Virtual Machine.
- Follow the wizard to create a new virtual machine:
- Name the Virtual Machine.
- Specify the Generation: Choose Generation 1.
- Assign Memory: Allocate at least 16 GB of RAM (recommended).
- Configure Networking: Connect the VM to a virtual switch.
- Connect Virtual Hard Disk: Select the VHD you extracted earlier.
4. Configure the Virtual Machine
- Go to Settings for your newly created virtual machine.
- Ensure that the number of virtual processors is set to at least 4.
- Adjust any other settings as needed, such as increasing the RAM or assigning more processors.
5. Start the Virtual Machine
- Start the VM from the Hyper-V Manager.
- Once the VM starts, you may need to log in using the credentials provided by Microsoft (usually Administrator for the username and a pre-set password).
6. Run Dynamics 365 F&O
- After logging in, the D365 F&O environment should automatically start.
- You can now access the application locally and begin your development or testing.
7. Post-Setup Configuration
- Update the VM with the latest application updates if required.
- Configure necessary services, such as SQL Server, IIS, and other dependencies for D365 F&O.
- Set up your environment variables, certificates, and any other necessary components.
Important Considerations
- Performance: Ensure that your host machine has sufficient resources (CPU, memory, and disk) to run the VM efficiently.
- Licensing: Make sure you comply with Microsoft's licensing terms when setting up and using the VHD.
- Backup: Regularly back up your VM, especially if you are using it for development purposes.
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Microsoft D365 Retail & Commerce Technical Consultant | MERN Stack | Dot Net | Jira
2 个月Hey. Thanks for this information. But could you tell me , actually I have setup a VHD in my laptop and it's asking for password. I don't know what's default password?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O - Functional Consultant | Electronic Reporting(ER) | Power BI | MySQL | Power Apps
2 个月?? ??
D365FO Senior Developer/TA - NTT DATA everis
3 个月When I tried to deploy the same VHD some time ago, the D365FO UI didn't work at all, because some certificates were expired. Didn't you have the same problem? How did you fix it?
System Analyst: D365FO, Apps, websites, SharePoint,
3 个月Hello Dr. Umesh Pandit nice article, can we also do development on the same VHD?
D365, Azure DevOps ,Azure Administrator
3 个月Now didn't required registration with service principal or app registration?