Getting companyweb 2011 homepage back

The world is full of fiddlers. You know people who do something they are not supposed to and then not know how to fix it. I see this a lot with Companyweb on SBS 2011 for the simple reason that most network users are given too many rights.

One of the issues that is apparently occurring more and more is that people are mucking up teh default homepage on Companyweb 2011. Getting it back can be a pain but Microsoft have released with KB article that should help.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=2539296

Basically you need to run a provide powershell script and you should be back to normal.

I haven’t as yet tested this myself but will soon hopefully.

Reviews and testers needed

I am working on a project involving SharePoint 2010 and SBS 2011 for which I need some people willing to firstly review the document that I am creating and secondly to actually technically test what the document sets out. My experience is that you can test it many times yourself but it isn’t until someone else tries to follow your instructions that you really know whether it all makes sense.

Thus, I’ll need people who are willing to do an installation and configuration on an SBS 2011 standard system ( it doesn’t have to be production, a virtual environment is fine) and provide me feedback. I’m looking firstly to ensure that want I have done works and secondly for any way that it can be improved. Helping me pick up spelling and grammar mistakes will also be part of the job.

So, you’ll need to be technical enough with SBS 2011 to install and remove software. You’ll also have to be willing to test some configurations as well as provide feedback on the process. In return I’m happy to provide you with a free copy of my finished work. I’ll also give you a plug in the acknowledgments.

If you are interested please contact me (director@ciaops.com) asap to arrange a copy of documentation and further instructions.

I can’t wait

One of the biggest drawbacks with SharePoint Online with Office 365 was that you couldn’t view PDF’s in a browser. You had to download them to you local machine and then open them. This was a real pain but understandable given the desire for maximum security (PDF’s can launch javascript automatically which can do nasty things to your machine).

Finally, Microsoft has announced that it will be allowing PDF’s to be opened in a browser! From http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/blog/Pages/BlogPost.aspx?pID=1004

PDFs

Office 365 users wanted a better, more connected and governed experience when it came to working with PDF files within SharePoint Online document libraries. Thanks to your direct comments and active voices in the Community forums, PDF files will now open directly into Adobe Reader without requiring that it be downloaded first. The PDF remains connected and stored in your SharePoint Online document library as you view and edit the file. You can even check it out like other Office documents.

After the SharePoint Online environment has been updated, users must have the latest Adobe Reader version (10.1.2) installed:http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Now I can’t wait for the update.

SharePoint beyond the Basics course

So not long now until my next workshop. This one will focus on utilizing the advanced features of SharePoint. Here are the details:

To really make the most of SharePoint you need to take it beyond the basics. This means connecting data, creating and utilizing metadata, customizing the look and feel of sites, add web parts and implement workflows. This course will show you how to do all that plus work effectively with products like SharePoint Workspace and designer to take any SharePoint installation from default to a true productivity and communications hub.

The aim of this hands on course is to provide you with the technical ability to work with SharePoint at an intermediate to advanced level as well as understand the tools that are required to craft advanced SharePoint solutions.

Venue: North Ryde RSL Club, 33 Magdala Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113

Date: Wednesday 22nd of February 2012, from 8.30am – 5.30pm

More details and registration at – http://ciaopsfeb12.eventbrite.com/

That pesky 10GB Limit

As I have always foreseen, the 10GB database limit for SharePoint Foundation 2010 is becoming more and more of an issue as installations start to grow. I really see this more and more, especially when it comes to SBS 2011 Standard which includes SharePoint Foundation 2010 which many people simply know as Companyweb.

Background

All forms of SharePoint require some form of database storage to store their content. SharePoint uses Microsoft SQL Server for this storage. There are however many different versions of Microsoft SQL Server all with different capabilities and limitations.

In the days of Windows SharePoint Services v3 (WSS v3) the SharePoint content was saved into SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (SSEE). This version was not only free but supported unlimited database sizes. The downsides where that it wasn’t upgradable and it was a 32 bit database.

When SharePoint Foundation 2010 came along it had the requirement of 64 bit databases. That immediately ruled out SSEE. The initial choice was SQL Server 2008 Express. This version is 64 bit and is free but has a 4GB database limit. If you download and install SharePoint Foundation 2010 as a stand alone package and accept the default installation you’ll also get SQL Express 2008 and thus a 4GB database limit.

