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Overview
What is SharePoint?
So, what is SharePoint? You may have asked this question before. SharePoint allows individuals in an organization to easily create and manage collaborative business solutions.
SharePoint can be used for many things: storing documents, collaborating with colleagues on projects, publishing departmental information, and even managing common processes like time off requests and expense reports. It is hard to define since it offers many capabilities, but generally it provides a flexible platform to enable you and your colleagues to get work done. The great part is that all you need is a web browser and you can begin.
There are two types of SharePoint: one that is run on your company’s servers, and one that is hosted by Microsoft through Office 365. Microsoft offers two versions of their web-based platforms: Office Online for consumers, and Office 365 for businesses. You may have an email address from @outlook.com or @live.com or even @hotmail.com; this is the Office Online consumer experience. For Office 365, you log in using your work email and may have access to more functionality, such as SharePoint Online and instant messaging.
From your perspective, there is little difference between SharePoint Server and SharePoint online in Office 365; they both offer great ways to collaborate, and they both are accessed through a web browser. When there are differences, they will be pointed out.
Working on a document store in SharePoint
In SharePoint, documents are stored in Libraries, which have many useful features that are not available in a local folder or file share.
You have three options when opening a document. You can read the document in the browser, you can choose to edit it in the browser, or you can choose to edit it with Office installed locally on your computer.
If you choose the edit it locally, it will act exactly like a local document, but your changes will be saved to SharePoint.
Often before publishing a document, you will work together with colleagues on it. As opposed to emailing the document around, with SharePoint you can all work off of the same document at the same time. This is called simultaneous co-authoring, and it is made possible by Office using the features to track changes and comments.
SharePoint provides the added benefit of storing the document in a place where anyone can retrieve it from any device at any time. All you need is a web browser.
SharePoint Document Library
If we look at the SharePoint Document Library more closely, we will find some more helpful features for managing our document. The ribbon (or fluid UI in Microsoft-speak) at the top of library, much like in Office, contains features to help you manage the files stored in the library as well as the configuration of the library itself.
At the top, the Browse tab will hide the ribbon, showing the SharePoint navigation below; the Files tab will show relevant actions to the file(s) selected in the document list below, and the Library tab shows actions that affect how the library itself looks and behaves.
The Files tab is most relevant to us while we work on these documents. From left to right, the New section of the ribbon allows us to add new documents to this library by creating them directly in SharePoint or uploading them from the computer.
In the Open and Check Out group, we find the Check Out and Check In functions. These are useful while co-authoring a document. If you wish to be the only one able to edit a document while you have it open working on it, you can choose Check Out to lock others out. Once you are done with your edits, you can Check In to allow others to see your edits and make their own. The purpose is to prevent conflicts while editing a document, which is often helpful for larger teams or once the document is in the final stages before publishing.
In the Manage group on the ribbon, you will find Version History. SharePoint allows you to enable version controls on your library so you can keep, review and restore previously saved versions of a document. When you click on the Version History button, you will see all the versions of this document saved by SharePoint and have the ability to view, restore and delete old versions.
In the Share & Track group of the ribbon, there is the very important Share button. This allows you to invite your colleagues to view or edit the document along with you.
After clicking Share, Rob will get an email just like the one you received that started your journey in SharePoint.
Searching for documents
Document libraries tend to grow large as projects progress, so having the ability to search for the document you are looking for is very handy. Use the search box directly above the list of documents in the library.
Also, you can see in the upper right that there is a second search box that says, “Search this site”. The library we have been working in (“Documents”) lives in a SharePoint Site that may contain other libraries, lists of data, calendars, web pages, wikis and more. In this way, it is different from a typical internet web site that would only contain pages. The search box allows you to extend your search beyond just this library to find what you are looking for.
What Are SharePoint Farms and How Does SharePoint Architecture Work?
SharePoint farms are a collection of servers that work together to deliver a service to support a site. There are three types of servers: web front ends (WFEs), application servers, and database (SQL) servers.
Web Front End Servers
Web Front End Servers (WFEs) handle web page requests from users. This means that each time a user opens a SharePoint page in a browser, it’s processed by a WFE server. If there are multiple WFE servers, a Network Load Balancer is put in place to distribute requests between them. This enables organizations to scale their SharePoint environments as needed; the more users you have, the more WFE servers you will need to handle the workloads as the environment and user needs grow.
Application Servers
An Application Server is a computer that provides key infrastructure and services for applications that are hosted in an organization’s SharePoint farm(s). This usually means that the server has been assigned to run applications such as Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Access services, or Index/Search services.
Database Servers (SQL)
SQL Server is a database server that implements Structured Query Language (SQL). This language is specifically designed to handle data in a relational database management system—in this case, a SharePoint farm.
Now that you know how SharePoint collections work together, it’s time to dive into the difference between single farms and multiple farms!
Single Farm vs. Multiple Farms
A single farm is made up of a group of servers that come together using a tiered model to provide services and content. In SharePoint’s case, this single farm environment is made of WFEs, Application Servers, and SQL Database servers. With a single farm you will have a strong foundation of services and as many databases, web applications, and site collections as needed for your organization!
