Web Edition

I’ve been doing some investigating into some questions I’ve had for a while around Windows Server 2008 Web Edition. Web Edition is a basic version of Windows Server that is really only designed to run web sites. It won’t allow the installation of high end database applications and also has certain memory restriction. The good thing is that it is cheaper than Windows Server Standard given it is designed for a single purpose.

 

I have always wondered –

 

Q1. Will Windows SharePoint Services run on Windows Server 2008 Web Edition?

 

A. Yes it can.

 

Q2. Will Search Server Express 2008 also run on Windows Server 2008 Web Edition?

 

A. Yes it can.

 

Don’t believe me? Here’s a screen shot of my test machine.

 

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The top windows shows Search Server, the middle window shows Windows SharePoint and the lower window shows the system is running on Windows Server web.

 

My preference is normally to run Windows SharePoint and Search Server Express on a separate machine for performance and reliability reasons. That would always require an additional Windows Server license (typically Windows Server Standard). Even though both Windows SharePoint and Search Server Express are free it makes doing things this way pricey. However, now that I know you can use the Windows Server 2008 Web Edition it significantly reduces this price, making it a very viable option in my opinion.

 

So what you could provide is a stand alone server running Windows Server 2008 Web Edition, Windows SharePoint and Search Server Express. Not only does that give you a great intranet solution but it also provides a search solution for all the documents and public folders in your network. If you then install this configuration on a virtual machine (i.e. no hardware cost) all you are up for is the cost of Windows Server 2008 Web Edition. That’s a a lot of functionality for very little cost.

 

So, if you are thinking about a stand alone SharePoint / Search Server Express server you can definitely achieve that using Windows Server 2008 Web Edition.

Default location

For those who are not aware, when you install Windows SharePoint Services v3 onto a machine and you use the Basic install

 

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SharePoint will also install Microsoft SQL Server Embedded Edition (SSEE) onto your system and do so into the C: Drive! By default the location is C:\windows\sysmsi\ssee\msql.2005\mssql\data as shown below.

 

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This means that SharePoint data and indexes (including search data) will reside on your C: drive. Thus, as the amount of SharePoint data grows the free space on you C: drive will shrink. Normally the C: is also the boot partition that holds the Windows boot files. If that drive starts to get full it will generally make your system unstable.

 

Unfortunately, if you use the basic install there is no way to avoid this. The best option then is to move the SharePoint databases straight after installation to a data drive. You can do this using the SQL management tools which are available via the command line (messy) or via a free downloadable GUI tool from Microsoft. You simply need to detach the databases using the SQL tools, move the files (both MDF and LDF) to another location and then reattach using the SQL tools again.

 

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SBS2008 has exactly the same issue as, by default, the SharePoint databases live on the C: drive. The great thing about SBS 2008 is that it has a built in wizard that will move the databases (detach, move, re-attach) for you automatically. The recommendation is to always move these data files immediately after installation as SharePoint databases can grow very large, very quickly.

 

SQL database management is something that I cover extensively in my Windows SharePoint Operations Guide. So, if you have SharePoint installed on a system and the C: drive is running low on space check C:\windows\sysmsi\ssee\msql.2005\mssql\data to see whether the databases are filling the disk. If so then you should shift them elsewhere as they are only going to continue to grow.

SharePoint Guide – April

The latest update of the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide has been released for subscribers. One of the major additions this month, is a new chapter titled – tutorials. In here you’ll find out how to do things to improve your use of SharePoint. The first three tutorials are:

 

– Connecting to Outlook – How to link SharePoint with Outlook

– Creating linked fields – How to utilize look up fields in SharePoint

– Configuring a basic workflow – Implementing a basic workflow

 

Over time this chapter will continue to grow with step by step instructions about how you can get the most from Windows SharePoint.

 

I’m also excited to announce that next month (May) will be the first birthday of the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide (who would have ever thought?). I’m planning some special offers to attract new subscribers plus a swag of additions as a thank you to existing subscribers, so stay tuned for more details. As always, I thank my subscribers for their ongoing support of the Guide, without them it would not be possible and remind them to go to the download site for the latest updates which are now available.

 

If you have any questions about the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide or suggestions for inclusions please contact me (director@ciaops.com).

Conflicker

Here’s some more media mania about Conflicker. “Defences bolstered ahead of Conflicker April Fools’ offensive”  claims that:

 

The US Department of Homeland Security released a tool on Monday to detect whether a computer is infected by the Conficker worm.

When you go to the US-Cert site you only find the following “tool” (which isn’t really a tool):

 

Home users can apply a simple test for the presence of a Conficker/Downadup infection on their home computers.  The presence of a Conficker/Downadup infection MAY [my emphasis] be detected if a user is unable to surf to their security solution website or if they are unable to connect to the websites, by downloading detection/removal tools available free from those sites:

http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=conficker_worm&inid=us_ghp_link_conficker_worm

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx http://www.mcafee.com

If a user is unable to reach any of these websites, it MAY [my emphasis] indicate a Conficker/Downadup infection.  The most recent variant of Conficker/Downadup interferes with queries for these sites, preventing a user from visiting them.  If a Conficker/Downadup infection is suspected, the system or computer should be removed from the network or unplugged from the Internet – in the case for home users.