As you can appreciate, a 4GB database limit is pretty restrictive so when SBS 2011 became available it shipped with SQL Express 2008 R2 for SharePoint storage which upped the database limit to 10GB. Problem is now that is still not enough.

Options

So what happens if you have SBS 2011 and you are approaching the 10GB limit? What are your options? Here are some suggestions. They all come with compromises so beware.

1. Create a new SharePoint site and site collection move some of the data here. Doing this will give you new 10GB database into which you can store information. Given that companyweb is a web site you can link to another SharePoint site fairly seamlessly. The down side is that things like the search database are still limited to 10GB and if your data keep growing you are going to hit the 10GB limit again at some point. Also, it can be a little more confusing for users.

2. Do an in place upgrade of SQL 2008 Express R2 to a version that doesn’t have database restrictions. This can be achieved via the SBS Premium add on however don’t forget that there are other applications that use SQL on SBS including monitoring and reporting. This in place upgrade option also places more strain on the single box and is generally not recommended as best practice.

3. You can move the SQL databases to a second server running SQL. This can be achieved again with the SBS Premium add on that provides a Windows Server 2008 license and an SQL license. downsides include the fact that this requires additional hardware, setup, configuration and maintenance. It also means that things like the standard SBS wizards no longer work because it is now a custom installation. You also have to work out how to backup the second server as it is not generally covered by standard SBS backups. If you do want to do this then Microsoft has a Technet article you can follow at:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg616007.aspx

4. You can implement Binary Large Object (BLOB) storage. This basically allows the storage of file data outside the SQL database into the file system. Although this gets around the 10GB database limit (as files are generally your largest storage item) there are trade offs which I have detail in previous blog posts. Personally, I don’t think it is a good move, especially in an SBS environment for the simple reason is the added complexity amongst other things but it can be done. My advice if you are thinking about moving that way read my previous post.

5. Move Companyweb to Office 365. Here you’ll get access to SharePoint Enterprise Server 2010, you’ll get 10GB database limits as a starting point, you won’t have to worry about upgrades and you’ll get Office Web Apps to boot which you won’t get with Companyweb on SBS. You’ll obviously have to pay for suitable Office 365 licenses, migrate the data and help users understand what differences Office 365 provides.

So you do have options but they all come with a cost. Personally, if your users are really getting into SharePoint then I’d be looking at Office 365 simply because of the added functionality and reduced hassle. Failing that, there is always the option of pruning your data, removing old files and versions but sooner or later, chances are you’ll hit the 10GB limit again.

Book review: Business Intelligence in SharePoint 2010

Business Intelligence in Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 by Norm Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a very worthwhile read and reference but it does have a limited audience. That audience is restricted to those with access to the high end version of SharePoint Server 2010. Basically SharePoint Server 2010 will all the options enabled. It is however a very worthwhile reference for the simple reason that there are few books that dive into that level of detail on these high end features of SharePoint Enterprise.

Initially I was going to say that this book focused more on talking about the capabilities of BI (business intelligence) in SharePoint Server but as I got more into the book I found there were more and more hands on examples which made it really great. The only problems with these examples is that they require a high level of product and setup to really take advantage of but they certainly do give insight into what BI is possible with SharePoint especially when combined with SQL server.

This book is therefore great for people looking to understand the high end features of SharePoint Server 2010 (and to some extend Office 365) but it does require an investment in products such as Visio, SQL Reporting and so on that in many cases are not readily obtained or implemented. This is certainly not a book for end users and is more aimed at the IT Professional looking to bring the integration required for BI into the workplace. However, for the IT professional looking to scale up their SharePoint skills to the higher level of product and potentially to the abilities provided by Office 365 this is more than a worthwhile reference for the library.
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Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Inside Out

Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 Inside Out by Errin O’Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A pretty good book on SharePoint Foundation 2010 overall. What distinguishes this book from others is that it deals with some more advanced topics that you normally don’t find in other SharePoint books. These advanced topics include SharePoint Designer and development with Visual Studio.

Have these advanced topics probably makes the book less appealing to those new to SharePoint but is worthwhile for those looking to improve their experience with SharePoint beyond the basics. The books contains plenty of examples and is easy to read. It is also focused specifically on SharePoint Foundation 2010 which makes it different from most generic SharePoint books you find.

All in all a worthwhile read but perhaps more so for that person with an existing exposure to SharePoint who is looking to extend not only the capabilities of SharePoint but also their own experience with the product.
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