SharePoint 2013/ 2016 - Tips For Successful Installation Of Workflow Manager

As we know, Workflow Manager is a vital part of SharePoint 2013/2016 deployment. If it is not properly configured, then it will give you a tough time with 2013/2106 Workflows. Troubleshooting is not an easy task in this scenario. Today, I summarize some tips for the proper installation and configuration of the Workflow Manager.

  1. Keep in mind that Workflow Manager supported topology is 1 or 3 Servers. This is the limitation from Service Bus.

  2. Workflow Manager 1.0 CU2 supports SQL Server 2014 Sp1.

  3. Make sure to run Workflow Manager with a domain account.

  4. Login with an account, which has DB creator and Security admin on the SQL Server and local admin on the WFM Server.

  5. Run-as-account should be in the proper format i.e domain\username or [email protected].

  6. The account running the Register-SPWorkflowService command should have access to the WorkFlow databases.

  7. It is better to use the domain issue certificates.

  8. Add the Workflow Manager Certs into SharePoint Trust via Central Admin.

  9. Make sure the Workflow client is installed on all the Servers in the farm (if Workflow Manager is not installed on them).

  10. Make sure to bypass the proxy Server for the local addresses option, which is enabled.

  11. Make sure app management Service and Subscription Settings Service are enabled, as Workflow Manager has some hidden dependencies on these Services. These Services are required, or when you try to publish SharePoint 2013 Designer Workflow, then this error will happen: "The Workflow files were saved but cannot be run".

  12. Install Service Bus 1.1 Hotfix before registering the Workflow proxy. This fix is required for .NET 4.6.

  13. Make sure that the Firewall is not blocking the ports given below.

    1. WorkFlow Manager Ports 12290 & 12291.
    2. Service Bus Ports. 
    3. Https 9335.
    4. TCP 9354.
    5. Message Broker Port 9356.
    6. Internal Communication Port Range 9000 – 9004.

  14. Add Workflow Manager Service Account into User Profile Service Application with full control, or else the user will see the unauthorized access.

  15. Write down the encryption key for the Workflow Manager, as it will be required to add more servers in Workflow Manager Farm.

  16. Once Workflow Manager is configured, make sure Workflow Manager Proxy is successfully added into the default proxy group in SharePoint Farm.

I hope this blog helps you to remember the key points for the successful installation of Workflow Manager Farm.

See Also