NavContainerHelper – Use an external SQL Server as database connection in a NAV container

If you haven't read the first post about the NavContainerHelper, you should do so.

If you have a created a SQL Server container using one of the methods described any of the blog posts:

• Create a SQL Server container with the CRONUS database from a NAV container image
• Create a SQL Server container and restore a .bak file

Then you will have the variables $databaseServer, $databaseInstance, $databaseName and $databaseCredential pointing to a database you can use to start up a NAV container. These parameters can be given directly to New-NavContainer.

If you have created your external database through other means, please set these variables in PowerShell. Please try the following script to see whether a docker container can connect to your database:

$dbPassword = [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::PtrToStringAuto([System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal]::SecureStringToBSTR($databaseCredential.Password))
$databaseServerInstance = @{ $true = "$databaseServer\$databaseInstance"; $false = "$databaseServer"}["$databaseInstance" -ne ""]
docker run -it --name sqlconnectiontest microsoft/mssql-server-windows-developer powershell -command "Invoke-Sqlcmd -ServerInstance '$databaseServerInstance' -Username '$($databaseCredential.Username)' -Password '$dbPassword' -Database '$databaseName' -Query 'SELECT COUNT(*) FROM [dbo].[User]'"

If the above script fails, you will not succeed starting a NAV container with these credentials, before your connection test succeeds.

Please remove your connection test container using:

docker rm sqlconnectiontest -f

When you successfully have conducted the connection test above, you can start a NAV container using this script:

$navcredential = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -argumentList "admin", (ConvertTo-SecureString -String "P@ssword1" -AsPlainText -Force)
New-NavContainer -accept_eula `
                 -containerName "test" `
                 -Auth NavUserPassword `
                 -imageName $imageName `
                 -Credential $navcredential `
                 -databaseServer $databaseServer `
                 -databaseInstance $databaseInstance `
                 -databaseName $databaseName `
                 -databaseCredential $databaseCredential

If your database doesn't have a license file, you can upload a license file using:

Import-NavContainerLicense -containerName test -licenseFile "https://www.dropbox.com/s/abcdefghijkl/my.flf?dl=1"

If you do not import a license file, you are likely to get errors like this when trying to access the NAV container.

The following SQL error was unexpected:
Invalid object name 'master.dbo.$ndo$srvproperty'.

You can add users to the database using:

New-NavContainerNavUser -containerName test -Credential $navcredential

Enjoy