SharePoint search – revisited

In a recent post I was wondering about the reason for Microsoft saying there were limitations in SharePoint search if you installed SharePoint v3 after upgrading your SharePoint v2 instances to full SQL.

 

After referring the issue to our local SBS-MVP (Wayne Small), who referred it onto the SBS Dev team and after they tested it, it appears that, as I suspected, there really isn’t an issue.

 

“We ran through this scenario here in our test lab and had no issues with search. It worked fine. We will update the white paper once our writers complete the SBS2008 doc work.”

 

I am very grateful to Wayne for forwarding my request and to the SBS Dev team for responding so quickly as I feel it will clear up a lot of confusion in the whitepaper:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc671966.aspx – Installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on a Server Running Windows Small Business Server 2003.

 

So, in summary, Sharepoint v2 and v3 search does work on the same box even if you have upgraded your instance to full SQL.

Basic web site blocking

Here’s a new video that I’ve just uploaded to YouTube that will show you two simple methods of blocking web sites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw7QNkt_3CI

The first method is simply to use your local router and a keyword. The second is to use http://www.opendns.com. OpenDNS is a far more elegant solution and allows you to block a whole range of sites as well as protect against phishing attacks. Simply create an OpenDNS account, attach an IP range to the account and then you can set up custom DNS settings. It is really great for home and business users.

New video posted

I have just uploaded a new video that details the process of relocating SharePoint databases in SBS 2008 using the inbuilt wizards.

Serenity now! Serenity now!

Frank: Serenity now! Serenity now!
George: What is that?
Frank: Doctor gave me a relaxation cassette. When my blood pressure gets too high, the man on the tape tells me to say, ‘Serenity now!’
George: Are you supposed to yell it?
Frank: The man on the tape wasn’t specific.

 

(Seinfeld, Season 9, Episode 159, 9 October 1997)

 

I have decided to finish up with Saturn Alliance on the 30th of September 2008. From that point forward you can contact me via director@ciaops.com (and via http://www.ciaops.com).

 

As such I have also created a new YouTube account where I will continue to post videos. This new location is http://www.youtube.com/directorciaops. The videos I have created at http://www.youtube.com/saturnalliance will remain, however all new videos will be uploaded to the directorciaops account. If you are an existing subscriber I hope that you’ll subscribe to my new account.

 

My plans at this stage are simply to take a break and then pursue some opportunities in the areas of Sharepoint and IT productivity consultancy.

 

I take this opportunity to thank all those people who have supported me and Saturn Alliance during my time there and I aim to maintain a close relationship with Saturn Alliance going forward, however I do need to make a change. I’m looking forward to a new world of challenges which I will continue to post here. You may change other things but blogging must go on!

 

So as Frank would say – “Hoochie mumma”.

SharePoint search

So I’ve been doing some more work on my Windows SharePoint Services Operations Guide (WSSOPS – plug, plug, plug…) and have come up against something that doesn’t seem right.

 

Now, according to :

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc671966.aspx – Installing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on a Server Running Windows Small Business Server 2003

 

there is section called Limitations. Under there it says:

 

“If you moved the Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 databases from WMSDE to the Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 database software or to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Search does not function after you install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.”

 

Now I’ve been testing the migration from Sharepoint Services 2.0 with the database instances upgraded to SQL 2000 Server across to SBS 2003 (and SBS 2008) and this seems to work without issue (as long as you disable Full-Text Indexing first). So now what happens if I install Sharepoint 3.0 on the original SBS 2003 server that contains Sharepoint 2.0 that has had its databases upgraded to from WMSDE to SQL Server 2000?

 

I completed the “standard” side-by-side installation as recommended by Microsoft. I then ran a search in Sharepoint v 2.0 (a.k.a Companyweb) and as you see it still works.

 

image_2_vb9XaQ

 

So now I do a search in Sharepoint v 3.0 also installed on the same SBS 2003 box and guess what?

 

image_4_Ffbk0g

 

That search also works! So, it appears to me that the statement

 

“Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Search does not function after you install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.”

 

isn’t correct because both search services (Sharepoint 2.0 and 3.0) appear to function on my test SBS 2003 server even after installing Sharepoint 3.0.

 

In an attempt to understand where this “limitation” has come from I have asked my local resident SBS-MVP (Wayne Small of sbsfaq.com) if he can (or find someone who can) explain what I seem to be missing here. If anyone else out there knows why this “limitation” has been highlighted in the Microsoft documentation I’d appreciate you letting me know as I really can’t see it as being a limitation, but then I am probably missing something obvious (as I have done many times before). I would be disappointed if people read this and decided not to install Sharepoint 3.0 on SBS 2003 because they had upgraded their instances and were afraid Sharepoint search wouldn’t function as I have read a few comments on the web to this extent.

 

Help me understand – I need to know!

Do you trust your bank?

No? Neither would I, however they are still out there doing stupid things. Such as? This story from the Sydney Morning Herald details how a server the bank sold on Ebay still had confidential client information. Um, like how is that supposed to happen? An “honest error” and an “isolated incident” according to the bank. Yeah, right.

 

Being involved in recycling technology myself for worthy causes I can’t tell you how much “interesting” data I have found on machines individuals and businesses have donated. Now I make sure that every machine that I recycle has its information thoroughly wiped to military standards before it is resold, so if I can do that why can’t the bank? It is simply a matter of booting to a CD and allowing to run an erase program. Still, it amazes me how little people value their information.

 

The problem is, think of all the establishments that have information about you stored somewhere on computer. What do they do with their old systems? Do they have a data destruction policy? What about your home PC’s? What happens after they have served their dues? Do you just throw them out? Ah, what about the data? It doesn’t suddenly become unreadable just because the PC is a little slow.

 

Value your data. If you want to keep it private – encrypt it. When you are finished with it – wipe it for once information escapes your control all it wants to be is free and like a genie, it doesn’t care who its master is! The real worry is those businesses who “look” after your data. What do they do? If you feel uneasy I’d ask them.

ISP DNS vulnerability checker

If you aren’t aware there has recently been an issue with DNS servers that may allow an attacker to redirect you to a malicious web site. If you interested in some more information about the issues see a recent story in the Sydney Morning Herald.

 

Unfortunately, this issue needs to be resolved at an ISP level, which basically means your ISP has to patch their DNS servers otherwise all their subscribers could be vulnerable. How can you tell whether your ISP has patched their servers?

 

DoxPara has been setup to do just that. Go to the site and click on the Test my DNS button of the right hand side. This will then return the results of a DNS query, if the ports are random (i.e. :42039, :54311, :34597, etc) then your ISP has patched. However, if the ports are following an obvious pattern (i.e :1001. :1002, :1003, or :30000, :30020, :30100) then you ISP probably hasn’t patched and you need to ask them why.

Right on!

Just been reading the Diva’s blog where she links to the article : Tech Pros: The Next Dinosaurs? Here’s the take away for me:

 

“Managing tech equipment and maintaining older systems will become decreasingly important. Identifying the best new tools early on and figuring out how to get them into the hands of the people they’ll benefit will be the more important skill.”

If you haven’t got your head “into” cloud computing yet then be prepared to go the way of the dinosaur, because those savvy users are already well down the path to implementing it without you!