Tag: SharePoint

SharePoint Foundation 2010 beta on SBS 2008

It’s Buster the SharePoint crash test dummy back again with more early experiences of SharePoint 2010 beta. In our last episode you’ll remember that I tried to install SharePoint Server 2010 beta onto SBS 2008 with the results being a fiery wreck. I’m sorry to say that it is much the same story if you try and install SharePoint Foundation 2010 beta on SBS 2008.

 

When you do install SharePoint Foundation 2010 beta on SBS 2008 it at least recognizes that a previous version of SharePoint exists and gives you the option to upgrade.

 

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Problem is, that is the ONLY option you get to choose. After merrily clicking away and waiting for the installation to complete you get a screen displayed like so:

 

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So the end result is that it doesn’t install. I’m a little annoyed that I have to pick through the flaming pieces to find the location of the setup log. Why couldn’t there simply be a link here? Maybe in the full version.

 

The good thing, from I can see, is that even after this failed upgrade process http://companyweb and the SharePoint Administration site all appear to be working ok. Thank goodness. So even though the upgrade of the existing SharePoint v3 failed, the upgrade process doesn’t destroy the existing SharePoint installation unlike what happens when you attempt an install of Search Server Express on SBS 2008.

 

Now, just because it didn’t work the first time doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work with some ‘tweaking’. Let me get back into the lab and see what I can work out. However, in the meantime I’d recommend you DON’T install SharePoint Foundation 2010 beta on SBS 2008.

SharePoint crash test dummy

If you don’t already know, Microsoft have released the beta of Office 2010, which you can download and test out for yourself. As expected they have also released SharePoint 2010 beta.

 

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As you can see from the above you only have two options, both of which are SharePoint Server (i.e. the old MOSS) and not SharePoint Foundation (i.e the old WSS). Ah ha, as it turns out the beta of SharePoint Foundation 2010 is also available for download, you just gotta know where to look!

 

Now, fans of the show Mythbusters know about Buster the crash test dummy they subject to all kinds of cruel and inhuman tests in the name of science. If you don’t then you are a poorer person for it. In honour of Buster I have decided to volunteer myself as a SharePoint crash test dummy so you can see what happens when you install SharePoint in different scenarios. Are you ready? Here we go. One, two, three…

 

I downloaded SharePoint Server 2010 Beta (Enterprise CAL features) first and decided to throw it onto SBS 2008 initially. Now boys and girls don’t attempt this at home as I am a trained SharePoint Professional with far too much time on his hands. And in all seriousness, please don’t install beta enterprise software on a production server. Please!

 

The end result?

 

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A flaming wreck that kinda looks like what happens when you try and install Search Server Express 2008 on SBS 2008. The files get copied but the configuration wizard bombs. So now you know. SharePoint Server 2010 beta doesn’t install on SBS 2008 by default. NEEEEEEXT.

 

Now I wonder what happens if you instead use the SharePoint Foundation 2010 beta on SBS 2008? More details of what’s sure to be another flaming wreck on SBS 2008 soon.

I’ll bet

Many people I’ve spoken to are under the misapprehension that I’m already working with SharePoint 2010. Sorry to say that I currently have exactly the same access to the product that everyone else has. This means I’m reading the while papers and watching the video but not working with product.

 

We all know that SharePoint 2010 is due for public beta sometime in November as Steve Ballmer announced recently at the SharePoint conference. I’m willing to bet that the announce of the beta releases of SharePoint 2010 and Office 2010 will be made at the upcoming Microsoft Professional Developers Conference to be held next week (17-19 November 2009).

 

As I said, I have just as much of an idea about the release as the next person but hopefully my bet will pay off and I can finally get my hands on the new SharePoint 2010 product.

SharePoint Webinar resources

The first in what will be an ongoing series of webinars presented by the CIAOPS has been completed (An Introduction to SharePoint – 091112). Some of these will be free and some will have a small cost associated with them. When they are free, like this one was, I will post the video to YouTube. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t allow you to post videos greater than 10 minutes in duration so I have had to break the webinar into 4 parts which you can access via the graphics below.

Introduction to SharePoint – Part 1

Introduction to SharePoint – Part 2

Introduction to SharePoint – Part 3

Introduction to SharePoint – Part 4

 

If for some reason the links don’t work simply go to my YouTube channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/directorciaops

 

If you want the complete video to download and view simply send me an email (director@ciaops.com) and I will let you know how to obtain it. Also if you have any feedback please let me know as I want to keep improving what I offer.

 

At this stage I’m think that the webinar in two weeks will focus on actually using SharePoint at a basic level. For example, uploading documents, adding meta data and so on. I’ll confirm exactly what the next webinar will be and when it will be here. In the meantime, enjoy the presentation.

