Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 Template Pack Installation and Configuration Guide
Microsoft Corporation
Published: July 2010
Abstract
This document lists the software requirements for the Commerce Server 2009 Template Pack (Contemporary Site), provides detailed instructions for installing and configuring the Template Pack Contemporary Site on single computer, and offers information and guidelines to Web developers who want to customize the look and feel of the Contemporary Site.
Contents
Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 Template Pack Installation and Configuration Guide
Prerequisites
Supported Browsers
Overview of Template Pack (Contemporary Site) Deployment
About This Guide
Contemporary Site and the Web Parts
Accounts, Groups, Permissions, Authorization Roles, and Database Roles
Creating User Accounts
Creating the Business Management Administration Groups and Adding Users
Creating SQL Accounts
Setting Write Permissions to Temporary File Folders
Creating the Application Pools and Assigning the Correct Identities
Adding Worker Process Accounts to the IIS_WPG or IIS_ISURS Group
Deployment Tasks
Template Pack (Contemporary Site) Requirements
Required Permissions
Web Application and Site Collection Requirements
SharePoint Services Requirements
Commerce Server Site Requirements
Installing the Template Pack (Contemporary Site) Files
Configuring the Wizard to Deploy the Contemporary Site
Deploying the Contemporary Site in SharePoint
When Creating a New Commerce Site for Use by the Contemporary Site
Unpacking the Web Services in a New Commerce Server Site
Encryption Keys Created for the Commerce Server Site
Enabling SSL
Deploying the Template Pack (Contemporary Site) for Use by Mobile Devices
Post-Deployment Tasks
Installing the Marketing Ads
Granting Write Permissions to the Catalog Authorization Role
Adding Windows Groups to Administrator Authorization Roles
Assigning Application Pools to the Web Services
Associating the SQL Server Accounts to the Correct Database Roles
SQL Database Account, Database, and Database Role User Mapping
Configuring the Profiles Web Service to Use the Correct Encryption Keys
Configuring Permissions for Authenticated Users
Specifying the Contemporary Site Channel and Catalog Names
Using the Correct Login Page
Applying the Correct SharePoint Theme
Known Issues
Ads are not displayed in the Contemporary Site (HTTP error 404)
Transparency in PNG images displays in light blue
Editing Product Details page breaks Web Part links to product provider
Updated User Controls appear in pre-existing Default Site
Wrong credit card number error when editing credit card information
Logo link on WSS Login page is incorrect
Unable to access the FormsAuthentication site
“This page has been modified since you opened it” Error Message
Optional Tasks
Maintaining the Contemporary Site
Creating Users in the Contemporary Site
Activating Features Following Changes to the Web Application
Site Map Providers in the Contemporary Site
Customizing the Contemporary Site
About the Master Page
About the CSS files
Scenario #1: End-user is viewing the site.
Scenario #2: Administrative user is modifying a Web Part on the site.
Scenario #3: Administrative user is on the one of the application pages.
Tools Required
Customizing or "Skinning" Process
CSS Structure
Main Elements in Contemporary Site Skin
Customization Tips and Guidelines
About Product Images
Appearance of Site Locator and Other Web Parts in New Site Pages
Uninstalling the Template Pack (Contemporary Site)
Removing the Contemporary Site from SharePoint
Uninstalling the Template Pack (Contemporary Site) Files
Troubleshooting the Deployment
Rolling Back When SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard Does Not Complete
Troubleshooting When Creating a New Commerce Server Site
Glossary
Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 Template Pack Installation and Configuration Guide
The Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 Template Pack contains the Contemporary Site. The Contemporary Site is a full-featured and functional shopping Web site, for use with Commerce Server 2009 that uses SharePoint as the presentation front-end. This new site offers a refreshed, contemporary "skin" of the Default Site that is included with Commerce Server 2009. It offers a production quality site design, in a default green and gray color scheme, that you can quickly and easily customize to suit the needs of your organization.
The Contemporary Site is designed for viewing in two different types of presentation devices: desktop browsers and mobile devices, specifically Windows Mobile and iPhone devices. You can deploy the Contemporary Site in both Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS).
This document contains the following topics:
Prerequisites
Overview of Template Pack (Contemporary Site) Deployment
Accounts, Groups, Permissions, Authorization Roles, and Database Roles
Deployment Tasks
Deploying the Template Pack (Contemporary Site) for Use by Mobile Devices
Post-Deployment Tasks
Optional Tasks
Maintaining the Contemporary Site
Customizing the Contemporary Site
Uninstalling the Template Pack (Contemporary Site)
Troubleshooting the Deployment
Prerequisites
Before you install and deploy the Contemporary Site, verify that the following tasks were completed:
Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 is installed and configured. Commerce Server 2009 software requirements include the .NET Framework, SQL Server, and more.
You have installed a supported release of WSS 3.0 or MOSS 2007 on the server where you installed Commerce Server 2009.
