Sharepoint 2013 Administration Part B

This is the 2nd installment in my blog post series on administering Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 which is based on some of what I learn from the video training course by Infinite Skills on the subject. A lot of the things in administering Sharepoint can be done in the GUI program itself but often can be done quicker and with more configuration options in powershell. You normally have to make sure you are doing it within the administrators account. A tip is if you are listing for example 10 items in powershell use the 1..10 command to avoid having to list them item by item. Managed paths if used with the implicit option let you specify 1 site that has that URL and is often used with things like Mysites. The other option is wildcards which let you specify 1 main site and several subsites all using that URL. HTTP throttling which is enabled by default and is set to kick in when there are 5,000 users although you can configure both items, lets the program favor certain types of item over others in the event of the server being busy. An example is favoring a form someone has spent a lot of time filling in over someone generally browsing. Whether you need the number of users increased or decreased depends largely on how many the internet or intranet connection can handle. There is an auditors and administrators setting which by default is set at 20,000 and you might want to reduce this but this is normally set higher than the other option because they are deemed to be doing more important work. Another option which has a big impact is how many items or rows of a database are shown in one go. The default for items is 30 items and this can be configured by clicking the list tab /new view / add items and you configure what is displayed. You can have up to 5 public zones of URL’s within Sharepoint and of course each can have subsites. To set a new URL select web application /extend and then a dialogue box is shown that you fill in. I’ll try and do at least 1 extra post in this series today.

 

Sharepoint 2013 Administration Part A

This is the first installment in a blog post series about administering Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 based on what I learn from the video training course by Infinite Skills on this subject. The collection of servers that runs Sharepoint in conjunction with other software can vary enormously. For example you can run upto 5 instances of IIS or internet information server and don’t forget many of these will be virtual servers run on different partitions but on the same hard drive and/or the same computer server. Sharepoint specifically runs sharepoint sites but these may only be part of a company website and in turn may contain sub sites and we call the whole of this a site collection. If you look in services on server it tells you what services are running and you can uncheck or check them to turn them on or off although you must choose the custom option first. A proxy server is a service that acts as a middleman between 2 services or programs that don’t communicate directly with each other. Sharepoint as with generally the software it works with is 64 bit only and it works with Windows Server 2008 R2 & 2012, it also works with SQL Server 2008 R2 & 2012. Updated software will work with 2012 R2 of both these softwares. It doesn’t support single label domain names and will normally have some kind of extension to the name. When you first connect to SQL Server or structured query language server the first thing you do is check your user name and password are correct and click connect. It will also have at least 4 system databases configured automatically by default but unlike earlier versions must be configured to work the idea being you have to harden it against things like viruses and make it secure. To do a simple install of Sharepoint you select install software prerequisites. This contains the additional software needed to work with Sharepoint. You have to install a program called splash separately. Then you install Sharepoint and if you do a complete installation it installs the full product but if you do a standalone installation it is the lesser express version. You need a password and a passphrase which has been a security feature since the 2010 version. The rest of the set up is pretty much automated although the computer will reboot several times. If you use the configuration wizard it will make the process easier but is apt to give the databases automatic but strange names with lots of numbers and this can cause confusion. Many users opt for the manual install where they can specify the names.

Sharepoint 2013 Part F

This is the last installment in my blog post series on Microsoft Sharepoint Server 2013 which is based on what I learn from the video training course by Infinite Skills on this software. Skydrive Pro synchronizes with Office and Sharepoint. It is separate to Skydrive which is a free online storage service that stores your personal files. Skydrive Pro basically takes your work offline so it hasn’t got to be stored on your company server. In Sharepoint something you come across is permissions that limit what you can view and what you can change. There are 3 types of permissions, no access, read only and full access. You are normally given a profile or a group like admins or sales managers at work that limits what you can do. This profile defines this. You are the admin on your mysite and have full control of that. Sharepoint has 33 levels of groups or permissions. Permissions are applied in such a way that every file isn’t individually checked. When something is added your permissions don’t have to be reapplied. The person responsible for applying permissions is called a site collection administrator. By default if you can’t access a file you need you can email the administrator for permission. People born between 1980 and 2000 and have grown up with social media are called millenials. There are many social media features in sharepoint sites including the ability to rate articles, like articles, average the ratings, show number of ratings given and can tag articles so others can search for them. You can recommend articles to colleagues. Tags are normally divided with in sharepoint with a semi colon and you use the comma key it is automatically changed to a semi colon. I will start a blog post series on Sharepoint Administration and will try and do the first post tonight.

