Scenario:

Windows 2008 R2 Core SP1 – Domain joined, updated.

Denali RC0 ISO File attached to VM.

Preparing Windows 2008 R2 Core for Installation

1. Run the following Command File to pre prep the server.

1. Download a special .net 4 package for Windows 2008 R2 Core from this location here.
2. Run the .net 4 package and have it installed.
3. Run sconfig.cmd and choose option 6 to install any further updates.
4. Reboot the server

After this process, the Windows 2008 R2 SP1 Core is ready to be installed with Denali.

Installing Denali

1. Denali can only be installed on command line prompt at this stage. But as far as testing goes, with some special modifications you can modify the installation experience to involve the GUI mode as well.
   
2. The process described here involves , my favourite way of installing SQL, using a configuration file.
   

Configuration File

Description for the configuration file

1. Install mode to install a fresh install of Denali
2. Installs only the Database engine and the Replication Service for SQL
3. No Management Studio and Tools
4. Uses default location for Data, Log , TempDB, TempLog and Backup File Location
5. Domain_Name to be replaced with the domain name
6. SQL_SERVICE_ACCOUNT to be replaced with the SQL Service account that you would use to run the SQL Services for Database , SSRS etc
7. SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PASSWORD – password for all the service accounts
8. SQL_ADMIN__ACCOUNT1 and 2 is for the SQL Admin Account.

Command Line file to kick start the Denali Installation using the above mentioned Config File

Description for the command line file

1. D:\Setup.exe – location of your Denali ISO or Media
2. “C:\Scripts\SQL\DenaliConfig.ini” – location of this command line and config file on the Core SP1 server.
3. /SkipRules=NoReboot – Issue with Core installation involving Denali – need this parameter for it to work. Reboot the system after installation is completed J

To have a view of all the parameters and installations available using configuration file here over here.

Tips and Tricks I picked up during this process

1. To get to making folders and copying files (.net 4 installer , scripts etc.) over to the server core , try browsing from another domain joined machine to the core machine using \\NAME_CORE_SERVER\C$
2. Spend some time on sconfig.cmd especially Configure Remote Management Features of server core

   

3. Use Remote Computer Management from “MMC” console of a domain joined machine to manage your server core.

I have been coming across a lot of clients, who provide fresh Vanilla Windows 2008, Windows 2008 R2 servers with .net 4 installed. Unfortunately this could lead to issues with MOSS and SharePoint 2010 installations.

You can use the following commands to get rid of them
.NET Framework 4 product family

• Download location
  
• Deployment guide with silent install command lines

Below are various options of uninstalling .net 4 from your server. Find the option that best suits you and copy the two associated lines of code and save them as a batch file. Once done execute that batch file.

Download the latest guide for Project Server 2010 Administrators guide

Project Server 2010 Administrator’s Guide NOW AVAILABLE! – Microsoft Enterprise Project Management Content Publishing News – Site Home – TechNet Blogs.

So one of my SharePoint projects that I am working on requires Federated Stuff and hence for all my testing I require two AD networks. As I have only one single ESXI server with one nic card, I was wondering how best to create a sort of NAT between two Virtual Switches. But since one Virtual Switch is already connected to the LAN and running live servers , I didn’t want to break anything. So I need some kind of firewall between both the different networks. My search led to Zyntal . They have a Virtual Machine appliance which is available here .

Original Network

My Original network was pretty straightforward. I had a router connected to my ISP which leads onto a switch and wireless router that served all my devices and an Esxi Host with One network card that kept all my Domain Controllers, Exchange, SharePoint and Database servers.

I The issue was that this weekend I had to prepare for Demo purposes , Federated Domains with ADRMS and SharePoint , Exchange , Lync and Database servers all existing on another demo domain. No issues building new VM’s and stuff but my problem was that I had only one Interface card on my Esxi host. I was trying to figure out how best can I split my Vmware Network as two different networks but all using the same Router to get to the Internet. I needed a new firewall in front of the New VM farm that I was building. So while all the VM’s were getting provisioned out I had some downtime while I waited.

So this is what I came up on paper. The steps involved where

1. On my Esxi host, I created a new Virtual Switch and gave it a really meaningful name : Demo Network J
2. Then Imported the Zyntal VM and gave the VM two virtual network cards. I connected Network Card 1 to the my LAN Virtual Switch, and the other network card to the new Virtual Switch that I created on Step 1
3. Powered up the VM. The VM got an IP from my LAN DHCP on its Network Card 1 and so I was able to browse to the Firewall through that IP.
4. Then it was pretty much setting up Gateway properties , Static Routes, a few Firewall rules so that I can RDP to all the servers on the Demo network and share Files and Internet and walla , a completely new network , a new domain with its own firewall and Domain network. Now I just hope my esxi host doesn’t die with all the over congestion.

Some Screenshots

It comes with a Windows style GUI and approach even though its built on linux

Part 2 of the SharePoint 2010 series follows through from the basic installation and setup of an Application Server for SharePoint 2010 farm found here here .