Note
For detailed information about the Commerce Server 2009 requirements, and instructions about how to install Commerce Server 2009, see the Commerce Server 2009 Installation and Configuration Guide available for download at
Supported Browsers
The Contemporary Site can be displayed on the browsers listed in the following table.
Desktop browsers / Mobile browsersInternet Explorer 7 or later
Firefox 3.0.5 or later
Safari 3 or later / Windows Mobile 6 (that uses Internet Explorer Mobile 6)
iPhone Safari
Note
The Contemporary Site will most likely display correctly on other versions of these browsers such as Internet Explorer 6 or Firefox 2.0; however, it was not thoroughly tested on these other browser versions.
In addition, SharePoint does not support all browser versions for administrative purposes. Administrative users who access the Contemporary Site must use a browser that is supported by SharePoint. Consult the documentation for the release of SharePoint you are using to see the list of supported browsers.
Overview of Template Pack (Contemporary Site) Deployment
To use the Contemporary Site, you must deploy it to your SharePoint infrastructure. When you deploy the Contemporary Site, the Master Page, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), site pages, and resources are installed in the selected SharePoint Web application. There are several methods you can use to deploy the site in SharePoint:
You can deploy the site by using the SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard graphical interface, which is included with Commerce Server 2009. This wizard performs the series of tasks required to deploy the site, such as creating a Web application and a site collection in SharePoint, unpacking a Commerce Server site, deploying the SharePoint solution file (WSP file) in SharePoint, and so on.
You can deploy the site by using the SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard by running the wizard in silent mode. To do so, you must set all your preferred deployment options in a configuration file (SharePointCommerceServicesConfigurationContemporarySite.exe.config) that is installed with the Contemporary Site files. This lets you deploy the Contemporary Site without using a graphical interface and without having to supply any user input.
You can deploy the site manually, that is by performing the different tasks individually—such as creating a Web application in SharePoint, unpacking a Commerce Server site, deploying the WSP files to SharePoint by using the stsadm command, activating the Web Part features, and setting up authentication in the site's zones.
About This Guide
The instructions provided in this guide address the deployment of the Contemporary Site done by using the SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard graphical interface.
For information about deploying the Contemporary Site by using the other methods, see the sections of the Commerce Server 2009 Installation and Configuration Guide (see mentioned below:
To deploy the site by using the SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard in silent mode, under the section entitled "Deploying the SharePoint Commerce Services", see the subsection entitled "Deploying by Using Silent Mode".
To deploy the Contemporary Site manually, rather than by using the SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard, see the section entitled "Manual Deployment of SharePoint Commerce Services".
In addition, the instructions in this guide deploy the Contemporary Site desktop and mobile views to co-exist on a single channel. To deploy the Contemporary Site in a multi-channel fashion, that is using one channel for the desktop view and another channel for the mobile view, do so by setting up site variations for the Contemporary Site in SharePoint. For more information, see Localizing Your Commerce Server 2009 Site Using Site Variations at
Contemporary Site and the Web Parts
When you deploy the Contemporary Site by using the SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard, as explained in this guide, the Web Parts that are included with Commerce Server 2009 are automatically deployed in SharePoint.
If you have already deployed the Commerce Server 2009 Web Parts, be it on their own or as part of the Default Site, deploying the Contemporary Site reverts the Web Parts to their original state. Modifications made to the Web Parts prior to deploying the Contemporary Site would then be lost. To avoid this situation, you can deploy the Contemporary Site manually rather than by using the SharePoint Commerce Services Configuration Wizard.
When you deploy manually, you can deploy the Contemporary Site without deploying the Web Parts. To do this, you use the SharePoint stsadm command and only deploy the appropriate Contemporary Site SharePoint solutions file (WSP). Instructions are provided in "Manual Deployment of SharePoint Commerce Services" in the Commerce Server 2009 Installation and Configuration Guide at The names of the Contemporary Site WSP files are provided in Installing the Template Pack (Contemporary Site) Files.
Accounts, Groups, Permissions, Authorization Roles, and Database Roles
The Contemporary Site is deployed on a SharePoint Web application. This Web application runs in Internet Information Services (IIS) using an application pool. The application pool must be associated with a user account that has the permissions required to access the data stored in the Contemporary Site databases in Commerce Server 2009.
In addition, to use the Business Management Applications, such as the Customer and Orders Manager and the Catalog Manager, to update the data in the Contemporary Site, you must have the Commerce Server Web services installed. Each Web service also needs an application pool in IIS that is associated with a user account that has the permissions needed to access your site's databases.
To provide the access required by each of these applications to the appropriate data, you must create user accounts in Windows Server and in SQL Server to support the Contemporary Site. You must also associate some of these user accounts to various authorization roles in Commerce Server, and others to specific database roles in SQL Server. Some accounts will also be selected to be identities of the application pools used by the Contemporary Site and its Web services.