On the other hand, multiple farms are made of services farms, My Site farms, and content farms that only perform certain functions or services. This architecture enables organizations to have specific services to provide for business needs based on scalability, function, and policy requirements.
For an organization that is using a multi-farm architecture, the expectation would be to have multiple administrators handle those different farms. This is necessary if you’re in an organization that has multiple county departments or regions with their own unique policies that need to be adhered to. As such, a multi-farm architecture approach should be used when necessary despite its added complexity. The environment requires more mindful administration and control of multiple environments, after all!
For example, if the ACME corporation has regional offices in different countries, they may need to adhere to any country-specific data sovereignty laws if it’s collecting, managing, or generating data.
In response to this, the ACME corporation could create multiple farms that are geo-specific and built to technically comply with the regulations placed in each country while still providing the entire corporation with a unified approach to managing their SharePoint environment for end-users. This will facilitate ACME’s adherence to region-specific policy and regulations–including any data sovereignty requirements–while maintaining a unified “singular” SharePoint user experience for ACME employees.
SharePoint – Setup Environment
In this chapter, we will setup the development environment for SharePoint. As you already know that there are three different options of SharePoint. They are −
- SharePoint Foundation
- SharePoint Server
- Office 365
In this chapter, we will be using the Office 365, which is cloud-based version.
Step 1 − You can easily create a free trial account here https://products.office.com/en/business/office-365-enterprise-e3-business-software.
Step 2 − Click the Free trial option. A new page will open.
Step 3 − Enter the required information and click Next and you will see the following page.
Step 4 − Enter the username, company name and password and click Next. It will send you a verification code. Once the verification is completed then it will start creating the account.
Step 5 − Once your account is created, you will see the following page.
Step 6 − Click You’re ready to go and you will see the following page −
Now your environment is ready and you can start share point development but you will also need to install visual studio.
Microsoft provides a free version of visual studio, which also contains SQL Server and it can be downloaded from https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/downloads/download-visual-studio-vs.aspx.
Installation
Following steps will guide you to install SharePoint.
Step 1 − Once downloading is complete, run the installer. The following dialog will be displayed.
Step 2 − Click Install and it will start the installation process.
Step 3 − Once the installation process is completed successfully, you will see the following message −
Step 4 − Restart your computer if required. Now open Visual studio from the Start Menu. It will open the following dialog box and it will take some time for preparation.
Step 5 − Once all is done, you will see the main window of Visual studio.
You are now ready to start your application.
Step 6 − Select File → New → Project menu option.
Step 7 − Select Office/SharePoint in the left pane under Templates → Visual C#. Doubleclick Install Office Developer Tools.
Step 8 − Click Install and close all Visual Studio instances. A new page will open. Click Next.
Step 9 − A message box will appear. Click Update.
Step 10 − Once it is updated, you will see the message as follows −
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 makes it easier for people to work together. Using SharePoint 2010, you and your team can set up websites to share information with others, manage documents from start to finish and publish reports to help everyone make better decisions. SharePoint 2010 is a platform for hosting shared activities over the web, manage documents from start to finish and publish reports to help everyone make better decisions.
Installing SharePoint Foundation 2010 – Step by Step
This is the very easy way. Just click executable file (SharePointFoundation.exe). Click “Install software prerequisite” of the screen.
Click “Next” to start installation of pre requisites
Mark for license Agreement and Click Next
Click Finish to complete installation of Pre requisites.
Step 6: Start SharePoint 2010 Foundation installation – Click Executable file (SharePointFoundation.exe). Click “Install SharePoint Foundation” in the splash screen.
Step 7: Mark to the license agreement and click Continue.
Step – 8: Browse data location and Click “Install Now”
Step 9: Mark “Run the SharePoint Product Configuration Wizard now” and click “Close”.
Step 10: Click “Next” of the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard.
Step 11: Click “Yes” of the following pop up screen and then click “Next”.
Step 12: Select “Create a new server farm” and then click “Next” of the following screen.
Step -13: Type your database server name, database Name (default: SharePoint_Config), user name (domain name\User name) and password in the following Database Settings screen.
Step 14: Type Passphrase and confirm passphrase in the Farm Security Settings screen and click “Next”
Step 15: To specify port of Central administration we application – Mark specify port number and type your desired port. Select NTLM as default as authentication provider for Web application.
Step 16: Click “Next” in following SharePoint Product Configuration Wizard. If required click Advanced Settings for advanced configuration
Configuring SharePoint Products…..
Step 17: You will see the following screen after configuring SharePoint Server successfully. Necessary information is given here. Click “Finish” to continue.
Step 18: Type username (my user name: Administrator) and password to enter the server.
Step 19: Select “No, I don’t wish to participate” and click “ok” in the following screen.
Step – 20: Click “Start the Wizard” in the following screen.
Step -21: Select “Use existing managed account” and click “Next”
Step -22: Type site title and description, select template as Team site and click Ok.
Step – 23: Farm configuration completed. Click “Finish” in the Farm Configuration wizard.
