Me & My SharePoint: Install SharePoint 2010 on Windows Server 2008 R2

Hardware and software requirements (SharePoint Server 2010)

SharePoint Server 2010 system requirements

1. Configuring the server – Configuration operations for SharePoint 2010

We need to do some configuration before installing SharePoint 2010. Here I have explained the configuration one by one.

i. Adding Server Roles and Roles Services – Application Server – Web Server

On the Initial configuration task windows, click "Add Roles"

The "Add Roles" Wizard is opening.

Check the check box for Application Server.

The wizard opens a modal dialog for the Required Features.

Just click the "Add Required Features" button.

You are taken to and intermediate dialog. Click "Next" to go to the "Role Services" dialogs.

Click "Next"

On the "Role Services" dialog, select the followings:

.Net Framework 3.5.1

Web Server (IIS) Support

TCP Port Sharing

HTTP Activation

TCP Activation

Named Pipes Activation

Then Click "Next"

You are taken to an the intermediate page for the Web Server (IIS) Role

Click "Next"

The Select Role Services for Web Server (IIS) Role is displaying, but just let the default options.

Click "Next" to access the confirmation dialog

Then click "Install" and the Roles and Features are being installed

Check the "Installation Result" dialog and close it.

ii. Adding Desktop Experience Feature

It would be interesting for a development machine to be able to use the Windows Photo Viewer in order to check some screenshots taken during configuration phases, or when wanting to report an issue. To be able to use this feature of Windows server 2008 R2 you have to activate the Desktop Experience feature.

Go back to the “Initial Configuration tasks" window and click "Add feature", then locate "Desktop Experience" check box and check it.

2. Installing SQL Server 2008 R2

Follow normal procedure to install SQL Server. Below I have given some of the snap shots for reference

Note: If you are going with SQL Server 2008, then follow the installation steps and hot fix from the below link

http://mosshowto.blogspot.com/2009/11/installing-sharepoint-2010-windows-2008.html

3. Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Installation

i. Double click the installation package (default or splash) to lunch the installation of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.

ii. Click the "Install Software Prerequisites" in order to update, complete and check the previous preparation described in the previous sections of this post. The Microsoft SharePoint Product and technologies 2010 Preparation Tool is opening

Note: You need internet connection to download and install

Next àaccept the license agreement àthen you get following screen

iii. Back to SharePoint 2010 Installation wizard; click the “Install SharePoint Server” link.

Enter the product key and continue…

Then, choose your preferred type of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 installation – here I go with Server Farm Installation

Get the SharePoint 2010 Standalone vs Farm Installation from

http://sharepointwings.blogspot.com/2012/11/sharepoint-2010-standalone-vs-farm.html

Select the type of installation you want to install on the server. Here I go with “Complete”

Click “Install Now” to start installation

When the installation of the SharePoint files is finished you are asked to continue with the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard. Uncheck the check box and click “Close” to close the wizard

Do not continue with the Wizard, otherwise you will have an issue due to the current installation described in this post. In the SharePoint 2010 version, you are not allowed as before to mount a Farm installation on a single machine using local accounts. If you had continued with the wizard you would have been stopped in the configuration by the following issue:

the specified user Administrator is a local account. Local accounts should only be used in stand alone mode.

Fortunately there is a workaround to succeed in obtaining a Farm environment using local accounts as we used to have in the previous version that I have found in this post:

Single Server Complete Install of SharePoint 2010 using local accounts

Note: I didn’t visit this link

Let us create the service accounts we need for this.

iv. Creating several service accounts – about lease privilege administration policy

In the post concerning the Installation of the SharePoint 2010, I used a single local account that was local administrator of the machine, but for this installation, I have chosen to use 3 local accounts in order to be compliant with the least privilege administration policy.

This policy requires service accounts not to be administrator of any server of a farm, and that each service or process runs using a distinct account.

I advise to do it not only for the QA or production environment but also for development environment, and this for two reasons:

1. First, doing this will help you to debug because the traces of errors in the SharePoint log or in the event viewer sometimes report the name of the involved account and it will be easier to debug an issue if you have precise information and not always a reference to the unique "Administrator" local account.

2. Second, using the same system of accounts within the development machines and the QA and production ones can help you to prevent some bugs. Some bugs are due to the fact that the security used for service accounts are different on the development environment and the QA and production ones. So it is better if a bug linked to this security configuration occurs in your development machines than in the QA or worse in the production environment.

For these two reasons, thus, I personally think it is a good practice to have the same service accounts configuration in all your environments even on the development ones.

