Quick Links

- MSDN site: SharePoint Guidance

- Future friendly url: http://microsoft.com/spg

- Download: SharePoint Guidance - November 2008

- Codeplex site: http://codeplex.com/spg

- Community Forum: http://www.codeplex.com/spg/Thread/List.aspx

Guidance at a Glance

This guidance helps architects and developers build SharePoint intranet applications. The guidance contains a reference implementation (RI) that demonstrates solutions to common architectural, development, and lifecycle management challenges. This guidance discusses the following:

- Architectural decisions about patterns, feature factoring, and packaging.

- Design tradeoffs for common decisions many developers encounter.

- Implementation examples demonstrated in the RI and in the QuickStarts.

- How to design for testability, create unit tests, and run continuous integration.

- Set up of development, build, test, staging, and production environments.

- Managing the application life cycle including upgrade.

- Team-based intranet application development.

The following areas are not discussed in this version of the guidance:

- Content-oriented sites that use Web content management.

- Internet and enterprise-scale SharePoint applications.

- Multilingual SharePoint applications.

- Scale or security testing of SharePoint applications.

Feedback

Your  feedback is invited. Please post it under Discussions on Codeplex. 

Information on Microsoft patterns & practices

Visit us at http://msdn.microsoft.com/practices/ to see the full line of existing patterns & practices.

Today the world's most popular browser just got a whole lot better.

We launched in English, German, Simplified Chinese and Japanese, and then follow with another 21 languages in mid-September.  You can download IE8 Beta 2 now at http://ww.microsoft.com/ie8

The bottom line is that IE8 is faster, easier and safer.  To get a feel for the new IE8 experience, check out the videos here, download the product, and try it out.   Here are some AWESOME features:

• Accelerators - Highlight an address, click the blue button and hover over "Map" or try Right Clicking a Page and Choosing Translate with Windows Live. Check out the new IE Gallery that has cool accelerators and slices from Digg to FaceBook to Ebay
• Web Slices - Visit Live Search, search for "Seattle Weather" (or major city relevant to your region), hover over the rich search result and click the green button.  Click it to add a Weather Web Slice to your Favorites Bar.
• Search Suggestions - Go to your Instant Search Box (top right) and type a search to see search suggestions in action.
• Navigation - Use the new Smart Address Bar to quickly find sites you've visited before.  The Smart Address Bar searches your history, favorites AND feeds for pages that match what you're typing.
• Security:  IE8 has the best security features in the market today from its updated Smartscreen phishing and malware filter to domain highlighting to the industry leading cross-site scripting filter so I feel my machines, my identity and my family will be safer on the Internet.

Below are just a few things that IE8 has that Firefox doesn't:

• Out-of-the box integrated Accelerators put your favorite blog, mapping, mail, search and other services a click-away
• Built-in Privacy mode keeping you in control of what information you share and with whom, both on your PC and on the web
• Rich visual search results and instant answers from partners like Wikipedia, New York Times, and Amazon
• Intuitive tab grouping and color coding to mirror the way you browse and help organize your browsing experience
• Automatic tab-level crash recovery for uninterrupted browsing

We released to web early this week (7/15) three new important updates that affect SharePoint Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Project Server 2007, Search Server 2008, Search Server 2008 Express and Project Professional 2007.

The Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297) applies to:

• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
• Microsoft Office Project Server 2007
• Microsoft Search Server 2008
• Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express

The Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB951695) applies to:

• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

The Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Project 2007 (KB951547) applies to:

• Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007

The Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers contains the new Enterprise Search features that were shipped in Search Server 2008 and Search Server 2008 Express that were are not already in SharePoint Server 2007; this includes Federated Search capability, a unified administration dashboard and several Search core platform performance updates.  Read more about the new Search features here.

There are several Content Deployment updates included in both the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers and the Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. These updates address many of the top customer reported issues with Content Deployment.  Read more about the Content Deployment updates here.

The Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297) and the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Project 2007 (KB951547) include several usability and performance updates for Project Server 2007 and Project Professional 2007 in addition to addressing the top customer reported issues.  Read more about the Project Server and Project Professional updates here and in this White Paper.

All three updates contain fixes and product performance updates driven by customer feedback which have resulted in significant platform performance improvements in several areas.  There has also been a focus on several core platform components, including improvements to upgrade, future patching and servicing, several targeted updates for workflow, the Business Data Catalog and inter-farm server authentication with Kerberos.  For more detailed information please read the KB articles listed further on in this post.

We strongly recommend that you install the updates that apply to you as soon as your patching and maintenance schedules permit.

The updates can be downloaded from the links below:

• · Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297) - x86
• · Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297) - x64
• · Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB951695) - x86
• · Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB951695) - x64
• · Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Project 2007 (KB951547) - x86

* The updates are applicable to all shipping languages.

