Well,i m not an SharePoint expert,well just a beginner who knows that there are lots of Articles,blogs,and books regarding SharePoint..but want to share what i grasped or gain little bit of knowledge,which ShrePoint beginners find hard to find around.
What is SharePoint?
SharePoint is a set of products and technologies with informative and collaborative web-based capabilities that help people create, organize, distribute, and maintain stored knowledge.
SharePoint web sites and pages are commonly used to:-
1.intranet portals
2.extranet portals
3.team sites
4.public-facing Internet sites
and many more..
Why SharePoint was needed by many organisations?
1.a need for better document management than file system can offer
2.improved collaboration b/w users with minimal learning curve
3.a better intranet
4.centralized way to search for information
5.creation of a portal
SharePoint features
1.Collaboration
2.Portal
3.Search
4.Enterprise Content Management
5.Forms Driven Business Process
6.Business Intelligence
7.Management
8.Platform
and bla bla bla,i know all this stuff u'll get from Net,with the help of we can say GOD of this Internet World "The GOOGLE",where u can find answer's which even God can't answer.
So what's this article all about!!! well here i m poking some information which i gathered or researched from various Blog's,Books and yes The Great Google,which u can't find alltogether in a single stuff...
What's the History behind,this Microsoft's ever most popular,productive,and yes most Money making Product?
Every body say's that,Like most portal products, SharePoint allows visitors to create custom views of the Web site.But what's this Portal Product means?
Portla Products are mainly divided into two categories:-
1.A Web portal or public portal
2.An enterprise portal.
Let's handle this one by one
I).A Web portal or public portal refers to a Web site or service that offers a broad array of resources and services, such as e-mail, forums, search engines, and online shopping malls. The first Web portals were online services, such as AOL, that provided access to the Web, but by now most of the traditional search engines have transformed themselves into Web portals to attract and keep a larger audience.
II).An enterprise portal is a Web-based interface for users of enterprise applications. Enterprise portals also provide access to enterprise information such as corporate databases, applications (including Web applications), and systems.
Note:-"Want to know More on Portal",have some patience man its been discused below...
So this Web Site customozation can be be very simple or very complex, depending on the type and version of the product that is installed. In addition, SharePoint has a powerful collaboration model that is tightly integrated with the Office 2003 suite.
The current version of SharePoint is its third (despite its name i.e Sharepoint 2007).
So what were the previous one?
Well they are:-
1.SharePoint Portal Server 2001.
2.SharePoint Portal Server 2003(SPS).
3.SharePoint 2007
Note:-As U all know,every day Microsoft have something new for there User's....Not surprisingly,they are introducing SharepPoint 2010 very soon(Hat's Off Microsoft,they do not provide Best,They provide Best of the Bestest.)
SharePoint Background
Digital Dashboard.:-Microsoft's first portal application was called Digital Dashboard(introduced in 1999 and 2000). This product introduced the concept of Web parts — boxes of information on a page that represented a summary or overview of information. (Other vendors referred to these items as "portlets.") By assembling multiple parts on a page, each user could customize his view of the portal to contain the information that pertained to them. In theory, every visitor of the site could have different content at the same URL. However, the technology behind the Digital Dashboard was not up to the task, and it never made it out of the beta stage.
In 2001, Microsoft released SharePoint Portal Server (SPS) and SharePoint Team Services (STS).
SharePoint Portal Server (SPS):-SPS provided three key functions:
1.it was a portal
2.it had basic document management
3.it had search.
At the same time, Microsoft's Office group was working toward a collaboration solution. The need for many people to contribute to a single document or worksheet was growing. And, these people were not necessarily working at the same location. The result was SharePoint Team Services (STS), a Web-based solution that allowed shared access to information and documents. STS also allowed end-users to make changes to the site via a Web browser instead of requiring a development-oriented application.
The merging of the collaboration and aggregation functions lead to SharePoint Portal Server 2001.
SharePoint Team Services (STS):-STS on the other hand was shipped with FrontPage and provided team workspaces for collaboration. The workspace provided an online home for sharing documents and basic team collaboration.
The two products were completely separate from each other and did not integrate well together. They both provided similar functionality, but had definite differences. This created a lot of confusion for users because it was difficult to know which product was best suited for any given need or implementation.