Let the SharePoint webinars begin

As promised, the first of what hopefully will be many webinars provided by the CIAOPS, will commence next Thursday the 12th of November. Here are the details:

091112 – An Introduction to SharePoint
Topics covered:
– What is SharePoint.
– Why use SharePoint.
– Versions of SharePoint.
– Basic operation of a SharePoint site.

Presenter: Robert Crane
Date: Thursday 12th of November 2009
Time : 10.00am (Sydney, Australia time)
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: Free
Level: 1 (Basic)
Prerequisites: None

Details
This webinar will help you to understand what SharePoint is and how it can be used in a business environment. It will provide you with a basic understanding of SharePoint technologies and the versions that are currently available.

Registration: To register send an email to director@ciaops.com.

I am aiming to present a webinar like this every two weeks or so. Some of them will be free to attend and others will require a small payment (AUD$39 ex GST typically). The aim is to provide a series of webinars that takes attendees through the range of skills they need to not only understand SharePoint but also to be able to successfully install and maintain the product.

So, if you are interested at all in learning more about SharePoint then I urge you to register for the upcoming webinar. If you have any questions or want further information about this or other webinars I have planned please do not hesitate to contact me (director@ciaops.com).

SharePoint Operations Guide on Facebook

I have to admit that I’m still grappling with the multitude of social networking sites that you can avail yourself of, but probably one of the top few is Facebook. I already have a Facebook page, and feel free to friend me, but I wanted to create something to help keep people up to date with the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide and SharePoint in general. After doing a bit of research the best option seems to be to create a Facebook page because it gets indexed by Google. So that’s exactly what I’ve now done and you’ll find it here :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Windows-SharePoint-Operations-Guide/167213188332

It doesn’t have a huge amount of information there yet and I am still trying to learn the best ways to deliver my message through this but if you are on Facebook then I’d appreciate you becoming a fan. Not only that, I’d appreciate any feedback on what to do and how to do it because as I said, I’m no expert with Facebook.

I’ll be interested to see how this Facebook page compares to the other Windows SharePoint Operations Guide group I created over on Linkedin, which can be found here:

http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/1922207/

They both do similar and different functions but I get the impression that the Facebook page may be available to a wider audience.

It will be interesting to see which medium works best. So if you are a member of Facebook or Linkedin then I’d urge you to sign up to the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide and help me work out which is the best method of getting SharePoint information out to people.

SharePoint 2010

I’ve been watching some of the presentations over at the SharePoint conference site and I’ve learned that Windows SharePoint Services is going to now be called SharePoint 2010 Foundation. Even though there is nothing particularly wrong with that, I think it is going to create more confusion around the different versions of SharePoint for most people. Unfortunately, it is just something we’ll have to deal with.

 

What I have also heard (but can’t yet confirm) is that SharePoint 2010 Foundation (i.e. the new version of Windows SharePoint Services) will now install with SQL Express Edition rather than the SQL Embedded Edition. What’s the issue here? The issue is that SQL Express has a limit on any database of 4GB, while SQL Embedded doesn’t. So that means, on new installations of SharePoint 2010 Foundation your content is going to be limited to 4GB unless you use another version of SQL Server.

 

This is big step backwards if this is the case since many existing SharePoint v3 installations I see are already crossing the 4GB database boundary. Apparently, if you do an in place upgrade to SharePoint 2010 Foundation it will continue to use SQL Embedded Edition (without the database limit) but any new installation will be limited to a database size of 4GB. It seems that Microsoft wants to drive people to the higher end version of SharePoint by configuring the new version this way. As the amount of data continue to grow this really doesn’t make a lot of sense if it is the case, especially when SQL Embedded Edition, like SQL Express, is free. Such a decision may impact people’s choice to utilize SharePoint 2010 Foundation, given it is placing a limitation on the product that was evident 2 versions ago (i.e. in Windows SharePoint v2)

 

Again, I have only read about this limitation and can’t confirm it fully until I actually get my hands on the beta (which is due out this month). I will be very interested to see what SharePoint 2010 Foundation incorporates and whether it will operate on SBS 2008. Stay tuned here for updates.

Free consulting time with SharePoint Guide

For the month of November, if you subscribe to my Windows SharePoint Operations Guide (www.wssops.com) you’ll receive 60 minutes of free remote support time to use in any way you want. You could use it for in house training or client demonstrations, it doesn’t matter it’s up to you how you choose to use it.

 

As well as the 60 minutes of free support you’ll also receive all the normal benefits of subscribing to the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide:

 

– Over 1,500 pages of technical information on Windows SharePoint.

– A DVD with over 4GB of documents, white papers, videos, and files on Windows SharePoint

– A free hosted SharePoint web site

– Monthly updates

– Monthly email newsletter

– and more

 

As I have recently announced, the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide will be expanding to include areas much as Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) and Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). It will also start shortly including information about the soon to be released SharePoint 2010, so if you need information about SharePoint than look no further than the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide.

 

For more information about the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide visit the web site www.wssops.com or send me an email (director@ciaops.com).