SharePoint 2010
Welcome
September 28, 2010
How to set up Windows 2008 Server and install SharePoint 2010
More to follow soon.
September 20, 2010
32-bit and 64-bit Hardware for SharePoint
Forget 32-bit, unless you are installing SharePoint 2007 Foundation.
If you want to set up a SharePoint Server, whether it is SharePoint
2007 or 2010, there are a few requirements you might want to consider
prior to making any hardware purchases.
Caution When Purchasing Hardware for Sharepoint
If you are going to set up a development environment with SharePoint
on your desktop or laptop, the purchase of hardware is made much
more simple. All you need to set up your own development environment
is a typical x64 motherboard, cpu with four cores, and a minimal
amount of RAM, about 2GB, but it is much more preferable to have 4GB
to 8GB of RAM.
However, if you are going to set up a Production Server, you must
be very careful in the motherboad you purchase. You must ensure that
the motherboard's manufacturer, in the case of SharePoint 2010,
provides the device drivers for Windows Sever 2008. (For SharePoint
2007, Windows Server 2003 device drivers.) SharePoint 2007 Foundation
works fine on 32-bit Windows 2008 Server.
If you are going to set up SharePoint 2010 Foundation, or SharePoint
2010 Server, as a Developer, you may use Windows Vista, Windows 7,
or even Windows Server 2008, configured as a super workstation.
For the SharePoint 2010 Server production setup, it is required
that you have either Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2, or Windows
Server 2008 R2. Remember that some x64 motherboards do not support
Windows 2008 Server. Be careful what you buy. If the motherboard's
manufacturer cannot provide you the required device drivers, you will
not be able to load SharePoint 2010, as only SharePoint 2007
Foundation will work on a 32-bit machine.
Motherboard/CPU Costs
You may spend anywhere from $350 to $450 for the motherboard and
another $150 for the four core cpu. And, then there is the cost
of RAM. A local computer store owner recommended that I estimate
about $50 per 2 GB of RAM needed. Costs go up fast for servers.
Other Points
By the way, when you set up your server, give the server the name
you want it to have permanently, before you install SharePoint,
because changing it after the SharePoint installation is a bit
tedious. I didn't like the name which the Windows Server 2008
installation process had given my machine, so I renamed it, not
realizing that SharePoint would stop working immediately.
It was easier for me, at this point, to uninstall SharePoint
and reinstall it. Yes, it was loads of fun! And, it is best to
learn from other people's mistakes.
Cecil Champenois