BizTalk Server 2013 R2: Installation and Configuration – Optimize the BizTalk Server 2013 R2 environment (Part 17)

BizTalk Tools
  • Sandro Pereira
  • Jan 25, 2015
  • 7 min read
Tags: BizTalk, BizTalk Server 2013 R2, Configuration, Installation, Optimization

The next posts in this series focus on optimizing BizTalk Server 2013 R2 after installation. In particular, the recommendations below help you boost performance and increase resilience when failures occur. Importantly, apply these optimizations after you install and configure BizTalk Server.

📝 One-Minute Brief

This guide covers essential BizTalk Server 2013 R2 optimizations: installing the SSO Configuration MMC Snap-In (with a custom fix for Windows Server 2012 R2), managing SQL Server Agent job history to avoid data loss, and forcing full backups using a custom two-step SQL job.

[/summary

Install SSO Configuration Application MMC Snap-In

Why this matters

BizTalk Server relies on Enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO) to store critical adapter configuration securely (for example, proxy credentials). As a result, BizTalk requires SSO to operate correctly, and the BizTalk runtime installs SSO automatically on every server where you install the runtime.

However, SSO doesn’t only store adapter secrets. You can also store your own application configuration values in the SSO database—values you might otherwise keep in app.config or another configuration file.

For years, many teams used the SSO Config Data Store Tool (originally created by Richard Seroter) to manage this data. Microsoft later addressed the same need with an official tool: the SSO Configuration Application MMC Snap-In. With it, you can:

  • Create and manage SSO configuration applications
  • Add and manage key/value pairs
  • Import and export configuration apps for deployment across environments

How to install the MMC Snap-In

To install the SSO Application Configuration MMC Snap-In, follow these steps:

  • Unzip the SSOConfigurationMMCSnapIn.zip file available in Microsoft page.
  • This file is composed of three zip files, so after unzipping the first file, you should also unzip the SSOMMCSnapInSetup.zip file.
  • Run the setup.exe or SSOMMCSnapInSetup.msi file as an administrator.
  • In the Welcome to the SSO Application Configuration Setup Wizard page, click Next.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 SSO App Snapin
  • In the Select Installation Folder page:
    • Accept the default installation folder or set another one.
    • In the Install SSO Application for yourself, or for anyone who uses this computer option, select Everyone.
    • And click Next.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 SSO App Snapin
  • In the Enter Company Name page, enter the name of your company and click Next.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 SSO App Snapin
  • In the Confirm Installation page, click Next to install the SSO Application Configuration MMC Snap-In.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 SSO App Snapin
  • In the Installation Complete page, click Close.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 SSO App Snapin

Known issue on BizTalk Server 2013 R2 (Windows Server 2012 R2)

Unfortunately, the snap-in may not work correctly on BizTalk Server 2013 R2, especially on Windows Server 2012 R2. At first, everything looks fine. However, when you create a key/value pair, the UI appears to do nothing, and the snap-in doesn’t create the key.

BizTalk Server 2013 R2 SSO App Snapin

Fix: replace the DLL with the BizTalk 2013 R2-compatible version

To fix the issue, replace the existing SSOMMCSnapIn.dll (usually located here):

  • C:\Program Files\Common Files\Enterprise Single Sign-On

…with the recompiled version built against the BizTalk Server 2013 R2 Microsoft.EnterpriseSingleSignOn.Interop.dll that you can download it at GitHub: BizTalk Server 2013 R2: Fix for SSO Configuration Application MMC Snap-In.

Update: Microsoft also documents this issue in “Known issues in BizTalk Server 2013”.

After you overwrite the DLL, reopen the snap-in and try creating a key/value pair again. This time, the snap-in should create the key successfully.

BizTalk Server 2013 R2 SSO App Snapin

Configure BizTalk Jobs History (Microsoft SQL Server Agent job history log)

Have you noticed that the Monitor BizTalk Server job rarely shows history when you check it?

BizTalk Server 2013 R2 BizTalk Jobs History

This happens for two reasons:

  1. BizTalk installs 13 SQL Agent jobs, and most of them run every minute. In contrast, Monitor BizTalk Server runs weekly by default (Sunday at 00:00).
  2. SQL Server Agent keeps only a limited amount of history by default:
    • Job history log size: 1000 rows
    • Job history rows per job: 100 rows

As a result, the frequent jobs quickly fill the history table. Consequently, they overwrite the Monitor job history shortly after it runs—so you often won’t see it on Monday.

