Steps to setup CRM 3.0

I tried to setup CMR 3.0 once and it was the craziest installation that I have ever done. I did it in my Win Server 2003 box and what I initially had was a crack; in the middle of the installation it asks to upgrade SP2 after which it doesn't allow to login to the OS without registration. So my advice is , don't try this unless you have Win Server 2003 genuine or crack with SP2.

CRM Server can only be setup on server operating systems as it requires certain server only features like Active Directory and DNS.

Step 1 : Setup Active Directory

Authorization for CRM happens via the AD so it is required to have AD setup before the installation.This documents a comprehensive steps to setup the active directory for Server 2003.

Step 2: Install SQL Server 2005 as the default instance.

It is important to setup SQL Server 2005 as the default instance since named instances are not working for CRM and it is difficult to change a named instance to a default instance after the setup. In theory CRM 3.0 should work with SQL 2000 but i was never able to get it to work even after doing all the patches that is said are required. So best option is to start with 2005.

Step 3: Install SQL Server 2000 and 2K Reporting Services

Sounds crazy to install two versions of DBMS to work with single product but that the way it worked for me :). It doesn't work with 2005 reporting services so you have to have a 2000 instance to install reporting servieces. This can be a named instance. After installing the Database engine there it should be patched with SP3 for SQL. The database engine would be a named instance as we already have a Default 2005 engine.

Step 4. Install CRM 3.