Sharepoint

MOSS - Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server — or simply - Sharepoint.

I’m from Washington. I like moss.

Just what is Sharepoint anyway? Is it a web site? Is it a file server? What does it have to do with the Office products like Word and Powerpoint? Well, Sharepoint is a web server, so it will replace our current staff web site. It also has a nice big SQL database behind it that stores all your files like our file servers do, so it will eventually replace most of our shared mapped drives. It’s main job is to integrate with Office, so, for example, if you have a Word document open, you can simply save it to a spot on Sharepoint. If you are in Sharepoint, when you click on a document, it opens Word. It integrates with all the office products, even email. It has tons of new features that we can use once we get going, including blogs, wikis, and more.

Collaboration is what Sharepoint is all about. It is designed to allow users to share information and work together.

When it comes to all the files, computers and resources on our network , who has permission to access which files is controlled through a special database known as Active Directory. Sharepoint is also part of Active Directory. This means that to get to anything on Sharepoint you will log into it using your network login and password (the one you use for email, or the shared branch account). That makes everything in SharePoint secure. That also means that eventually it can all be made available from anywhere. For right now though, while we are getting Sharepoint ready, we won’t make it available outside the library network.

OK, the Sharepoint project is behind schedule. Way behind schedule. But the good news is it has finally reached the top of the IT list and is well on the way to rollout. In fact, you are going to be a big help in getting it ready. What we have done is build a test server to learn and practice on. For this lesson you will go to the test server and log in, give it a test drive, go on a bit of a scavenger hunt, and with all your wonderful Library2.0 skills and knowledge - and most importantly all your job expertise - you can help by giving your suggestions as to how you would like to see it work. You’ll help us build the live, production version. After all, you’re who we are building it for.

If all this sounds like a bunch of geeky computer talk, here’s a few definitions:

• Web Server – is a computer that has software loaded on it specifically designed to develop web sites and to handle requests from web browsers for those web pages.
• SQL Database – SQL (originally called SEQUEL and still pronounced see-quill) is a type of relational database commonly used by Microsoft products.
• KRL shared mapped drives (also called network drives) – are really just directories stored on our file server that have special access permissions. Typically when you log into one of our workstations a script runs in the background that maps drives for you according to the groups you belong to. The drives that map depend on the login being used. For instance, if you log into a workstation with the PTStaff account, the drives that map for you are PTSTAFF, and TRANSFER. You have to be a member of the Port Orchard Staff group to get PTSTAFF, whereas the TRANSFER files map for everyone.
• Active Directory – Is really a special database that contains a list of all the users, groups, printers, computers and everything on our network, right down to the files themselves, and the permission to everything. We’ve got a bunch of servers on our network called Domain Controllers — they house the Active Directory. Whenever you log into a workstation, access a drive, open a document, or print a document, somewhere on the network, the Active Directory is being consulted in the background.

Are you ready?

Here’s what things will look like when you log in to MOSS:

Here’s what to do:

1. Go to http://mosstest and poof, you are in (remember, you have to be at a library workstation to do this). Log in the same way you log in to your workstation.
2. On the home page you’ll find a scavenger hunt - a list of items to find within Sharepoint. This is listed in the sidebar on the left side of the page.  Look for these items as you explore the site. While you are exploring, if you run across any “I wish it could do this” or “why not put that over here” kinds of ideas, make a note of them.
3. Back on the home page, follow the link to the MOSS blog. Try it out — this is where you’ll post your assignment for this week.

Additional Resources:

If you’d like to learn more about Sharepoint, here’s a link to some video tutorials at Sharepoint Screencasts.com.  The first one gives a nice overview of Sharepoint.

Assignments:

For this week’s assignment, you don’t have to post anything in your own blog, you’ll use the MOSS blog on the Sharepoint server for this week’s entry. Here’s what to do:

1. Follow the steps above to get to Sharepoint and the MOSS blog. Complete the scavenger hunt, take a tour around Sharepoint, and blog about your experience in the MOSS blog.  Add any suggestions you have.  Please Note:  when you write your blog post, it won’t appear immediately - you’ll get a message that it is being held for authorization.  That’s part of the permissions thing within Sharepoint.  It will be published not too long after you post it.
2. Leave a comment on at least one other post.
3. Go to the krl2p0 tracking log and simple enter your blog name when you’re done. We’ll read through all of your entries and comments on MOSS.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have reached the end of the last module of krl2pt0. Check back on the 2.0 blog over the next few weeks - we’ll post some last bits of news, ask for your feedback, and move ahead into krl2.1.

Hope to see all of you on Valentine’s Day!