Tag: SharePoint

Hot and heavy

When we get servers into the shop to run up we normally have to install a number of additional components inside the beasts. This usually means that we rip off the cover and get everything installed and then power the sucker up to make sure that it all works. We also then generally leave the machine running so it can “burn in”, basically see if anything “burns out” and needs replacing before the customer takes delivery.

Recently, we left the side cover off the machine overnight and came back in the morning to discover a number of warnings being displayed in the server monitoring software. Turns out that the disks were running pretty damm hot. Why? Well, servers these days are specially crafted to ensure that they receive adequate air flow WITH the covers ON. Removing the cover completely destroyed the carefully crafted airflow designed to keep everything cool.

Once we returned the cover to the machine and switched it back on it was only a few minutes before everything was back operating at the correct temperature. So there you go, don’t run servers for extended periods of time with the covers removed or you risk overheating the internal components.

We can’t wait for these

Already have SharePoint 3.0 and love it. Next thing is a swag of SharePoint templates that are being released by Microsoft. You’ll find more information about what’s on offer here:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/sharepoint/wssapps/v3templates.mspx

We have already see a few of these in operation and can’t wait. We are really keen to get our hands on the knowledge base template since we are currently building a new CIAOPS knowledge base in SharePoint 3.0. As soon as the templates are ready we are planning to release the site. At stage we are planning to offer it on subscriptions basis ( around the $ 40 per annum mark ). It will contact knowledge base articles on all the products we use and focus especially on SBS 2003. We are also planning to provide an amount of marketing material around SBS including things like logos, links to relevant web sites and what not. Hopefully, it will become a one stop shop for the SBS consultant who wants marketing as well as technical information to assist in their business.

If you have any ideas or suggestions we’d love to hear them as we go about designing our vision.

SharePoint best practices analyser

Microsoft have released a SharePoint 2007 best practices analyser. They say :

Overview

The Microsoft Best Practices Analyser for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and the 2007 Microsoft Office System Best Practices Analyser programmatically collects settings and values from data repositories such as MS SQL, registry, metabase and performance monitor. Once collected, a set of comprehensive ‘best practice’ rules are applied to the topology.

Administrators running this tool will get a detailed report listing the recommendations that can be made to the environment to achieve greater performance, scalability and uptime

 
Click here to download it from Microsoft