SharePoint Deployment Guide and why you should apply SP1

The following new technical content is now available on TechNet. One of the best one’s that I highly recommend is the SharePoint Deployment Essentials Guide made up of core planning and deployment guidance including a deployment project plan and a handy checklist. I think that anyone who is thinking about a SharePoint deployment should have a read through this guide first and plan accordingly.

I have previously blogged about deployment essentials and planning of your SharePoint deployment. In my previous post I added some tips on maintaining your existing environments. And these are not limited to the server(s) that SharePoint is installed. You also have to look after your SQL server(s) where the content and configuration databases are held.

I was recently troubleshooting a SharePoint deployment and noted that there has been no service pack updates done on the server let alone SharePoint. This of course is probably not a good idea.

Just to highlight that when you want to check which version of WSS/MOSS your environment is running you can do so by gong to: Site Actions > Site Settings > Site Information as shown below:

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The versions from the RTM release in 06 are as follows:

Before you update your server you should read my previous post on WSS/MOSS SP1.

Service Pack one adds required updates to your farm and is most recommended so you should plan to deploy as soon as possible. For new installs consider bundling up your install with SP1 via the slip stream method.

Extract the service pack files by running the following command. EX: For WSS SP1 x86

‘c:\wssv3sp1-kb936988-x86-fullfile-en-us.exe /extract:c:\WSSSP1’

Say Yes to the prompt asking you to agree to License Terms.

Then extract the SharePoint.exe file by running ‘c:\SharePoint.exe /extract:c:\WSS’

Copy all of the files from WSSSP1 folder to C:\WSS\Updates\ folder.

Now you have a slip stream build for a WSS install with SP1. You can follow the same steps for MOSS.

Essential Deployment Guides and Latest SharePoint Technical Content

If you are a server administrator looking after a large SharePoint farm make sure you keep up to date with new content available on TechNet. Just to highlight that during last month (January) the following articles have been published.

Records management roadmap  This article provides a roadmap for setting up Records Center sites in Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Add a workflow to a content type for records** **   This article describes how to use workflows to implement records management processes, such as adding a new record or destroying a record.

Add an expiration policy feature to a content type** **   This article describes how to add an expiration policy feature to a content type to help define how active documents of that content type should be handled when they are no longer in use.

Prepare a server farm to send records to a Records Center site**  **  This article describes how to configure a server farm to send records to a Records Center site.

Create a new content type for active documents**  **  This article describes how to ensure that active documents have the appropriate metadata and information management policies when they become records.

Create a site column for records  This article describes how to define an item of metadata that can be associated with a content type, list, or library in a Records Center.

Create a Records Center site** **   This article describes how to create a Records Center site and lists some of the features of a Records Center site template.

Add a column to a content type for records  This article describes how to define an item of metadata that can be associated with a content type for records.

Associate a content type with a document library** **  This article describes how to specify that a list or library can contain items of a certain content type. It also shows how doing so enables users to create new items of that type.

Protecting and recovering data stored in a Records Center  This article describes the recommended strategies for versioning, protecting data from deletion, and backup and recovery for data stored in a Records Center.

White paper: Office SharePoint Server 2007 deployment guide and checklists  This white paper contains information that can help you plan and manage each stage of your Office SharePoint Server 2007 deployment, including a sample deployment plan and checklists to guide you through planning your information architecture, development and configuration policies, infrastructure, and ongoing operations.

Restoressp: Stsadm operation (Office SharePoint Server)  This article describes how to create a Shared Services Provider (SSP) using a restored database.

Estimate performance and capacity requirements for search environments  This performance and capacity planning scenario incorporates a single Office SharePoint Server 2007 farm used for searching and indexing Office SharePoint Server content in an enterprise environment. Some of the guidance in these articles has been updated for Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 1. For a comprehensive list of Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 1 updates, see Downloadable book: Planning and Deploying Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 in a Multi-server Environment .

Choose what to protect (Office SharePoint Server)    This article has been updated to include information on protecting Shared Services Provider data.

Choose backup and recovery tools (Office SharePoint Server)**  **  This article has been updated to include new guidance on Windows Server 2008 backup and using Stsadm to back up site collections.

Plan for capturing and storing deleted objects (Office SharePoint Server)**  **  This article has been updated to reflect new guidance on sizing for capturing and stored deleted sites.

Deploy customizations**  **  This article describes how to deploy customizations of Office SharePoint Server 2007 site elements in an enterprise environment.

Deploying authored site element customizations**   **This article provides guidance on the deployment of authored site element customizations using Office SharePoint Server 2007, including deployment procedures, general factors that should be considered, and best practices related to deploying custom content.

Deploying developed site element customizations** **   This article provides guidance on the deployment of developed site element customizations using Office SharePoint Server 2007, including deployment procedures, general factors that should be considered, and best practices related to deploying custom code.

Solution package components** **   This article provides deep information about the structure of solution packages, and provides a description of the solution schema and the elements used within a solution package.

Manage Web applications**   **This chapter includes articles that cover Web application administration tasks such as creating, extending, or deleting Web applications; removing Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 from a Web application; and configuring general settings for a Web application.

Enablessc: Stsadm operation (Office SharePoint Server)    This article describes how to enable self-service site creation using the Stsadm command-line tool.

Disablessc: Stsadm operation (Office SharePoint Server)    This article describes how to disable self-service site creation using the Stsadm command-line tool.

Resources for upgrading from Content Management Server 2002    Web content management, as implemented in Microsoft Content Management Server 2002, is now fully integrated into Office SharePoint Server 2007. This article contains links to resources that can help you plan and perform an upgrade from Content Management Server 2002 to Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Incidentally I have an article on MCMS to MOSS Content Migration with detailed screen shots.

White paper: Managing social networking with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007**  **  This white paper now includes images that illustrate the social networking features of Office SharePoint Server 2007.