Thank you for attending our webinar: How to Install Dynamics 365 Business Central Development Environment using Docker.
During the live webinar, the following topics have been explored:
– How to install Docker on your Windows machine.
– The demonstration of the basic Docker commands.
– The demonstration of the NavContainerHelper, it’s properties and commands.
How to Install Dynamics 365 Business Central Development Environment using Docker
Please find all questions and answers below
Q: I need to know is the Docker image needs to be updated every time?
A: If you have already created a container, then no. The container will be running from the image which you already created. And if you want a newer version, then yes, from time to time you need to download the latest version depending on the Microsoft release.
Q: Does Business Central works with Docker?
A: Yes, it does. You might need to look for a bit more complicated image names because Microsoft provides two sets of images, but to my knowledge, the latest versions of Business Central are created as Docker images, and you can download them.
Q: Why we need to use Docker? Can’t we just install it on local?
A: Yes, of course, you can, but as you saw during this demonstration, the creation of Docker containers is very fast, so if you are developing for a few different companies at the same time, you can create as many containers as you want, meaning as many development environments as you want. When you are installing Business Central locally on your machine, I believe that you run into issues such as conflicting ports and creating services. In my opinion, this is the reason why you should use Docker. Also, connecting to Docker containers are often faster than to local install.
Q: Do we have Administration in Business Central fall release or everything should be set up via Docker?
A: We still have both Administration panel and Administration shell.
Q: Installing a NAV image will install SQL express. Can we by default use local SQL server?
A: Well, not by default, but yes, you can use you local SQL servers. For that, you can use commands from NavContainerHelper.
Q: I heard earlier that a certain Windows version Build didn’t work with Business Central. But a different Docker version with an earlier Windows Build should be used. Is that the case?
A: Yes, there are some differences in Windows Build, and in some rare cases, you need to match Windows Build with Docker versions.
Q: Didn’t you need to install the certificates provided by the container?
A: No you don’t have to install any certificates.
Q: Is there a command to export base NAV objects from Docker?
A: When I was showing the template for creating a container, you could see this parameter ‘doNotExportObjectsToText’. If you delete it, it will automatically export all database as text. Path to files will be C:\ProgramData\NavContainerHelper
Q: Can you change the path to download the container files?
A: Yes, you can. First of all, you need to stop the Docker service. Go to C:\ProgramData\Docker\config\daemon.json and add function (“data-root”: “D:\\docker”). Then start docker service again.
Q: In the past, we had some trouble that Navision doesn’t run anymore. We do it now by making a new container with a PS-script to resolve but that’s not the best solution. What command can you use to check the status of the docker containers or check the docker IP address?
A: Docker container inspect <container name>
Q: Can you use in the same PC dockers and Virtual machines?
A: Yes, you can.
Feeling that webinar wasn’t enough for you and want to know more about Docker? We provide Dynamics 365 Business Central Extensions Training course, which is always adjusted according to individual partner requirements, professional experience, and skills.