BizTalk Server 2013 R2 BizTalk Jobs History

Which means that a few minutes after the Monitor BizTalk Server job runs successfully or unsuccessfully, its history is overwritten with the row log history of the remaining 12 jobs. Therefore never expected to have this historic job on Monday when you arrive at the office.

Because BizTalk Server has 13 Jobs to keep a decent and consistent job history log, you should increase the Limit size of job history log according to the number of existing jobs in your environment, for example, at least 1300 for the BizTalk Server environment (100 for each job).

To resize the job history log based on raw size:

  • In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of the SQL Server Database Engine, and then expand that instance.
  • Right-click SQL Server Agent, and then click Properties.
  • Select the History page, and then confirm that Limit size of job history log is checked.
  • In the Maximum job history log size box, enter the maximum number of rows the job history log should allow.
  • In the Maximum job history rows per job box, enter the maximum number of job history rows to allow for a job.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 BizTalk Jobs History

To resize the job history log based on time:

  • In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of the SQL Server Database Engine, and then expand that instance.
  • Right-click SQL Server Agent, and then click Properties.
  • Select the History page, and then click Automatically remove agent history.
  • Select the appropriate number of Days(s), Week(s), or Month(s).

Force Full Backup BizTalk Server (BizTalkMgmtDb) job

I will not enter into much detail in this step. You can read more about it on my blog at A different way to Force a Full Backup of the BizTalk Server databases.

The standard way is to use the BizTalkMgmtDb.dbo.sp_ForceFullBackup stored procedure. However, unlike what many people think, this stored procedure does not perform a full backup; it only marks internally on BizTalk Server databases that the next time the Backup BizTalk Server job runs, it will need to perform a full backup of the data and log files. You really need to be aware of two important things:

  • The Backup BizTalk Server job is the only supported method for backing up the BizTalk Server databases. Use of SQL Server jobs to back up the BizTalk Server databases in a production environment is not supported.
  • You can use the SQL Server methods to back up the BizTalk Server databases only if the SQL Server service is stopped and if all BizTalk Server processes are stopped.

An alternative, to help one of my DBA teams, I created a custom Force Full Backup BizTalk Server job that is composed of two steps:

  • Step 1: Force Full Backup
    • That will call the BizTalkMgmtDb.dbo.sp_ForceFullBackup stored procedure.
  • Step 2: Backup BizTalk Server
    • That will call the standard Backup BizTalk Server (BizTalkMgmtDb) job.
BizTalk Server 2013 R2 BizTalk Force Full Backup BizTalk Server job

You can download the custom “Force Full Backup BizTalk Server (BizTalkMgmtDb)” Job from GitHub: Force Full Backup BizTalk Server (BizTalkMgmtDb) Job.

Related links

Hope you find this helpful! If you liked the content or found it useful and would like to support me in writing more, consider buying (or helping to buy) a Star Wars Lego set for my son. 

Thanks for Buying me a coffe
Author: Sandro Pereira

Sandro Pereira lives in Portugal and works as a consultant at DevScope. In the past years, he has been working on implementing Integration scenarios both on-premises and cloud for various clients, each with different scenarios from a technical point of view, size, and criticality, using Microsoft Azure, Microsoft BizTalk Server and different technologies like AS2, EDI, RosettaNet, SAP, TIBCO etc. He is a regular blogger, international speaker, and technical reviewer of several BizTalk books all focused on Integration. He is also the author of the book “BizTalk Mapping Patterns & Best Practices”. He has been awarded MVP since 2011 for his contributions to the integration community.

1 thought on “BizTalk Server 2013 R2: Installation and Configuration – Optimize the BizTalk Server 2013 R2 environment (Part 17)”

  1. Hi Sandro, I have a query not exactly related to BizTalk 2013 R2 installation but around the versions of .Net Framework that it supports. In one of our clients BizTalk production servers we are planning to install .Net 4.6.1. Would that cause any problems ?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Ultimate Cloud
Management Platform for Azure

Supercharge your Azure Cost Saving

Learn More
Turbo360 Widget

Get integration tips every day. Follow us on:

Back to Top