Installing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Configuring PerformancePoint Services : Installing SharePoint (part 1)

Examining the Standalone Installation for SharePoint

The standalone installation for SharePoint is intended to provide a quick evaluation of the SharePoint software and may be useful during a proof-of-concept phase. The standalone installation automatically configures many settings and makes the installation process simple and quick. This convenience does incur some risk.

When doing a standalone installation, here are some issues to consider:

• The standalone installation installs and uses SQL 2008 Express Edition. This edition has the following limitations: 1 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a maximum database size of 4GB.

  Caution

  If you use the standalone installation type for a production scenario or for long-term use, you will likely run into the 4GB database size limit. All content uploaded slowly eats into this limit.

  
  

• When doing a repair on a standalone install, you risk overwriting previously created content. The repair process prompts the user to overwrite the default site that was created. This is the default option, which overwrites any previously created content.

• The standalone installation instantiates and starts every service application. There are many of these service applications. If the server is not a high-capacity computer, this may overtax the computer’s resources and prevent the installation from completing successfully.

• The standalone installation allows only a single-server configuration. This means that no expansion is possible. If you expect the single server to grow into a mission-critical application server, we recommend you go through the server farm installation.

Running the Standalone Installation for SharePoint

To run the standalone installation for SharePoint, follow these steps:

1.	Launch Setup.exe from the SharePoint installation location.
2.	Read the Microsoft software license terms. If you accept the terms, click I Accept the Terms of This Agreement, and then click Continue.
3.	Enter the license key for this installation. Caution Make sure the key is for an Enterprise deployment of SharePoint. The Standard SKU for SharePoint does not include PPS. If a Standard SKU key is entered here, and you want to upgrade to the Enterprise SKU later, you need to perform an SKU-to-SKU upgrade with a new license key. Consult the SharePoint documentation for more information on how to accomplish this.
4.	Select Standalone as the installation you want (see Figure 1). The installation begins. Figure 1. Select Standalone to install a single server standalone.
5.	When the installation is complete, select the Run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard Now check box, and then click Close (see Figure 2). Figure 2. You are now ready to complete the configuration of your server.
6.	The SharePoint Configuration Wizard launches automatically. Click Next to proceed.
7.	The wizard provides a warning about starting or resetting services during configuration. Review the warning carefully (see Figure 3). If it is acceptable to start or reset the services listed, click Yes. Figure 3. Review the list of services to be started or reset.

The wizard proceeds with configuring SharePoint. This step may take some time because it includes installing SQL Server 2008 Express and configuring SharePoint.

When the wizard has completed the configuration, you see a message confirming a successful configuration. At this point, the SharePoint installation is almost functional.

Examining the Server Farm Installation for SharePoint

The server farm installation for SharePoint is intended for people who have a deeper understanding of SharePoint and how it works. The term SharePoint server farm refers to a more advanced installation. This installation has multiple machines working together from the same SharePoint configuration database. There are two main flavors of farms, both of which have the same installation steps. The differentiation comes in configuration after the installation completes.

• Single-machine farm: All SharePoint components run on a single server that may or may not contain the SQL databases.

• Multi-machine farm: Multiple machines with potentially varying SharePoint configurations work together from a single SharePoint configuration database. Machines within the farm can be hosting different SharePoint service applications.

The server farm installation starts with a minimal configuration. You must then perform a series of steps to bring the environment to a functional state.

When doing a server farm installation, consider the following issues:

• The server farm install requires a SQL Server 2008 or higher database. You can download the free Express Edition from Microsoft.com, or you can use an edition of SQL Server that has more appropriate database size limitations for your needs.

• When setup completes, a wizard guides you through the initial configuration steps for the server farm. Depending on what you select as part of your installation, PPS may or may not be partially configured for you.