In 2003, Microsoft completely revamped both SPS and STS. Several changes occurred. The new products were based on .NET and shared a common object model.
This revamping of both SPS and STS,leads to the introduction of SharePoint Portal Server 2003
-->Now the revamped(revised or reconstructed) STS became Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) and it is a free licensed add-on to Windows Server 2003.
>>WSS focused on advanced document management and security features.
>>And SPS focused more on being a true portal with search and personalization capabilities.
The decision for which product to use became more clear cut for users.
Note:- the WSS site definition is still called "STS" and a popular administration tool, STSADM.exe.
So what is the difference b/w SPS and WSS?
Surprisingly,SPS is a WSS site.
A useful and important fact is that SPS is a really a WSS site with a lot of fancy functionality and portal features applied on top. They look different, they act different, but underneath it all, SPS is a WSS site.
Knowing that SPS is really a WSS site is a big step to simplifying SharePoint. Are we really learning two products? No, we are learning one product and what it can do, and also learning about a set of portal features.
So which product to use?
SharePoint has come a long way from the 2001 version, and it is more clearly cut as to what product should be used for what purpose, but try explaining that to a client or a manager. The different terms and barrage of functionality differences is still confusing to the end users. Here is a good way to break it down (both for ourselves and anyone we need to explain it to):
SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (SPS)
First, when it comes to explaining and planning a SharePoint installation with a non-technical resource, don't use the acronym SPS. When trying to understand and explain SharePoint Portal Server, use the word Portal. And Portal is just that, a portal. It is a gateway to more knowledge and resources. It is meant to get information to the masses. In fact one definition of the word portal is:
Portal
A web site considered as an entry point to other web sites, often by being or providing access to a search engine.
The idea behind Portal is that it is the main launch pad to all of our WSS sites. It provides a powerful search engine that can index and search across multiple WSS sites, other portals and external sources. It provides a fast and searchable entrance to our information. Portal is meant for:
•Large audiences
•Static content
•Basic and advanced searching
•An access point for multiple WSS sites
Additional features of Portal are:
•Shared Services (connect and unify personal sites and search for multiple portals)
•Personalization
•Audience targeting
•Keywords, best bets, content sources and scopes for searching
•Personal sites
•User profiles
•Single sign-on
•Site directory
Portal is NOT meant for:
•Permission based document management
•Short term content
•Active collaboration for teams, meetings, projects or documents
We have established that Portals are for providing an access point to content. Portals get us to where we are going, and WSS sites are a major destination.
Windows SharePoint Services (WSS)
There isn't a great user friendly term for WSS sites. The term team site is sometimes used, but team sites are a type of WSS site, and there are several other types available. Let's use the term collaboration site because that is the strong suite and main function of WSS sites. Their purpose is to share information, and provide a place for collaboration with other users. Collaboration sites are meant for:
•Small audiences
•Short term or evolving content
•User collaboration on shared resources
Additional features of collaboration sites are:
•Site collections (nested sites)
•Workspaces for document and meeting collaboration
•Permission based document management
•Permission based lists
•Web parts and web part pages
•Site-level search
Collaboration sites are NOT meant for:
•Enterprise wide searching
•Large audiences
In short, collaboration sites are for information sharing and collaboration among a small group of users. The content generally has a short life-span and can be easily managed by the site users.
That in short, is a breakdown of the two products in relationship to clients, managers, content owners and contributors. Using simple terms to explain the two products will help them better understand and articulate their requirements.
Portal Server has been upgraded to run on the .Net framework and is now referred to as SharePoint 2007 a set of Products and Technologies. The "Product" is SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (SPS) and the "Technologies" are Windows SharePoint Services (WSS). A significant point about these two is that WSS is included with the Windows Server 2003 license. Any organization that is licensed for Windows Server 2003 can also host Websites that are based on WSS.
Planning is the key to any implementation and customization of a SharePoint site.
