Australian SharePoint Conference

A while back I said that I’d got a gig speaking at the upcoming Australian SharePoint Conference, well now I have some more details.

Title:

Running SharePoint on Small Business Server: Pros and Cons – 100 Level

Description:

The least known component of Small Business Server 2008 is SharePoint and yet it offers the greatest opportunity for your business. This session will explain to you in simple terms exactly what SharePoint technology is and how it can be utilized to improve your business and that of your customer when using Small Business Server. You’ll learn how SharePoint works, how you can use it and how to sell it to customers bundled with SBS. You’ll also learn how to take SharePoint beyond the default install to configure an installation that truly provides business benefits to you customers by removing their pain points. You’ll learn also how software like SharePoint designer, Search Server Express and third party add-ons work with SharePoint to provide true business value on Small Business Server.

Day:

June 17 (Day 2)

Time:

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Location:

Ballroom B

So if you are interested in SharePoint come along to this fabulous event and hear from some of the most experienced people using and implementing SharePoint.

General Conference info:

Only six weeks to go! Don’t miss out on Australia’s biggest SharePoint event of the year!

Something for everyone – one of the few IT events that specifically reaches out to multiple audiences

· 20 sessions of end user/power user/business content including some great case studies including Telstra, Volvo and a number of Industry verticals such as finance, insurance, legal and engineering.

· 20 sessions of pure technical content for IT Pro, Administrators, Developers and Analysts

· Content is relevant to those using WSS, MOSS 2007, and new 2010 products

FREE Hosted SharePoint Server 2010 Site for EVERY delegate – thanks to Emantra – Hosted Solutions Australia you get to try out everything you learn AT the event and for 3 months after – try 2010 first hand!

Hear from the best – International, Local, Microsoft, Industry Experts and Customers – see the Speaker list and get to collaborate with hundreds of your fellow SharePoint enthusiasts – ask all your SharePoint questions!

Additional Training – Pre and Post event Get to the Point Training Workshops for intensive half day courses – an excellent chance to up skill in both 2007 and 2010 content.

Exhibitor area – Support our sponsors and see all the great products and talk to the experts – 5 gold, 9 silver and 7 bronze sponsors

June 16 and 17 Hilton, Sydney

$650 ex GST (group discounts available)

www.sharepointconference.com.au

WSSOPS May update available

I have just posted up the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide (WSSOPS) subscriber update for May. Inside you’ll find updated information about uninstalling and reinstalling SharePoint on SBS 2008 as well as a new chapter on SharePoint Foundation 2010 security.

Also, don’t forget the CIAOPS email support group at:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ciaops/

which I am looking to build as a forum for information about SharePoint, productivity and cloud computing (as well as anything else related to the products and services of the CIAOPS). You’ll need a Yahoo Id which you can obtain from the above web site. Then you’ll be able to email through questions, answers and comments for everyone else on the list to see and provide feedback on.

So what’s coming in the June update for WSSOPS? Still early days but it is certainly going to have information about installing Office Web Apps, more information around SharePoint Foundation 2010 and most likely a detailed walk through of getting Search Server Express 2008 running on SBS 2008. Remember, this is only available to subscribers and for more information about that visit www.wssops.com.

Stay tuned.

WSSOPS turns two

I’m very proud to say that my Windows SharePoint Operations Guide (WSSOPS) has now turned two. It has certainly come a long way since that initial very rough release to the few foundation subscribers who were good enough to sign up back then. I certainly hope that their faith in what I have created has been justified.

There is also all the other subscribers who have come along over the years (and some who have now moved on). I thank you all for your support and hope that you have received value from what I have produced over the years. I continue to work hard every month to improve that value that you receive for your subscription.

I’d also like to thank Karl Palachuk from SMB Books who has provided me the opportunity of selling my Guide through his site. Due to his continued support, patronage and promotion I’m sure the Guide would not be as popular as it is now, especially outside Australia.

So where to now for the Guide? Well, from its initial focus on Windows SharePoint (WSS) and Search Server Express (SSX) the Guide has expanded to include information on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) and Windows Foundation Server 2010. Soon the Guide will include information about Microsoft Office Web Apps and BPOS SharePoint. As always I welcome any suggestions as to what people would like to see included.

As subscribers are aware, the Guide is more than just a tome of pages about SharePoint, it includes a DVD full of white papers, links, videos and other marketing material. It includes a free internet hosted demonstration SharePoint as well as a discount on support rates from the CIAOPS. As well, all subscribers gain free access to all of the CIAOPS webinars for their period of their subscription as well as any prior webcasts which have all been recorded. For a full list of benefits see www.wssops.com. I hope to keep improving these benefits in the future and welcome an suggestions people may have.