Step – 24: Now you will see the central administration. If you see in the closer look, you will see it uses port -2010(read circle) which you configured at step – 15.
Step – 25: If you want to see the site which you already created just type “htttp://yourservername:80” in the url.
Yes! You have successfully installed and configured SharePoint 2010.
SharePoint offers your team full security over your site. Security settings are managed within your team by site owners.There’s much more you can do with SharePoint including sharing Calendars, team directories, task lists and so forth.
Cognosys Provides Hardened images of SharePoint on the cloud ( AWS marketplace, Azure and Google Cloud Platform).
Deploy SharePoint securely on cloud i.e. AWS marketplace, Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Sharepoint 2010 Standard on Cloud for AWS
Features
Major Features of Sharepoint 2010 Standard
Microsoft SharePoint Standard builds on the Microsoft SharePoint Foundation in a few key product areas.
1. New Claims-Based Authentication Model
3. New User Interface including Ribbon
But the biggest change in the User Interface of SharePoint 2010 is the addition of Ribbon UI. Microsoft has earlier introduced the Ribbon UI with Office 2007. Now the same Ribbon UI is available in the SharePoint 2010 which brings the SharePoint user experience much more aligned with other office applications. You can see the Ribbon in the top area of any page in the SharePoint 2010 website, see the below screenshot.
- SharePoint 2010 – Ribbon
4. Built-in SilverLight Support
23. Rich and Improved Theming Support
SharePoint Standard licensing includes a CAL (client access license) component and a server fee. SharePoint Standard may also be licensed through a cloud model.
AWS
Installation Instructions for Windows
Step 1) RDP Connection: To connect to the deployed instance, Please follow Instructions to Connect to Windows instance on AWS Cloud
1) Connect to virtual machine using following RDP credentials :
- Hostname: PublicDNS / IP of machine
- Port : 3389
Username: To connect to the operating system, use RDP and the username is Administrator.
Password : Please Click here to know how to get password .
Step 2) Application Access Instructions:-
Note : Users need to reach out to us for CAL license providing number of CAL required.
If you face any issue in running this image or activating license, Please reach out to support@secureanycloud.com.
- Sharepoint Server has already been installed.
- Sharepoint configuration should be completed by the user.
- Please join a domain and have a SQL Server instance ready before starting the Sharepoint Configuration.
1. Default Login Credentials for SharePoint Access are same as your RDP Credentials,
- User Name: Administrator
- Password: Retrieved from Console
Step 3) Other Information:
1.Default installation path: will be in your root folder “C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Server Extensions\14\BIN”
2.Default ports:
- Windows Machines: RDP Port – 3389
- Http: 80
- Https: 443
Configure custom inbound and outbound rules using this link
Note: World Wide Web and IIS Admin services must be enabled (from services.msc) in order to access Sharepoint 2010 Standard
Installation Step by Step Screenshots
Step 1. Open SharePoint 2010 Application using desktop icon
Step 2.Welcome Page sharepoint
Step 3.Select Create a new server farm option from the next step as shown in below screen, if you are already have installed a new farm and doing a MinRole installation then select the first option to connect to an existing server farm.
Step 4.Enter the database server details and database access account details, use a separate user for this but I am using the same SPAdmin user for the preview installation. I have assigned it below rights in DB server:
- Dbcreator
- SecurityAdmin
- SysAdmin
Step 5.If you are facing issues in connecting to SQL Server then make sure TCP/IP is enabled in SQL Server Configuration Manager. If you still getting the error then turn off the firewall on SQL server machine.
Step 6. After completing the database settings, press next which will take to you on Farm security settings page. Enter passphrase here which is required to secure the farm configuration data and is required for each server that joins the farm.
Step 7. Server Roles or the MinRoletopology
Here comes the MinRoles, SharePoint Server 2010 has six types of server roles:
- Front-end
- Application
- Distributed Cache
- Search
- Custom
- Single-Server Farm
You can either select single-server farm or can do a multi-server installation using MinRolestopology. If you have selected Single-Server Farm then you cannot extend to Multi-Server environment, so if you plan to extend to multi-Server farm in future then select the Custom MinRole or Application.
I am using single-server farm installation so will go with the last option.
Step 8.On next screen, you can specify port for Central Admin or can use the default which is selected randomly. I have never used the default port, I always an easy one which I can remember like 5555. Select NTLM installation mode at this phase and press next.
Step 9. Verify the settings in configuration wizard, press next to start the wizard. Advance option is not enabled for Single-Server installation.
Step 10. Press Next button, it will start the configuration of SharePoint farm. This is similar to what we do in past with MOSS 2007, SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint 2013 or even with SharePoint Foundation which is no more part of SharePoint 2016.
Step 11. The wizard can take some time and if you get some errors then you have to verify the roles of the user in SQL Server.
Step 12. After the installation, run the services wizard from Central Administration, setup will take you to the service configuration wizard page, you can either configure them through wizard and can also configure them manually.
Step 13.As this is test environment, so I will prefer configuring services using wizard. We can define a separate account for services but I am using the same SharePoint Admin account for all services.
Step 14.This will complete the services wizard for me and now I am ready to explore SharePoint.