The following figure,is a summary of things explained above:
Version History of SharePoint
Services line:
SharePoint Team Services (STS) 2001
Windows SharePoint Services (2.0) (WSS 2.0) 2003
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS 3.0) 2007
next: SharePoint Foundation 2010 (SPF 2010) 2010
Server Line:
SharePoint Portal Server 2001 (SPS 2001) 2001
SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (SPS 2003) 2003
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) 2007
next: SharePoint Server 2010 (SPS 2010) 2010
Now the Best Part of the Story,What's this SharePoint "Product" and "Technology" all about?
The best way to answer this question is through the following fig.
Note:-Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 are built on top of the ASP.NET 2.0 Framework and the Microsoft .NET 3.0 Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)
...........................Now we handle this one by one.............................
So,What is SharePoint Product and Technology?
As i have explained above the terms "Product" and "Technology" of SharePoint.
Product is SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (SPS) and
Technology are Windows SharePoint Services (WSS).
SharePoint is a set of products and technologies with informative and collaborative web-based capabilities that help Users create, organize, distribute, and maintain stored knowledge. SharePoint web sites and pages are commonly used to build intranet and extranet portals and team sites, as well as public-facing Internet sites.
Here User category of SharePoint Product and Technology can fall in any type, beginning from End User's with basic knowledge of Web to hard code .NET Programmer's.
SharePoint Products and Technologies provide an extensible solution platform for the professional Microsoft .NET developer, and offer a wide array of built-in features and application hosting using well-known .NET development tools and technologies. SharePoint Products and Technologies offer a manageable and scalable server platform that employs the benefits of the 2007 Microsoft Office system client for hosting applications on an internal or Internet Web site.
The.NET developer creates Web-based solutions by using the Web development platform of ASP.NET. ASP.NET allows you to build Web-based solutions by using managed code. The ASP.NET page framework also provides new Web platform capabilities, features, and enhancements such as master pages, Web part controls, and data source controls.
Marrying the advantages and power of both platforms, with the release of the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Microsoft provides products and technologies such as Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 that are built on top of ASP.NET 2.0. Now the professional .NET developer, can use your knowledge of .NET technologies to develop on the SharePoint platform to create a new set of Web solutions.
What are SharePoint Products and Technologies?
SharePoint Products and Technologies provide a foundation for collaboration, business intelligence, enterprise content management, people and personalization services, Enterprise Search, integration of LOB data, and processes.
SharePoint Products and Technologies include the following:
•Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. A set of services for collaboration and a foundation for building Web-based applications on Windows Server. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is included in Windows Server 2003 and in Windows Server 2008, and is also available separately as a download.
•Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. A single, integrated application that provides sites (locations) where employees can efficiently collaborate with team members, find organizational resources, search for experts and corporate information, manage content and workflow, and make use of business insight to reach better-informed decisions. Office SharePoint Server 2007 is part of the 2007Microsoft Office system. For more information, see the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 frequently asked questions.
•Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007. A designer and developer tool that enables you to quickly build solutions that include both design and workflow.
Now comes the topic which inspires me to create this blog
What is WSS 3 and MOSS 2007 and what the diffrence b/w them?
So here i elaborate these two Products of SharePoint one by one,with FAQ's which most of us bound to ask....well dont khow about others,but really it was a crap for me.I was totally confused.
Well,now i think i know little bit with the help of some online forums and blogs which helped me alot,if i go wrong please point and correct me!!!
SharePoint 2007=WSS 3/or MOOS 2007/0r WSS 3 + MOSS 2007
WSS=Windows SharePoint Services 3
MOSS=Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
The previous version of SharePoint was WSS 2.0 + SPS 2003 (SharePoint Portal Server).
Windows SharePoint Services(WSS)
->Current version WSS 3.0
Starting from WSS 3,it stands for Windows SharePoint Services.WSS is part of Windows Server, specifically Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.It is not automatically installed. You must first install IIS (Internet Information Server) and ASP.NET 2.0, plus .NET 3.0.
Some Points Regarding WSS
->Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) is a technology provided as an extension to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (and above).
->WSS is free, and if it was not provided as an option when you installed Windows Server, you can download and install any time.
->provides a platform for collaboration applications, offering a common framework for document management and a common repository for storing documents of all types.
Note:-WSS act as a Framework,on which MOSS is build(Explained Later)
->It provides a stack of features (or services), including
--Administration
--document management & collaboration,
--Wikis, Blogs, RSS feeds,
--strong Office integration (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint) including alerts and synchronisation,
--basic workflow,
--some search capabilities,
--It has the foundational elements such as security and storage services,
--Web Part.