 

So if you can, or cannot surf to those web sites you may, or may not have Conflicker. So in other words you still not going to have any idea! As I keep saying, the bad guys are winning.

 

The Symantec site does have a nice video from 60 minutes in the US about Conflicker. It is well worth watching because it again highlights how the bad guys are beating the good guys hands down.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4901282n

 

Watch CBS Videos Online

In the video you’ll get an understanding of how much information the virus captures about your PC sessions (basically everything – browsing, keystrokes, passwords and so on). You’ll also see how CBS (the makers of 60 Minutes thought they were safe as it turned out they weren’t. Even worse, they still can’t be 100% sure they are clean because Conflicker could simply be lurking somewhere ready to re-infect. Again, bad guys win.

 

Interesting to see what tomorrow does bring.

Media hysteria

The media appears to be prepping us for the next Y2K technology disaster with the Conflicker worm on the first of April. Headlines like “Conficker worm threatens April Fools’ chaos” are not designed to be informative simply inflammatory. The media hasn’t been in the business of providing balanced reporting for a long time now. If you actually read the article you’ll find the following:

 

“But researchers who have been tracking Conficker say the date will probably come and go quietly.”

 

which doesn’t make for a very exciting headline does it? That certainly isn’t going to get people reading your paper is it now?

 

If you were a bad guy who controlled a whole swag of machines via the Conflicker worm why the hell would you want anyone to know? Simply put, it would spoil your revenue stream because cybercrime these days is much like any commercial business, it is all about making money!

 

It does however illustrate an interesting issue, where does the average PC user go to get information about keeping their technology secure? The prevalence of Conflicker worm seems to demonstrate that not many understand the need to update their system regularly, given that the patch to prevent Conflicker has been available since October. So where do they turn? The article fails to provide any links or explicit instructions as to what a user can do to even check their systems.

 

This again plays into the hands of the bad guys, more or less ensuring that their infections will continue to spread. I often wonder what sort of drag the effects of cybercrime have on the economy? The cost of lost time and productivity, the cost of cleaning up infections and potential cost of lost or compromised information. Pro-active security is always cheaper than reactive measures yet judging by the number of Conflicker infections that is the minority opinion.

 

Why? Where is the system failing? Why aren’t more people being made aware of the potential threats to their systems? Are people, in fact, choosing to ignore these warnings in the belief that it can never happen to them? Why has it become so difficult to protect even the most basic PC installation? Honestly, I don’t know the reasons but the potential end results of this ignorance are clearer everyday yet it seems the world become less and less secure with every machine that is connected to the Internet.

 

As I have said before, it’s a brave new world and you are the only one responsible for your security, because few out there, media included, are going to provide you with any meaningful or helpful information. Isn’t that nice to know when you’re swimming with the sharks? The only solution I can provide is knowledge. If you don’t understand the threat, learn. If you want to protect yourself and your information, learn. Luckily, that’s is one thing the Internet is good for – information.

Digital footprints

I am utterly amazed at how ignorant most people are of the fact that all their wonderful technology can provide excellent information of exactly who you are and what you are doing at any time.

 

In this story “Digital dabs: how Einfeld was tracked with a mobile, credit card and e-tag” it shows how the police used digital evidence like that from electronic tolls, mobile phone and credit cards to prove the guilt of Marcus Einfeld. It goes to show that convenience has a price and that price is usually reduced privacy.

 

In many respects the lust for technology has made the job of tracking individuals much easier than it ever used to be. Stop and think about every email you send, every internet search you do, every login to Facebook, and so on – they’re all trackable. The more you use technology the more ‘digital evidence’ begins to stack up against you. The unfortunate thing about this is that digital evidence is firstly much easier to store and secondly much easier to search.

 

As I have lamented here before, so many people have no concept of the value of their privacy and are surrendering it without a second thought. We happily proclaim the wonders of technology but we seem to remain oblivious to dangers it also brings. Read the story and then stop and think how much information are you giving away about yourself without even thinking?

 

We perhaps wrongly believe that technology has given us greater freedom, mobility and convenience and yet the reality may be that it has enslaved us as never before.

Companyweb regional settings

Because not all SBS2008 installations are completed in the United States it is necessary to change the regional settings on Companyweb, even though you selected them correctly during the SBS2008 installation process.

 

Open the Companyweb site as a SharePoint administrator and select Site Actions | Site Settings like shown below:

 

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Select Regional Settings under Site Administration like so:

 

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Change the Locale setting to what ever is appropriate as shown:

 

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Scroll down the page and make any other changes that are necessary and then press the OK button at the bottom to save your changes.

 

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If you return to your Companyweb home page by selecting the Home tab you should find your time and date settings have been updated.