Microsoft SharePoint Bases - Useful Links

Hi guys hope you are well and enjoying my blogJ in this post I am sharing some useful links. As you all know, to understand new technology you should have strong basics and concepts. Same case is with SharePoint Server, it is highly depends on networking, active directory, OSI layers, IIS and SQL server concepts. Please go through these links and refresh you IT knowledge it will definitely help you to better understand Microsoft SharePoint 2010.

Networking Concepts
· OSI Layers – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc977633.aspx and  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/103884

· Address Classes – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc940018.aspx
· DNS – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc779489(WS.10).aspx
· DHCP – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc780760(WS.10).aspx
· Firewalls – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc527574(WS.10).aspx

AD (Active Directory) Concepts
· AD – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742424.aspx
· AD Fundamentals Webcast – https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032295120&CountryCode=US

IIS (Internet Info. Server) Concepts
· Core IIS Administration – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727092.aspx
· Web Site Administration (IIS 6.0) – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/33e0a51a-5f8a-40f2-9923-cdd604e1a812.mspx?mfr=true

SQL Server Concepts
· Overview of SQL Server – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966521.aspx
· SQL query basics – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb264565(SQL.90).aspx
· SQL Server backup restore – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms187048.aspx

Please don't forget to comment thanks :)

SharePoint 2010 Logical Architecture

In this post I am going explain about logical architecture of SharePoint 2010. The logical architecture is basically structure of SharePoint contents; it explains how SharePoint is managing and storing contents.
See below figure of SharePoint 2010 logical architecture, you will have better idea how SharePoint defines the content structure.

The logical architecture includes three elements in a SharePoint 2010 deployment including:

1.       Server farms

2.       Sites

3.       Site collections

I am trying to give an overview about all three elements In this post, reset I will suggest please read complete Chapter 2 from book SharePoint 2010 Administration by Tom Carpenter and James Pyles.

Evolution of SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint is not a new technology it is among us since 2001. Microsoft's continues enhancements each and every year make it more scalable, robust and powerful. Now in 2012 this product is on its full boom and popular everywhere. But Microsoft is still enhancing this product and makes more changes; you might have heard Microsoft is releasing SharePoint 15. I am not going to that path now :) I am new student of SharePoint and I have to dig it from scratch.

In this post I am going to explain history of SharePoint when it was started and where it is standing now.
I have referenced this article from book [SharePoint 2010 User's Guide by Seth Bates and Tony Smith]

Microsoft’s SharePoint technology was initially introduced in 2001 with the release of SharePoint Portal Server 2001. This product provided some fundamental tools made to allow users to publish and find documents. It allowed for the creation and management of document taxonomies and represented the first step in providing a way to catalogue and search for documents across an enterprise.

SharePoint Assessment Test

Hi Guys Quiz time now to test our SharePoint knowledge so far :)  This Quiz is based on first chapter of book MCT Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Configuration Study Guide. This quiz covers question about what's new in SharePoint 2010, Hardware and Software Requirments for SharePoint 2010 Server. Please try and check your answers in the end.

1.       You are a SharePoint administrator of a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 environment, and you have been tasked by your CIO to investigate the viability of upgrading your production system to SharePoint Server 2010. Which of the following options are true?(Choose all that apply.)

A. SharePoint Server 2010 is a 64-bit only application.

B. SharePoint Server 2010 can run only on 64-bit Windows Server 2003, 64-bit Windows Server 2008, and 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2.

C. SharePoint Server 2010 can only use 64-bit SQL Server 2008 for database services.

D. SharePoint Server 2010 deployed as a single server can use SQL Server 2008 Express Service Pack 1 as an integrated database.

SharePoint 2010 Environment Requirements

This article is referenced from book MCTS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Configuration Study Guide. This entire book is related to SharePoint exam 667. I extracted few important bits from first chapter of this book and I am explaining about hardware and software requirements for SharePoint 2010:

1.       SharePoint Server 2010 is a 64-bit only application.

2.       SharePoint Server 2010 will be able to run only on 64-bit Windows Server 2008 or 64-bit Windows Server 2008 R2.

3.       SharePoint Server 2010 will be able to use only 64-bit SQL Server 2008 or 64-bit SQL Server 2005 for database services.

SharePoint 2010 Single Server farm deployment guide

To learn any IT technology you need to be familiar with environment and it is the best way to learn things and practice. Books and reading material can only give you theoretical knowledge but to get practical knowledge you must have hands on technology. Especially students like me who wants to pass Microsoft certifications must have setup practical environment, so that they could understand things better.

In this post I am going to explain how we can setup SharePoint 2010 demo environment and do practice.

I am going to do Single Server farm deployment which is a complete all-in-one installation of SharePoint 2010 and the infrastructure components on a single server. The AD (active directory) and DNS are installed on separate servers.

We are going to setup SharePoint environment with two servers. One server is for our Active Directory, Domain Controller and DNS server, other server is for SharePoint and Database Server.

	SharePoint Server Database Server
	Active Directory DNS

SharePoint Exam Guide From Microsoft

In this post i am trying to explain about all possible exam paths for SharePoint.

Basically there are two tracks

1. SharePoint Administration Track
2. SharePoint Development Track

To complete SharePoint Administration track you need to pass two Exams

1. 667 - TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring
2. 668 - PRO: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Administrator

For Development track you need to pass these two exams

1.573 - TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development
2. 576 - PRO: Designing and Developing Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Applications

If you will pass any above mentioned SharePoint Microsoft exams you will be MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional)

If you want to gain the title MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) you need to complete either Administration track or Development track.

Guys i will suggest you go through above mentioned links and check what are exam requirements. Main think is to make you mind, which track you want to choose first.

My programming skills are not very good, i will try to choose track A first (SharePoint Administration)

Please post you comments, ideas and suggestions thanks