You must also grant write permissions to some user accounts for specific folders, such as the Temporary files folder.
This section provides instructions for creating the user accounts, application pools, and assigning write permissions. Some of the other tasks, such as associating user accounts to authorization roles in Commerce Server and to database roles, can only be done after the Contemporary Site is deployed and its Web services are unpacked. Instructions are provided in Post-Deployment Tasks.
Note
When you installed Commerce Server 2009, or if you have deployed a site such as the Default Site, you may already have created user accounts, groups, and application pools. You can reuse the same accounts, groups, and application pools; however, it is preferable to create new ones for the Contemporary Site.
Important
The instructions in this guide that describe how to create the accounts, groups, and application pools for the Contemporary Site do not result in a secure deployment. You should only use them to deploy the Contemporary Site in a non-production environment. For detailed information about other types of deployment and about how to help secure your deployment, see the "Deployment" section in Commerce Server 2009 Help. (
Creating User Accounts
Create local accounts for each account listed in the following table. Make sure that you note the user name and password that you create for each account, as you will have to provide them during post-configuration procedures. For information about how to create a local account, see your Windows operating system documentation.
Important
These account names are examples used in instructions later in this document. You should specify account names that are appropriate for your particular environment, and substitute the names that you have chosen for the ones given in the following instructions.
Account name / DescriptioncsRunTimeUser / IIS account for running the Contemporary Site.
csCatalogWebSvc / Account for running the Contemporary Site Catalog Web service.
csMarketingWebSvc / Account for running the Contemporary Site Marketing Web service.
csOrdersWebSvc / Account for running the Contemporary Site Orders Web service.
csProfilesWebSvc / Account for running the Contemporary Site Profiles Web service.
Creating the Business Management Administration Groups and Adding Users
Authorization Manager, a Windows Server security tool, provides a role-based security model that you use to set permissions. Role-based authority lets you create specific roles and their associated permissions and privileges without having to tie them to a specific user or user group. By defining roles first, you can then assign users and user groups to those roles. This approach lets you clearly define roles for an organization, and then populate those roles with users or groups to perform the roles.
As user roles change, the authorization roles remain constant, alleviating the need for continual updates to user permissions. Commerce Server records all authorization roles in authorization stores, which are XML files that describe the role.
You must create four Windows administrator groups: CatalogAdminGroup, MarketingAdminGroup, ProfilesAdminGroup, and OrdersAdminGroup.These names are examples used in instructions later in this document. You should specify account names that are appropriate for your particular environment, and substitute the names that you have chosen for the ones given in the following instructions. If you do not create these groups, add users to them, and assign them to a role in the Authorization Manager Policy file, you will receive an error stating that the user is not authorized to perform the requested operation.
In addition, you must edit the Authorization Manager Policy file each time you configure a Web service instance. For example, if you have two Catalog Web services, you must configure both services. You can find more information about adding users and groups in the Commerce Server 2009 Installation and Configuration Guide, in the sections entitled "Adding Users or Windows Groups to the Authorization Roles" and "Granting Web Applications and Web Services Access to the Databases".
Note
These groups represent the minimum number of Windows groups to define. For a production deployment, you will want to define more groups in order to take full advantage of the role assignments available. For descriptions about each predefined role, see
To create the Business Management administrator groups and add users
1.Log in to Windows Server using an account that has administrative privileges.2.Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Computer Management.
3.On the Computer Management screen, under System Tools, expand Local Users and Groups.
4.Right-click Groups, and then click New Group.
The New Group dialog box appears.
5.In the New Group dialog box, do the following:
a.In the Group name box, type the group name, for example, CatalogAdminGroup.
b.Optionally, type a description for this group accountin the Description box.
c.Click Add.
d.In the Enter object name to select box, type the name of the user account that you want to add to the administrator group. For the CatalogAdminGroup for example, type csCatalogWebSvc. Click Check Names to verify that the name is an authorized account, and then click OK.
e.Repeat step d for each user account that you want to add to the selected administrator group.
6.Click Create.
7.Repeat steps 4 to 6 to create the remaining administrative groups and add users. The following table lists the remaining groups to create and the user account to add to each one (as per the sample account names mentioned previously). You can, of course, add more user accounts to each group as required:
Group name / User account to add
MarketingAdminGroup / csMarketingWebSvc
OrdersAdminGroup / csOrdersWebSvc
ProfilesAdminGroup / csProfilesWebSvc
8.Click Close.
9.Click the Groups folder and verify that the following groups are in the list:
CatalogAdminGroup
MarketingAdminGroup
ProfilesAdminGroup
OrdersAdminGroup
Creating SQL Accounts
The Contemporary Site and its Web services must be able to access the site's Commerce Server databases. You must, therefore, create a database login account in SQL Server for each user account you created earlier. Later, when the site's databases exist, you will map each of these accounts to the appropriate roles in SQL Server.