In creating the Guide I have also tried to continue to produce a number of free resources for people who are interested in learning more about SharePoint. You can find free document downloads at http://www.slideshare.net/directorcia and free video tutorials at http://www.youtube.com/user/directorciaops. Recently, I also created a CIAOPS yahoo email list that allows anyone (once registered) to ask any questions or contribute on issues dealt with by the CIAOPS. More information about this group can be found in this blog post. I will be posting more information there this month and can hopefully encourage some really positive information around SharePoint, productivity and cloud computing (and anything else of interest).

So to the many, many people who have been supported of the Guide over the years I say thanks. I will continue to work hard to increase the information and the value that the Guide contains for subscribers going forward. I always welcome any comments or feedback so please let me know what’s on your mind via director@ciaops.com.

Finally, where’s the best place to keep up with Guide and what’s happening with Windows SharePoint? This blog of course!

Only for SharePoint 2010

In a recent blog post I mentioned how SharePoint Designer 2010 was now available for free download from Microsoft. What I have discovered after downloading and installing it is in fact that it only works with SharePoint 2010 sites. This means that if you want to work with previous versions of SharePoint (version 2 & 3) then you are going to have SharePoint Designer 2007 installed as well.

Luckily SharePoint 2007 is also a free download from Microsoft that you can find here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=baa3ad86-bfc1-4bd4-9812-d9e710d44f42

Clearly there must be some major changes behind the scenes if the new version of SharePoint Designer doesn’t support older version of SharePoint. However, when you look at the changes to the SharePoint 2010 interface (e.g. ribbon interface) you can understand why this is so.

SharePoint Designer 2010 now available

Now that SharePoint Foundation 2010 is readily available for download (see previous blog post) I have also found that SharePoint Designer 2010 RTM is also available for download free.

Just click the links below for the version you desire and you will be taken to the Microsoft download site for that product:

SharePoint Designer 2010 (32-bit)

SharePoint Designer 2010 (64-bit)

SharePoint Foundation 2010 on SBS 2008

After manually installing all the prerequisites for SharePoint Foundation 2010 on SBS 2008 I attempted to install SharePoint Foundation 2010 on SBS 2008. If you really want to try this yourself and are baffled where the prerequisite Microsoft Filter Pack 2.0 is then you should contact me as you won’t find it on the Microsoft download site (that’s version 1.0 and 2.0 Beta, neither of which works) from what I see.

Because SharePoint Foundation 2010 detects an existing SharePoint v3 installation the only option that is available is an upgrade. Fair enough you say, but when you proceed you get:

which is basically game over. Interestingly when you go to the web link provided (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=975805) it doesn’t exist which kinda indicates that maybe the KB article is still being written on this one. Nothing also comes up when you do a Google search.

So that’s it game over eh? One would have said that also about running Search Server Express 2008 on SBS 2008 wouldn’t you? Especially if you have been reading this blog (especially here). Well I’m here to tell you that I have worked out how to successfully install Search Server Express on SBS 2008. It ain’t pretty but it can be done and it’s only taken me almost 2 years to work out. Maybe getting SharePoint Foundation 2010 running on SBS 2008 is my next challenge from the gods of code? Hopefully, this won’t take me another 2 years!

Oh, you want more details on how to install Search Server Express 2008 on SBS 2008? You’ll just have to stay tuned or subscribe to the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide as it will be published there real soon.

ANZAC Day

Yesterday was the 95th anniversary of landing on the Gallipoli peninsula by Australian and New Zealand troops.The 25th of April is beginning to mean a lot more in our national consciousness as current generations begin to appreciate and honour the sacrifices these men and others through the ages have made to ensure we live the lifestyle we now do.

Yet only 3 years after the landing in Gallipoli, again on ANZAC day, Australian and New Zealand troops liberated the town of Villers-Bretonneux in northern France from the Germans after fierce fighting. It was a remarkable feat with Brigadier General Grogan VC, who saw the action, describing the successful counter attack by night across unknown and difficult ground, and at short notice as “perhaps the greatest individual feat of the war”. The Allied Supreme Commander, Marshal Foch, referred to the “altogether astonishing valiance” of the Australians, ( most likely meaning valour ).

The town and people of Villers-Bretonneux have never forgotten the feats of the soldiers from so far away and to this day also celebrate ANZAC day. Having been to Villers-Bretonneux myself I would recommend that if you are ever in the region you spend some time visiting where another ANZAC legend has been forged, on another ANZAC day.

There is no greater honour for the men who never returned than this tribute in the school grounds of Villers-Bretonneux:

For them and everyone who never returned from their service to our nation we simply say

Lest we forget

For those still on active duty we say stay safe and return home soon, we are proud of you.

To learn more about the ANZAC contribution in France during World War I visit – www.anzacsinfrance.com.