Essential SharePoint 2007, 2nd Edition

What Software Do I Need?

"SharePoint" means different things to different people. The blame for that confusion lies squarely with Microsoft—it labeled these products with long phrases that almost no one has the time to fully decipher. Table 1-2 is my attempt to inject some sense into the fray.

Table 1-2. What's in a name? "SharePoint" explained

Official name	Acronym	What it means
Microsoft SharePoint Team Services	STS	This is the first SharePoint. It's out-of-date but still in use in some places. STS is very different from later SharePoint versions, and I don't discuss it in this book.
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services	WSS	The core services and templates used by SharePoint from 2003 on. WSS is part of Windows Server 2003 and is available as a free download. There are two versions of WSS in use: 2.0 and 3.0. In this book, I cover WSS 3.0.
Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server	SPS	The 2003 server product based on WSS 2.0. SPS includes additional templates and services and enables portal-wide searching. This product is sold through Microsoft Volume Licensing.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007	MOSS	The 2007 server product based on WSS 3.0. MOSS includes additional templates and services, enables portal-wide searching, and provides document control workflow templates. This product is sold through Microsoft Volume Licensing. MOSS is the server product I cover in this book.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search	MOSS/S	This is a limited version of MOSS that omits the enterprise templates and services. This product is sold through Microsoft Volume Licensing.

Tip

If you are using WSS 2.0 and/or SPS, please see the previous edition of this book, Essential SharePoint (O'Reilly).

So what do you need? If you are starting fresh, it is really a choice between WSS version 3.0, MOSS, or MOSS/S:

• Install WSS 3.0 if you are cost-conscious. It provides a basic platform that can still do a lot. The major limitations of WSS are that it does not allow searching across multiple web sites and only includes a basic, three-state workflow template.

• Purchase MOSS if you are building an enterprise portal. In addition to search, full MOSS includes workflow templates for document control, action menus, records repository, personalized sites (My Sites), audiences (targeted content), listings (content expiration), and compliance policies. If you need those things, MOSS is well worth the cost.

• Purchase MOSS/S to add cross-site searching to a WSS server farm or to add a dedicated search server to a MOSS server farm.

There are Standard and Enterprise editions of MOSS. The Enterprise edition includes these additional services: InfoPath Forms Services, Excel Services, and Business Data Catalog. If you choose MOSS, you'll be talking to a salesperson anyway, so he or she should be able to help you choose based on your needs and budget. All of the MOSS editions include WSS 3.0.

If you are starting with an existing WSS 2.0 or SPS installation, you have some new choices. Some companies don't want personalization features like My Site. In those cases, upgrading to MOSS/S might make sense. Otherwise, the direct upgrade path is straightforward:

• Upgrade WSS 2.0 installations to WSS 3.0.

• Upgrade SPS installations to MOSS.

What Other Software Do I Need?

To run SharePoint, you must have the following software installed on a server:

• Windows Server 2003 (SP1 or higher). SharePoint runs only on this operating system, and the machine must be configured as an ASP.NET application server without FrontPage Server Extensions installed.

• .NET Framework version 3.0. Installing .NET 3.0 automatically installs .NET 2.0 if it is not already present; both versions are required.

• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (SP4) or later, preferably installed on a dedicated server. SharePoint also supports the use of the free Windows Internal Database (WID), but that configuration should be considered only for limited applications such as small sites and staging servers since WID does not allow external connections or provide the database management tools that come with Microsoft SQL Server.

Users access SharePoint through their web browser—other than that, there are no real software requirements, but to get the most out of SharePoint, users should have at least Microsoft Office 2003 or later. Other software may also be needed based on what a user needs to do with SharePoint. Table 1-3 lists the applications that most users will need based on their role.

Table 1-3. Recommended client software by user role

User role	Client software	Details
Everyone	Internet Explorer version 6.0 or later	Non-Microsoft browsers work with SharePoint, but their capabilities are limited since Microsoft relies on ActiveX components for some advanced features.
	Adobe Reader version 6.0 or later	PDF documents are ubiquitous. Users may also need the print drivers to create PDFs.
	Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 Professional Edition	Earlier versions of Microsoft Office do not fully integrate with SharePoint.
Data entry	Microsoft InfoPath 2007	Provides a way to create and display sophisticated data entry forms that validate entries, can be routed for approvals, and integrate with workflows.
Web designer	Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2007	Allows web designers to customize web pages, web parts, CSS, and workflows.
Developer	Microsoft Visual Studio 2005	Allows programmers to develop web parts, web services, site definitions, workflows, and other components using the SharePoint object model.
	Microsoft InfoPath 2007, Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2007	Developers may also need these tools depending on the tasks that they are assigned.

Try to make sure that users are all using the same version and edition of the products listed in Table 1-3. Mixed environments require more effort to support, particularly when different versions or editions of Office are installed. I strongly recommend Microsoft Office Professional Edition for use with SharePoint. The Standard and Small Business Editions do not include the component that enables the datasheet view used throughout SharePoint—you will get support calls about that, trust me!

Finally, you may want to consider the following optional server products:

• Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 (or Microsoft Virtual PC 2004) for creating staging or test versions of SharePoint installations. This free tool is worth learning, especially when branding portals and programming web parts.

• Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint provides virus scanning on files uploaded to SharePoint.

• CorasWorks Workplace Suite and rPrograms from CorasWorks provide add-on components and templates.

• Other community or third-party web parts, such as Pentalogic SharePoint Reminder.

I don't get money from CorasWorks or Pentalogic, but I've used their products and they are worth a look.

Try It

It's a good idea to evaluate SharePoint versions before deciding what software you want to purchase. If you do not have a spare Windows 2003 server that can be dedicated to installing trial software, consider using a virtual server. The advantages of creating a virtual machine for evaluation are that you can more easily create multiple configurations to evaluate, and you can run the virtual machine on your desktop computer.

To install WSS for evaluation:

1. Set up a staging server or virtual machine running Windows 2003 by installing the required server software listed in the preceding section.

2. Download SharePoint.exe from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.

3. Run SharePoint.exe and choose the Basic setup. That option creates a standalone SharePoint server using the Windows Internal Database (WID). It automatically configures the server and creates a default top-level site using the Team Site template (see Figure 1-4).

To install MOSS for evaluation:

1. Set up a staging server or virtual machine running Windows 2003 by installing the required server software listed in the preceding section.

2. Download OfficeServer.exe from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.

3. Save the product keys displayed on the web page when the download is complete. You'll need the product keys any time you install MOSS, so keep them somewhere safe in case you need to reinstall later.

4. Run OfficeServer.exe and enter the product key for either the Standard or Enterprise edition and choose the Basic setup option. As with WSS, the Basic option creates a standalone SharePoint server using the WID. It automatically configures the server and creates a default top-level site using the Collaboration Portal site template (see Figure 1-5).

Tip

When trying to locate downloads on the Microsoft web site, it is often easiest to search www.microsoft.com for the filename. Searching on the product name usually returns too many results.

The WSS download is included under your Windows 2003 Server license, but the MOSS download is a trial version that expires after 120 days. The MOSS download includes WSS, so you don't install that first unless you are upgrading an existing SPS installation. See Appendix A for details on upgrading.

Follow the instructions provided on screen by Setup. Doing one or more evaluation installations is a good idea before going live. See Chapter 13 for complete instructions on installing SharePoint and configuring it after installation. See Appendix A if you are upgrading from the previous version of SharePoint.