Installation Instructions are available from the links below:

• · Deploy Software Updates for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• · Deploy Software Updates for Office SharePoint Server 2007 - This article also applies to Project Server 2007, SharePoint Server 2007, Search Server 2008 and Search Server 2008 Express.
• · Install the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (Office SharePoint Server 2007)
• · Install the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (Search Server 2008)

Related Knowledge Base Articles are available from the links below:

• · Description of the Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB951695)
• · Fixes Included in the Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB953749)
• · Description of the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297)
• · Fixes Included in the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB953750)
• · Description of the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Project 2007 (KB951547)
• · Fixes Included in the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Project 2007 (KB953751)

Please read and familiarize yourself with the installation instructions before you start.

For reference the following products require the following updates to be applied.

If you are running SharePoint Server 2007 you should:

1. Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1) if you haven't already
2. Install 2007 Microsoft Office Servers Service Pack 1 (SP1) if you haven't already.
3. Install the Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB951695).
4. Cancel out of the "SharePoint 3.0 Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard". (You CAN run the wizard if you want. It will just save you time if you run it once at the end.)
5. Install Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297)
6. Run the "SharePoint 3.0 Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard".

If you are running Project Server 2007 you should:

1. Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1) if you haven't already
2. Install 2007 Microsoft Office Servers Service Pack 1 (SP1) if you haven't already.
3. Install the Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB951695).
4. Cancel out of the "SharePoint 3.0 Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard". (You CAN run the wizard if you want. It will just save you time if you run it once at the end.)
5. Install Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297)
6. Run the "SharePoint 3.0 Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard".
7. You should also then install the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Project 2007 (KB951547) on all Project Professional 2007 client PC's.

If you are running Search Server 2008 or Search Server 2008 Express you should:

1. Install the Infrastructure Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (KB951695).
2. Cancel out of the "SharePoint 3.0 Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard". (You CAN run the wizard if you want. It will just save you time if you run it once at the end.)
3. Install Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers (KB951297)
4. Run the "SharePoint 3.0 Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard".

If you are running Project Professional 2007 you should Install the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Project 2007 (KB951547).

The installation process will incur server and farm downtime that you will need to plan for - updates should be installed on all servers in a farm.

Related blog posts:

• · The SharePoint ITPro documentation team blog - Infrastructure Updates
• · Office Sustained Engineering blog - Announcing Availability of Infrastructure Updates
• · Get the Point, Microsoft Office SharePoint Blog - What's new in the MOSS 2007 Infrastructure Update?

Original Post: http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2008/07/15/announcing-availability-of-infrastructure-updates.aspx

The International SharePoint Professionals Association ("ISPA") is the first independent, community-run, not-for-profit organization designed specifically for SharePoint Professionals. ISPA is a professional association dedicated to the promotion and global adoption of Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies.  The Association provides support and guidance to the community  by establishing connections between SharePoint professionals and groups, resources, education and information.

Muhanad Omar in Jordan is listed in ISPA Regional Evangelists List.

A very nice initiative that will increase SharePoint awareness among different roles and communities.

Thanks for the great board for bringing this alive.

Quoted from http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/blogs/mikeg/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=1090

Endusersharepoint.com has posted a very nice Excel Sheet tool that allows people manage their site structure planning. As others said i would love to see this tool has Audience Management, Site Quota Management, Security Groups and content types structure as well. Over All I Liked as many will do what Mark has started..

Worksheet URL

Two Big Chances to Help Desktop IT Pros!

The New, Windows Client TechCenter
Today, we officially launched the new Windows Client TechCenter, merging the Windows XP and Windows Vista TechCenters with the Springboard Series lifecycle approach to give IT pros a one-stop source for all of the Windows Client guidance, downloads, and community resources they need to adopt and manage Windows in a desktop environment.

Key features of the new TechCenter include:

· New "zones" for top tasks related to application compatibility, User Account Control (UAC), imaging, hardware compatibility and performance, desktop security and encryption, and networking.

· Improved organization of resources by lifecycle phase and technical level (overview or advanced)

· Advice from subject matter experts at Microsoft and in the community

· New information on ways to advance and simplify desktop management

· Available in 8 languages: French, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Germany, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, and Italian

Show IT pros that we listen to their feedback!
Visit www.microsoft.com/springboard today and share your thoughts about the new Windows Client TechCenter in your blog!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 18^th Virtual Roundtable on Windows Vista Security
Let's talk Windows Vista security! On Wednesday June 18^th at 9:00AM Pacific Time, Microsoft Technical Fellow and desktop guru Mark Russinovich will again be hosting a live, interactive Springboard Series virtual roundtable-this time on the topic of Windows Vista security.

As with the March roundtable on deployment, Microsoft will be taking questions from those tuning in for the live event. Questions can also be submitted in advance by e-mailing vrtable@microsoft.com.

Give IT pros the chance to join the discussion!
Tell them to visit https://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard and register for the June 18^th event today!

For those who can't tune in at 9:00AM, the roundtable will also be available on demand at https://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard shortly after the conclusion of the live event.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------