->WSS is good for small team and small projects,Small organizations with limited needs and document management uses only WSS for web development,as it is free and easy to install.This allows organizations to quickly implement WSS and setup an internal company web. The creation of sites and spaces is easy and once the underlying foundation is set up, requires little if no assistance from an organization’s IT team.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server(MOSS)
->Current Version 2007
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a server product that builds on the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 technology.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) takes the collaborative foundation of WSS to another level. With an additional software investment, MOSS 2007allows organizations to take the foundation laid by WSS v3.0 and expand on it.
Office SharePoint Server 2007 also allows you to create Web-based solutions and sites that support specific content publishing, content management, records management, or business intelligence needs. Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides built-in components to help you create rich Web-based solutions. As a result, Office SharePoint Server 2007 can greatly reduce the development time and provide enterprise-scale capabilities to meet business-critical needs.
MOSS comes in two main versions: Standard and Enterprise.
(1)MOSS Standard
MOSS Standard has stacks of features including:
-Enterprise Content Management
-Portals
-comprehensive Workflow
-Enterprise Search (which allows you to crawl a number of data sources)
-People management (which includes all the My Site stuff, Personalisation features, Single Sign On and more)
-Analytics (which includes all the usage and auditing functions for example: you can audit who is searching for what)
(2)MOSS Enterprise
MOSS Standard also has stacks of features of Standard edition + including:
-Business Data Catalog or BDC (which is a means of linking SharePoint to basically anything including SQL Servers, Oracle Servers, Microsoft CRM, SAP and more, and providing the BI functions including dashboards and KPIs)
-Excel 2007 Services (which allow Excel spreadsheets to be 'hosted' and rendered, and even accessed as web services)
-Forms server (see below)
Some Points regarding MOSS
->MOSS is separate product by itself and it needs licensing and it has a good amount of cost.means not free like WSS.
->MOSS builds on top of WSS,so it includes features of WSS technology + its own.
->Additional features of MOSS sit on top of WSS, use the core WSS framework, and extend it in such a way that is beneficial to larger companies, enterprise deployments, and portal scenarios.
->MOSS builds upon WSS and adds:
» Additional workflows
» Web content management (web publishing features)
» Records management
» Auditing
» Additional search such as people search
» My Sites (each user has their own personal site with public and private areas)
» Enterprise features such as Excel Services and BDC.
FAQ's Regarding WSS and MOSS
Installation
1.Which one to select MOSS or WSS?
Ans.It depends upon organizations horizon's,means installing WSS is sufficient.And for extra set of web site and functionality MOSS is used.
2.Is it necessary to install WSS first,to use features of MOSS?
Ans.No,rather one should install MOSS only (and not WSS),to use feature of MOSS.
3.Can we install WSS on a machine running with MOSS installed?
Ans.No,machine can respond in other way.If a machine is using MOSS,one must not install WSS seperatly,as installing only MOSS also installs WSS technology at the same time.
4.Can we install MOSS on a machine running with WSS installed?
Ans.Yes,its totally different case from Question No.3,if a machine is already using WSS services,MOSS can be installed on top of it to gain extra funtionality.(MOSS sits on top of WSS,and uses features of WSS + its own)
Summary:-
>Installimg MOSS in a fresh system,enables users to use SharePoint 2007 as WSS services or we can say technology is a part of MOSS installation.
>Also point to remember that,System cannot use SharePoint 2007 if MOSS is installed without WSS services.NOT WSS Product(dont,confuse the related term's WSS Product and WSS Technology)
Okay lets handle this first...
WSS Product & WSS Services
WSS Product
-WSS Product is free product and can be downloaded easily from Microsoft's Site at any time.
-WSS Product when installed,it install's WSS Services or Technology.
Note:-If a large organization wants to use SharePoint 2007,MOSS should be there first choice.
WebSite Development
1.Is it possible to develope sharepoint web site and page using WSS only?
Ans.Yes,fairly it is possible to develope site but it just uses the technology to create a basic set of sites and functions. Basicaly one must use WSS for small projects,and enterprise(which have limited requirements).
