Since a few weeks i have been using and LOVING powershell for providing SharePoint functionality.
Working with SharePoint AND powershell is really powerfull
But every now and then, it’s not easy to find the right information.

I wanted to create a powershell script that automates the creation of the registry keys for using the PDF iFilter.
The keys have been posted on the internet multiple times, but always from the point of view of using Regedit.

I wanted it to be done by using powershell.
Information on how to create regsitry keys and values is also greatly explained on the internet, but always based on string  values.
The pdf ifilter uses more. reg-dword for example.

So i started my search for the property types of the registry and how they are called in powershell. And that was not easy.
Eventually i ended up at …. technet. Where it should be

But since i couldn’t find it easily, i decided to create a blog about it.
Hereby the mapping between powershell and registry of value mappings

REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 14, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Microsoft Office 365, the company’s next-generation cloud productivity service, is the first and only major cloud-based platform to offer leading information privacy and security standards for customers operating in the European Union and United States. As part of its contractual commitment to customers, Microsoft will now sign the EU’s model clauses, which will help customers certify compliance with the European Commission’s stringent Data Protection Directive, and the U.S.-mandated Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Link to full article

In the past (in the days that sharepoint still was called MOSS ) we often used port 10000 for central administration. Until we installed it at a customer who had BackupExec as their backup solution.

Seems that the BackupExec agent uses port 10000 to communicate with the BackupExec server. This forced us to review our Central Admin port strategy. Instead of simply using a convenient port number, we decided to research what would be a good port number.

We asked our customer which ports the all used, and we finally decided on a new port number for CA.

When SharePoint 2010 arrived we kept using our chosen port number.

Today, a customer told me that they could no longer backup their server on which SharePoint was installed.
They were using: Backup Exec

So my first guess was, backup exec changed the portnumber of their agent. But this wasn’t the case.

After some investigation it seems that BackupExec 12.5 agent stops working when SharePoint 2010 is installed.

The 12.5 version doesn’t support SharePoint 2010, but in this case was also not needed. We simply wanted to backup files fro the file system.
The SharePoint agent was not to be used.

But the backup exec agent thinks otherwise. It has 2 SharePoint dll’s on board and it really want to see if it can connect to SharePoint.

even when the dll’s are build for older version of sharepoint, it will try to make a connection. And that’s the issue. It simply cannot connect but the process hangs itself trying to connect.

The solution:

1. Stop the backupexec service on the sharepoint server
2. goto to the RAWS directory
3. rename the sharepoint dll’s (bedssps2.dll, bedssps3.dll) so the no longer function as dll (add .old)
4. restart the backup exex service

Your backup exec server should be able to connect to the sharepoint server again.

Symantec has a support page on this issue:http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH125045

As of SharePoint 2010 it’s really simple to change the port number of Central Administration.

When installing the stand-alone version of SharePoint (which generates a portnumber) or simply if you want to change it (maybe some other software wants to use that port)

The simplest way to accomplish this is by using a powershell command.

Type : Set-SPCentralAdministration -Port <your preferred portnumber>

It will change the portnumber on the fly.

BUT…… Keep the following in mind when changing the portnumber.
The moment a webapplication is created, a directory is created based on the original portnumber. When you change the portnumber, the name of the dorectory will NOT be changed and still refelct the original portnumber.

Directory: C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\<original portnumber>

If the names of these directories don’t match your expectations, always take a look at the configuration in IIS.
In IIS you can see both the directory and portnumber and you might see that someone changed the portnumber.

recently i noticed on a page that the database limit of SQl express was extended.

First of all: what is SQL express. It’s the free version of Microsoft’s SQL server.
because it’s free, it’s (ofcourse) limited. One of these limitations is the maximum database size.

this was always : 4 Gb.
But , as of version 2008R2 (express) this limitation is extended to 10 GB.

Although SharePoint comes OOTB with SQL express 2008 (without the R2), you can cheat during installation. That way you can have a larger database, but still use the free version of SQL. Install SQL 2008R2 express BEFORE installing SharePoint and install it using an Named Instance.

I already showed how this can be accomplished using the full SQL version here.

For more information about SQL express, take a look at the following URL’s

general info about SQL express 2008R2: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/editions/express.aspx

Limitation or differences between the versions of SQL 2008 R2 (including the 10 Gb db limit):http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/product-info/compare.aspx

For development and testing i usually install the standalone version of SharePoint 2010.

I start with installing win2008R2, then i install sql2008r2, then i install the SharePoint pre-requisites, and when i start installing SharePoint i always realize, i don’t have the option to use the installed sql server. Standalone ALWAYS installs sql express and uses this as the database server.

So i end up with 2 sql instllations.

an alternative is to install a farm, based on local accounts, but that’s not always what i want.

For those who want that, take a look at this article : http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/blogs/fromthefield/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=112

So, when i wanted to setup a development environment again i wanted to start with SQL installation. However, this time i remembered i don’t need it.

But what if i still want to use it instead of the express version.

that’s when an idea popped up. What would happen if i installed sql as an instance with the name …….. SHAREPOINT.

The same instance name that SharePoint uses for the express installation.

I installed sql2008R2 as an instance with the name SHAREPOINT and then installed SharePoint.

And guess what …. it used the SHAREPOINT instance i created as database for the SharePoint installation.

Voila. SharePoint standalone installation on the full SQL version.

regards,

Eric

This project extends the Visual Studio 2010 SharePoint project system with advanced templates and tools. Using these extensions you will be able to find relevant information from your SharePoint environments without leaving Visual Studio. You will have greater productivity while developing SharePoint components and you will have greater deployment capabilities on your local SharePoint installation.

For all developers there are several features you will like.

Get it here.

ever tried working with SharePoint 2010 from your Ipad, and wondered why not everything is working?

It’s because the webbrowser of the Ipad is not supported by SharePoint.

However, you can “fool” SharePoint in making it believe it’s a supported browser.

Follow this link on the Microsoft SharePoint Blog to find out more.

Packages Impacted

The Cumulative Update packages affected are the Server Packages for SharePoint Foundation, SharePoint Server and Project Server 2010, specifically; 

1. SharePoint Server Package 2394320
2. Project Server Package 2394322

go here for more information

Don’t know if you ever heard of the tool, but i like it.

When analysing (big) log files, it’s nice to have a tool that can help you with that.
the log files that SharePoint creates are not very friendly. this tool comes to the aid.

Get it here: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/ULSViewer