Creating SharePoint 2013 Subscription Settings Service Application

When trying to configure APP URL settings in new SharePoint 2013 environment, the configuration page displayed the message “The Subscription Settings service and corresponding application and proxy needs to be running in order to make changes to these settings” and didn’t provide any configuration options.



Checking the services and service application in central admin showed that both the App Management Service and service application were created and running fine.  It took a while for me to realize that the Subscription Settings service application has not be created. This service application cannot be created from central admin UI but can only be created from PowerShell. Below are the PowerShell commands for creating the Subscription Settings service application

$acct = Get-SPManagedAccount <Account>
$appPool = New-SPServiceApplicationPool -Name SubscriptionServiceAppPool -Account $acct
$serviceApp = New-SPSubscriptionSettingsServiceApplication -ApplicationPool $appPool -name "Subscription Settings Service Application" -DatabaseName "<Database Name>"
$serviceAppProxy = New-SPSubscriptionSettingsServiceApplicationProxy -ServiceApplication $serviceApp

Once the Subscription Settings Service Application is created we will be able to configure App URLS .

Fix for Object reference not set to an instance of an object error when configuring SharePoint 2013 App URLs

When trying to configure App urls from SharePoint 2013 central admin you might encounter the dreaded error “Object reference not set to an instance of an object”.

 

 Most common reason for the error is that you are trying to configure App settings without creating service applications and corresponding proxies for App Management Service and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Subscription Settings Service.

 Below are the steps to fix the issue

1.       Start the App Management Service from central administration.

2.       Start the Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Subscription Settings Service from central administration.

3.       Configure the App Management service application and proxy from central administration or PowerShell

4.       Configure the Subscription Settings service application and proxy from PowerShell

 

Detail steps for  configuring App environment is available in the technet article http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/fp161236.aspx