Regarding the least privilege administration policy, the minimal SharePoint installation requires us to create 2 more local accounts (we already have "administrator" account for installation):

1. One is for the process of the IIS Application Pool of the central administration. Assume we call it SPS_Farm

2. The second will be used for the process of the IIS Application Pool of the first Web Application if it is isolated in its own Application Pool. Assume we call the first Web Application WebApp-80 because it will use the 80 port; let us call this account SPS_WebApp.

So let us create these two accounts and configuring them in order password never expires.

v. Create the SharePoint 2010 Configuration databases using SharePoint 2010 Management Shell

Open the Management Shell

Type following command

New-SPConfigurationDatabase

Then,

Database name à choose any name, I used SharePoint_Config

Database server name àenter Database Server name, mine

You will be then prompt for the system account credential. It is now the time to pass the credential of the SPS_FARM service account. Don't forget the machine (domain) name otherwise you will get an exception of the SharePoint shell.

Then you are asked for a passphrase. You can use Pass@word1 that matches the security policies required. (This passphrase will be asked when you will add a new server to the SharePoint Farm)

At this step of the installation you can check that two operations has been performed behind the scene.

Two databases have been created in the database server referenced in the shell window.

3 web services have been created in IIS with 3 distinct application pools for each. That is a new feature of SharePoint 2010.

For more information about installing SharePoint 2010 in a production environement while being compliant with the least privilege administration policy, read this excellent post (especially the comments discussing and explaining the workaround about the "SPS_Farm" Database Access Account).

Least Privilege Service Accounts for SharePoint 2010

Here are the official Microsoft documentation links on the topic:

vi. Running the SharePoint Product Configuration Wizard

Let the option "Do not disconnect from this server farm" checked.

Then you will be prompted to choose the Central Administration Site port number. I personally always use 12345 for the configuration of all my development environments in order to type the same URL on all server.

Let the default NTLM value for the "Authentication provider", Kerberos requires network configuration we cannot perform in the current environment anyway.

Configuration Summary

Click Next to run the configuration wizard, which performs 9 configuration operations

Finally, the Configuration Wizard shows “configuration Successful” and once again summarizes the configuration

Click Finish, to close the wizard and open Central Administration, while opening CA you’re prompted to credential, enter local system administrator account.

Then you are asked to sign up to User Experience Improvement Program

Another page let you choose between configuring your farm yourself or by using a wizard

When this choice is made, you display for the first time the brand new Welcome Page of SharePoint 2010 Central Administration

As there is sometimes concern with the SharePoint Services installation with Windows 2008 Server R2, you should check that the services installation has completed successfully.

On SharePoint 2010 Central Administration Home Page under the System Settings section click Manage services on server.

You should see this screen that confirms that SharePoint Services installation has completed successfully.

vii. Creating a managed local account for SharePoint 2010

Now we have to perform operations in order the previously created local account SPS_WebApp be referenced as a managed account by SharePoint 2010.

So reopen the SharePoint 2010 shell windows and type the following:

$myWebAppServiceAccount = Get-Credential VMDEV-012\SPS_WebApp-80

You will be prompt for this account credentials:

Then, type the following

New-SPManagedAccount -Credential $myWebAppServiceAccount

The SharePoint 2010 Management Shell warns you that the managed account should be used in standalone environment since it is a local account.

viii. Creating 80 port for SharePoint 2010

SharePoint 2010 Central Administration --> Manage Web Applications --> New

I have personally chosen to create it on the default IIS web site, and as a personal usage named it

"Web App - 80"

Let the Application pool default settings, named the content database "WSS_Content_WebAppp_80"

You notice then that you have the previously service account available as a SharePoint 2010 managed account to be the account under which the process of the new Application Pool will run (Select SPS_WebApp account)

Click ok to create web application with port number 80

Finally the SharePoint 2010 Web Application is created.

Click "OK" to close the wizard and to be taken back to the Web Application Management Page where you can see the new SharePoint 2010 Web Application

Now, if we go to check what have been done behind the scene in ISS we will notice that we can retrieve a trace for our SharePoint 2010 managed local accounts:

Last, if now you use the SPS_FARM SharePoint 2010 managed local account to sign in to the Central Administration:

You will notice that you are not connected as SPS_Farm, but as System Account

This account is a Farm administrator account used ONLY to administrate the Farm using the Central Administration Web site. As it is not a local administrator of the server it cannot be used to run the SharePoint 2010 Configuration wizard, either the obsolete stsadm or psconfig tools, nor the SharePoint 2010 management shell. And there are operations that are no more available from the central administration web site when you are logged in with this account, as "Manage Services on Server".