Sharepoint 2013 Part E

This is the 5th installment in my blog post series on Microsoft Sharepoint Server 2013 which is based on what I learn on the video training course on this software by Infinite skills. In the document library you can either click upload file on the ribbon, select the file and click add or open the 2 programs side by side and drag and drop with the mouse to add files to sharepoint. There is next to each file a …. button called the ellipsis or open menu button that has various options including previewing the document without opening it. In image libraries there are thumbnails and slide options. Thumbnails are photos generally and appear smaller than the images in slides and allow you to preview images. They also tell you the filesize with any images which is often quite useful. Libraries can store and standardize slides so they can be updated and re used. You have to go into Powerpoint and export to Sharepoint and refresh Sharepoint when you are back in it. You can click share / publish slides / publish slides / share. This copies slides into a destination like Sharepoint. You can tick what slides you’re using, click copy slides to presentation and that copies them to one place where you can do a presentation. There are lite versions of Office with in Sharepoint which is a new feature in this version but most people use the full versions. You can export work from Office into a Sharepoint folder they both share. Simply click the library tab/ connect to office with in Sharepoint on the ribbon. It takes a while to create the folder but it is then quite easy to transfer work. In a very similar location is connect to outlook which synchronizes the calendar app between the 2 programs. The next installment in this blog series will be the last but I’ll try and do that later tonight.

Sharepoint 2013 Part D

This is the 4th installment in my blog post series on Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 which is based on what I learn doing the video training course by Infinite Skills on this software. There is a recycle bin with in Sharepoint that I did mention previously. It prevents content being deleted completely deleted accidently and works in a similar fashion to the one in Windows. The recycle bin can be found in site contents at the top of the page on the right where it says recycle bin. You click the item then restore selection. It restores it exactly to the exact point it was in originally. Wikis use double square brackets to denote links which helps avoid you having to edit HTML. You can create a new page with in a wiki simply create a link don’t link it to anything and when you double click it a new page should open. By default you have a blog on your mysite with in the sharepoint site. Blogs are more one way than wikis. If using a blog be careful about expressing your opinion on something and make sure it is appropriate as many people have been sued or fired for saying the wrong thing. Many employees find they are quite happy using the wiki and don’t need to do a job. Another feature with in Sharepoint is surveys but use them sparingly. You must have members permissions to participate in a survey. To participate you select your name from the list or type it exactly and click the select participant button which underlines it to show it has detected it. If you start doing a blog there is a default blog post and the menu for doing things like creating blog posts and managing posts is on the top right. Of course you either go into blog or whatever you have titled your blog to find this. Many people do articles in Microsoft Office and then copy and paste them into the Sharepoint site because they have the benefit of a spelling and grammar checker. You may also find from time to time you have to click refresh to update the page.

 

Sharepoint 2013 Part C

This is the third installment in my blog post series on Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 which is based on what I learn on the video training course by Infinite Skills on this software. A new feature in Sharepoint 2013 is that several people can work on a list at the same time with the others getting locked out and it becoming read only when someone had it open. You can recover accidently deleted items from the recycle bin with in Sharepoint and the default for something to be stored in the recycle bin is 30 days after which it’s deleted automatically. This default can be changed. The data is stored in rows and columns and the latter function similar to columns in spreadsheets. Columns are also called fields or metadata. Once piece of data is called a record. You can configure alerts but not RSS feeds with the latter being you either subscribe or don’t. RSS is primarily used with websites and blogs. Another new feature in 2013 is lists and libraries are referred to as apps. To create a new task make sure you are in tasks, click new tasks and fill in the task dialog box. You must use autocomplete to find a person doing a task, with the purpose being the program recognizes that person. You also must select a start date and due date on a calendar each once again allowing the program to recognize those dates. You can click the task link to read about a task within tasks and there is an edit item button to edit it. The list tab near the top of the screen contains RSS & alerts and alerts is also on the items tab allowing you to set these up. The feed from the RSS is normally displayed in Outlook. The back end of Sharepoint is literally a database and the front end is literally a website. If you go back into tasks you can sort in ascending or alphabetical order or in descending order which is the opposite. The option for this is a drop down box at the top of the column. Filtering which only displays items based on a criteria is done by ticking or unticking a box next to each record of a list. Sharepoint has a mobile view to display it on most tablets and mobile phones. Finally there is a gantt option to show tasks in relation to one another.

