Troubleshooting the Base Installation of SharePoint


This section provides some insight and advice on how to troubleshoot the SharePoint installation. The litmus test of whether Windows SharePoint Services or SharePoint Portal Server 2003 is installed and working properly is that the Central Administration pages are functioning and the portal site in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or top-level website in Windows SharePoint Services loads properly.

Other errors that can happen can involve access problems to the sitesusers being prompted excessively for usernames and passwords.

One thing to remember is that Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 need to save data to SQL databases, and some processes need to take place for the data to be written to the databases. Then the data needs to be indexed before it can be accessed via the search tools.

Chapter 18, "Maintaining SharePoint Environments," provides additional information on these subjects.

Using the SharePoint Configuration Analyzer

SharePoint Configuration Analyzer is a diagnostic tool that can be downloaded from Microsoft that verifies settings on Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 that are critical to the proper functionality of the servers. On Microsoft's website search for "SharePoint Configuration Analyzer.exe " to find the application. Once downloaded, simply select Run to install the application.

The tool also reports on Web Part usage, and retrieves log files, configuration files, and Web Part packages used by Windows SharePoint Services and Internet Information Services (IIS). Figure 6.12 shows the analysis results which reveals two error conditions (the MSSQL$SHAREPOINTPORTAL services was turned off).

Figure 6.12. SharePoint Configuration Analyzer.


Running SharePoint Configuration Analyzer in a server farm on each front-end server is a handy way to find inconsistencies in configurations and to ensure that all Web Parts are deployed on all front-end servers.

In addition, the software retrieves all log files generated by IIS and all files with .log and .txt extensions generated by Windows SharePoint Services, as well as the application and server event logs and stores them in tab-delimited files. This is an easy way to take "snapshots" of the SharePoint server(s) for auditing or review purposes.

Checking the Event Viewer for Errors

As suggested a number of times in this chapter, check the Event Viewer regularly by right-clicking on My Computer, selecting Manage, drilling down through system tools to Event Viewer, and clicking on Application, Security and System. It is a good practice to do this after rebooting the server, after any installation of new software, and as part of regular server maintenance.

An event marked with the yellow triangle with the exclamation point should be investigated by double-clicking on the message, reading about the error, and performing the appropriate troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue. Each message contains a hyperlink to Microsoft's Help and Support center, and in many cases more information is available, especially when the error is common.

Check the Services Running

SharePoint Portal Server 2003 requires a number of services to be running properly. If any of the following are stopped, it can affect SharePoint's functionality:

  • ASP.NET State Service

  • Microsoft SharePoint Search Service

  • SharePoint Portal Administration

  • SharePoint Portal Alert

  • SharePoint Timer Service

  • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

  • World Wide Web Publishing Service

  • MSSQL if SQL Server 2000 is running on the same server

Often the failure of one service to load causes a cascade of errors, so if a key service fails, right-click on the service, click on Properties, and view the Dependencies tab to see what other services depend on the failed or stopped service, and what services the failed or stopped service itself requires to be running.

Check IIS 6.0

IIS 6.0 provides the foundation for Windows SharePoint Services functionality, so if it isn't functioning properly, or has stopped, Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003 will not function. The easiest way to check IIS is to open the IIS Manager in Administrative Tools by clicking Start, selecting All Programs, Administrative Tools; and then clicking Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager. In Internet Information Services manager, click the plus sign next to the server name, and click the plus signs next to Application Pools and websites to view the entries under them. If there are any errors evidenced by a tiny red "x" on the icon, this means that the application pool or website has stopped. Right-click the application pool or the website and click on Start to attempt a restart. The command IISRESET can also be run from the command line. The event logs and IIS logs should also be reviewed, as they can provide additional insight into the problem.

Several items can cause problems with the IIS configuration. One item to verify is that IIS is not running in IIS 5.0 Isolation mode, which can be the case if SharePoint Team Services was previously installed or if the server was upgraded from Windows 2000 Server to Windows Server 2003. From within IIS Manager, right-click the Web Sites folder and select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, select the Service tab and make sure that the Run WWW service in IIS 5.0 Isolation Mode check box is not selected; then click OK.

Review Internet Explorer Settings

With the increased sensitivity to network security and in ensuring that Microsoft servers are as secure as possible when first configured, IE 6 is installed in an Enhanced Security Configuration mode. Although this helps prevent malicious code from affecting the server, it can prevent some code from running that is necessary for viewing site pages or SharePoint Central Administration pages. Make sure the site being accessed is added to the Trusted Sites.

A problem can occur if a proxy server is configured in Microsoft Internet Explorer but the Bypass Proxy Server for Local Addresses option is not enabled. To rectify this problem, enable the Bypass Proxy Server for Local Addresses option in the proxy server settings of Internet Explorer by following these steps:

1.

In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.

2.

Click the Connections tab; then under Local Area Network (LAN) settings, click LAN Settings.

3.

Under Proxy Server, click to select the Bypass Proxy Server for Local Addresses check box; then click OK

4.

Click OK.




Microsoft SharePoint 2003 Unleashed
Microsoft SharePoint 2003 Unleashed (2nd Edition) (Unleashed)
ISBN: 0672328038
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 288

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