The following are recommended configuration changes you should make before you let users into your SharePoint environment and erm make a mess of it J

They are as follows:-

1. State Service Application and Proxy
2. Secure Store Service
3. Outgoing Email
4. Configuring Search Service and Crawl Service
5. Health and Diagnostic Logging
6. Monitoring Drive Space
7. Web Analytics

Recommended reading : Technet about Service Application

State Service Application and Proxy

State Service can be installed using the Configuration Wizard under Central Admin but I strongly recommend the use of PowerShell scripts which can be easily available from State Service via PowerShell on TechNet

Scripted Install of State Service

I would be first pre creating the database on the SQL server

Note: the Collation ID should be “Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS”

On the SharePoint Server open PowerShell under the administrator mode.

The reason I hit the error was to show most normal scenario when you would have a separate DBA team that manage the SQL server. When you send a request for a Database to be created for SharePoint make sure that you provide the DBA with the service account that you use to install SharePoint. In the case of this post domain\srvPRDSPSetup. So now I will go add an extra user called Setup Account with DB_owner permission on the SQL server for the database

Once that has been completed, before running the script don’t forget to go and delete the State Service Application that was created previously before installing it again

Now let’s try that again

Secure Store Service

Before I go ahead and create a Secure Store Service, I am going to create a new service account called SharePoint Service Applications account to manage all my service applications and their application pool account. So within my SharePoint OU I create a new service account

Back on the SharePoint server I am going to add this account to the managed accounts within SharePoint.

A very useful feature within SharePoint 2010 is the managed Accounts section because you can provide the SharePoint with a lot more scope around the service account.

To install via GUI method you can browse to the Application Management page and choose to create a new Secure Store Service Application by filling in all the details.

But where’s the fun in that??

Scripted Install

First and foremost I am going to create an application Pool for all the services to make use of

Next I will run the Secure Store Script

The Config file that both the scripts use

Once the service application has completed install, browse via Central Admin to the Applications management page to Secure Store Service

Highlight Secure Store Service and click on Manage from the ribbon

Click on Generate new Key from the top of the ribbon

Type the passphrase to be used

The following screen shows the end of secure store service for the time being

Outgoing Email Setup

Currently I am still rebuilding my Exchange 2010 server in my environment, and hopefully during the Xmas break I will finish setting it upJ. But for the time being the following steps will need to be completed to setup the Outgoing email server on SharePoint 2010. You can also use a simple SMTP setup at this stage as well.

1. Open Central Admin and browse to System Settings

   

2. Click on “Configure Outgoing Email Settings”

   

This completes the setup of Outgoing Email Server

Configuring Search

While SharePoint and Search requires much much much much more deeper discussion, at this stage of my Install all the post is going to cover are basic setup of Search application ( Out of the box search) and then go on to schedule a search.

First and foremost we need to switch on Foundation Search

1. Create two service accounts – SharePoint Search Service and SharePoint Crawl Service accounts and add them to the managed accounts within SharePoint

   

2. Open Central Admin and browse to “Manage Services on Server”
3. Scroll down to SharePoint Foundation Search which will show as “Stopped” and click on start

   

   

   The service will start now

   

Search Service Application and Proxy

Search Script

This concludes the initial setup of Search Service Application. Setting up a Crawl would be covered when the installation reaches a stage where there is data to be crawled by the SharePoint server.

Usage, Health and Diagnostic Logging Setup

To set this up on the fly, Central Admin Website would be the most recommended method as it would give you a bit more functions and features to be setup on the initial process itself when compared to Scripted methods found here and here .

1. Open Central Admin Website and click on the Monitoring Tab

   

2. Click on “Configure usage and health data collection”
3. Configure the page as required.
4. Recommendation is to change the location of the default log files to another location other than the system drive.
5. If you are following a naming convention for databases this can be used for the Logging Database as well.

   

6. Click OK to save the settings

Recommendation: Go through the Health and Log Collection Schedule to customize these according to the needs of your organization.

1. Under the Monitoring Page now click on “Configure Diagnostic Logging”
2. Recommended to change the location and size of the Trace log files

   

If you find the Proxy service stopped under the “Manage Service Applications” Page run the following script to fix it

Thanks to Avinash for the article on the same found here .

Monitoring Drive Space

Your SharePoint server is going to grow and it’s going to grow huge. Some of the usual suspects for the same are:-

1. IIS Logs
2. Web App Directories (Basically your IIS Files)
3. SharePoint Logs
4. SharePoint Usage and Data Collection
5. SharePoint Search Index

On my SharePoint VM I have got another partition where I place all the baddies away from my system Drive

Web Analytics

To configure Web Analytics via Central Admin, browse through “Manage Service Applications” and create a new Web Analytic Service and Proxy.

To configure via PowerShell use the following script

This pretty much concludes the Post- Install steps after Central Admin Website is up and running.