Enhancing Your SharePoint Experience

Installing beta software always has a few challenges.  I’ve come across some good step by step instructions, which if you’re like the typical SharePoint person, you’ll refer to if you get stuck. 

Here are some decent install references I found:

Ji Lie Installation Instructions and Warning (Must Read) (The comments on this one are really good.)

CJG: SharePoint 2010 – Step by Step Install (HyperV with Full SQL)

Microsoft (MSDN) for Win 7: Setting Up the Development Environment for SharePoint Server (Win 7 high level)

Faizal: Step by Step SharePoint 2010 Installation Guide (Standalone on VMware Workstation)

CodeProject: Step by Step SharePoint Server 2010 Installation … (Standalone on VMware Workstation, good links to prerequisites)

 

Rather than repeat with my own step by step.  Here are a few snags you might run into.

Ran into a few snags on a recent install:

1. Software and Hardware requirements for SharePoint 2010. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262485(office.14).aspx#section3  – Both Server and Foundation will fail to install if you don’t meet minimum requirements.  I’ve noticed with RAM it often silently fails.

 

2. When trying to grab hofixes and updates off the web I found IE Hardening to be a burden.  Here’s how to turn it off temporarily.  Don’t forget to turn it back on for security.

Temporarily turn off the IE hardening also known as the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security.  Note this is different in Windows Server 2008 from 2003.  It’s no longer in components, it’s on the server summary page on the root of Service manager in the security information section.

“Unlike with previous versions of Windows Server–in which you could disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration by removing the component in Add/Remove Programs, Windows Components–the Windows Server 2008 implementation of Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration is configured through Server Manager.

Select the root of the Service Manager navigation pane, and under the Server Summary click Configure IE ESC, which is part of the Security Information section. A dialog box appears, letting Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration be enabled/disable separately for normal users and administrators.”

 

2. Ensure that the correct WCF updates are installed:

The SharePoint installer does not block install for an essential update for the Windows Communications Framework that SharePoint 2010 requires. Install the appropriate versions of the update from the locations below:

Win2k8 SP2: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=160770

Win2k8 R2: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=166231 (available Nov 22, 2009)

 

3. Error installing SQL after installing the prerequisites:

Kept running into an error where it kept choking on not being able to read a sqlcli[1].ini or sqlcli.ini.  The issue was ultimately that I installed some SQL client tools prerequiste before installing SQL.  Ironically I through the file name in search and came up with a German newsgroup which I translated, and then grabbed some installation issues article (see 3.1) which downloaded so I copied the text and then translated it.

German:

Beim Setup tritt möglicherweise ein Fehler und ein anschließendes Rollback auf, wobei folgende Fehlermeldung angezeigt wird: "Ein Installationspaket des Produkts Microsoft SQL Native Client konnte nicht gefunden werden. Wiederholen Sie die Installation unter Verwendung einer gültigen Kopie des Installationspakets 'sqlncli.msi'". Deinstallieren Sie SQL Native Client mithilfe der Option Software, um dieses Problem zu umgehen. In einem Cluster deinstallieren Sie SQL Native Client von allen Knoten. Führen Sie anschließend SQL Server-Setup erneut aus.

English:

“During Setup, you may experience a failure and a subsequent rollback, with the following error message: "An installation package for the product Microsoft SQL Native Client could not be found. Repeat the installation using a valid copy of the installation package 'sqlncli.msi'". Uninstall SQL Native Client by using Add or Remove Programs in order to circumvent this problem. In a cluster, uninstall SQL Native Client from all nodes. Then run SQL Server Setup again.”

Summary: It came from installing SQL Server 2008 Native Client before installing SQL Server 2008 SP1, uninstalling Native client tools fixed it and install succeeded.

 

4. Don’t MISS the Prerequisite installer!!! It will save you loads of time!  Simply skipping and running setup will tell you to install the various packages.  If you’re running with full SQL be sure to run the prerequisite installer after SQL is already installed if doing full on the same box.  Simply clicking setup.exe will skip the prerequisite installer.  You want to run the SharePoint%%.exe

5. Known issues: http://officebeta.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserverhelp/microsoft-office-servers-beta-2-known-issuesreadme-HA101267292.aspx#_Toc245608631

View the Known Issues/ReadMe

Make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet.

To display the Microsoft® SharePoint® Server 2010 Known Issues/ReadMe File, click here.

If Beta1 was installed on a machine, it needs to be repaved before installing Beta2. 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee391660.aspx

6. Locating the Product Keys
Installation of the SharePoint Server 2010 Beta 2 requires one of the following product keys:

SharePoint Server 2010 Beta (Enterprise CAL features): PKXTJ-DCM9D-6MM3V-G86P8-MJ8CY
SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites Beta, Enterprise: BV7VC-RMR6B-26P6Y-BTQDG-DX2KQ

7. If you’re installing the Standalone you won’t hit this, but if it’s stand alone the prerequisites will pass, but fail when creating the config db:  (Note you need a fix that’s in this CU, but you have to request it.  In order to get around this, you can install the SQL 2008 R2 Nov CTP. *

SQL 2005 SP3 CU3
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/967909
SQL 2008 SP1 CU2
SQL needs to be 10.00.2714.00 from
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970315

 

* SQL 2008 R2 NOV CTP from Microsoft.com

8. If you are using SharePoint on DC, the following Windows PowerShell command would need to be run to enable Sandboxed Solutions.
$acl = Get-Acl HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ComputerName
$person = [System.Security.Principal.NTAccount]"Users"
$access = [System.Security.AccessControl.RegistryRights]::FullControl
$inheritance = [System.Security.AccessControl.InheritanceFlags]"ContainerInherit, ObjectInherit"
$propagation = [System.Security.AccessControl.PropagationFlags]::None
$type = [System.Security.AccessControl.AccessControlType]::Allow
$rule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.RegistryAccessRule($person, $access, $inheritance, $propagation, $type)
$acl.AddAccessRule($rule)
Set-Acl HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ComputerName $acl

9. If you have problems with ASP.NET 3.5.1 Update

https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=23806&wa=wsignin1.0

 

10. Don’t forget to turn on Dev Dashboard

stsadm -o setproperty -pn developer-dashboard -pv OnDemand