Installing Windows SharePoint Services

Windows SharePoint Services comes in several varieties. Large organizations that need to connect more than one internal Web site, and provide shared workspaces for teams that are in disparate locations, should install SharePoint Portal Server. Smaller organizations can access SharePoint Services by installing it on a Windows Server 2003 system.

Once you have installed Windows Server 2003, you install SharePoint from the Windows SharePoint Services CD, following the steps presented in the Setup Wizard. When you install Windows SharePoint servers, a SharePoint team Web site is created automatically.

Note  

Windows SharePoint Services includes all of the features available with the FrontPage Server Extensions, such as forms processing and discussion groups. In addition, Windows SharePoint Services adds support for document libraries and other collaborative features through a database component, which is described later in this chapter.

Making Sure You Have the Required System Resources

Windows SharePoint Services requires a hardware foundation and system resources to operate. It s worth checking your own system before you begin, to make sure you are installing the software on a server that can operate it correctly. Requirements include:

• A computer with an Intel Pentium III or better processor

• 512 MB of RAM

• 550 MB of free hard disk space

• Windows Server 2003 as the operating system

• A Web application server that runs Microsoft ASP.NET and Internet Information Services 6.0

Aha!  

Outsource SharePoint Services
You can also gain access to a SharePoint environment without having to install or configure the software yourself. Just sign up for a monthly account with a service that provides SharePoint to businesses and individuals, such as Apptix ( http://www.apptix.net/sharepoint.htm ).

You also need a database present on the server, in order to proide team members with the ability to create online discussions, lists, and other features. Supported databases are:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with the latest service pack installed

• Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 2000

If you don t have SQL Server running on your server, the MSDE is included, and installed by default when you install Windows SharePoint Server.

When you install SharePoint Team Services, the HTML Administration pages are installed on an administration port that enables you to access and configure your site from a remote computer. Typically, you connect to the administative port using Secure HyperText Transport Protocol ( HTTPS ). Just type the protocol and the port number in your browser s Address box when you connect to the administration pages (for example, https://sharepointserver.company.com:443; you obtain the actual URL from your network administrator or your ISP ).

Lingo  

A port is a virtual opening on a computer that handles services intended to be processed by a particular application. For instance, port 80 is the port used by Web browsers to connect to Web pages, while port 443 is used by browsers to connect to a secure Web server that offers Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.