 

Microsoft Sharepoint 2013

The book I read to research this post was Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 Unleashed which is a very good book which I read at http://safaribooksonline.com. Although I’m currently doing a video training course I thought this book would supplement what I learn and was right because it goes into a lot of detail. A lot of the information even if you build sharepoint sites as part of your job you would probably never have to implement but it’s handy as a reference. You can upgrade from Sharepoint 2010 but if you have an earlier version will have to upgrade to 2010 first. This of course means that most of the features on your sharepoint site should still work after the upgrade. There are 3 versions of sharepoint, foundation which is free and just has the core features. Standard which is ideal for the small business and Enterprise which is loaded with features and is for bigger concerns. Sharepoint integrates with the other Microsoft products like Office 2013, SQL Server 2012 & R2 2008, Windows 2008 R2 & 2012 Lync 2013 & Exchange Server 2013. It has limited support for programs like Office 2010 but most features will still run. There is a free download called Sharepoint Designer 2013 which is the successor to the old Front Page program but is very different. The first version of Sharepoint came out in 2003 and each subsequent version has been a substantial upgrade. A sharepoint site is about people collaborating online in projects and one feature is wikis that let you store different versions of your work so if it doesn’t work out you can always roll back to an earlier version. I did really enjoy this book which is quite interesting and would recommend it.

 

Sharepoint 2013 Part B

This is the 2nd installment in my blog post series on Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 which is based on what I learn doing the video training course by Infinite Skills on this software. A sharepoint site will normally have sharepoint in its URL and may be a public site which is searchable in search engines or a private or intranet site only accessible on the business network. On your sharepoint homepage there is a back and forward buttons like in a browser. There is a name box containing your name and people don’t generally use other people’s accounts to get to a sharepoint site. There is a follow button with a star icon that you click to follow someone. Following is a similar thing to in Twitter where you are primarily following that persons updates. There is an edit button which of course edits that page. It has a ribbon in keeping in with the trend Microsoft have set with their Office products although the actual buttons are quite different. There are home and edit links buttons which I think are self explanatory. There is a menu that lists the main pages on the site and a site content button that lists every page. The ribbon varies according to what is set as the page or site you are in. An example is a calendar page might have a calendar tab and its buttons associated with it. There is a search box but especially if working for a large organization you need to be specific when searching and use things like the people filter. When you type a persons name auto complete helps you by listing possibilities. The language set for the site generally uses the default language set for the computer but you can set a second language. In profile you can change you photo by clicking change your photo. You can also adjust privacy settings for anything in your profile so either it is public or only you can see it. You can follow sites and documents in addition to people. In newsfeed there are status updates which let everyone who follows you know what you currently doing and saves a lot of repetition. Tasks which can be aggregated from a variety of sources including multiple sharepoint sites and is compatible with microsoft project are stored under my tasks. There are also settings where you can adjust things like how long you want a new task displayed as such & the default is 1 day.

Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 Part A

This is the 1st installment in my blog post series on Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 which is based on what I learn doing the video training course Using Sharepoint 2013 by Infinite Skills. Sharepoint is a website often called a sharepoint site and central repository for workers information. You can share documents and as long as you have the necessary permissions can search for stuff. It allows file sharing and integrates with programs like Exchange 2013 & Office 365. Most work is done within your web browser and information is in the form of files and folders with a lot of stuff being stored in sub folders. A sharepoint site is normally a top level site with lots of subsites and things like libraries forming a hierarchy. Everything is termed a site collection although a small firm might only have a single site. Generally each department within a company will have a sub site. Employees will often have what we call a mysite and all this works equally well as an internet site or intranet site. All sites have a URL which has a hierarchy beginning with the name of the website and working down through the various subcategories. A home page which is the page you first land on in either a main site or a subsite will contain home in the address. Internet Explorer which is also made by Microsoft is fully supported through versions 8-10 and other versions and browsers will work most of the time with mostly minor if any glitches. Active X controls sometimes don’t work with other browsers. If you work quite a lot with a particular webpage you can save it as a favorite to make it easy to subsequently find. HTTPS means a site is a secure site requiring a password and user name etc. A lot of the sharepoint pages end with the filetype .aspx which is a file type generic to this program. The foundation version doesn’t support mysites but the standard, enterprise and office 365 versions do. If you are merely learning how to use Sharepoint I would recommend getting a single user account of the office 365 version which is just $4 per month and is good value. Sharepoint also integrates with social media sites and you can follow others and have updates about them put on your mysite which centralizes it and saves you having to go to there page.