MOSS 2007 – Step by Step – Table of Content

In this post, we’ll install MOSS binaries on WFE1, WFE2 and AS. Please keep in mind that there are 3 phases of installing SharePoint.

1. Install the SharePoint Binaries on all the machines which you wish to use (in our case WFE1, WFE2 and AS)
2. Use PSConfig or PSConfigUI to configure the farm (later)
3. Use Central Administration Tool to do the maintenance and “real” work with SharePoint. (later)

Before we do anything else, let’s install SQL 2005 and Office 2007 on AS. Ideally, you should have a separate cluster where you would install SQL, but I will make an exception and simply install it on AS, since this machine for me would have minimum load. I will be using AS for three different purposes, MOSS Application Server, SQL Server and Office Client machine.

Okay are you done with installation of SQL and Office? Yes?? Then proceed.

Right now, we will install only SharePoint binaries. Installing SharePoint is like installing any other Software. You get a DVD, ISO, Share etc… double click on setup.exe and click next, next, next… you got the picture, right? Although, there are some finer nuances to SharePoint installation and hence this post. This is especially because you would normally work with more than one machine and you would like all of the machines to be at the same patch level.

Let’s say you have installed SharePoint from an ISO, and you want to install a few patches/hotfixes on all the machines. Don’t you think it would be a better idea to have the setup.exe also apply all the patches at one shot, so that you don’t have to install the patches one by one again? For this kind of setup to happen you need to create something called a “Slipstream” build. That’s exactly what we will do today so that we have all the MOSS machines setup and patched at the same level (from binaries perspective).

I’ll start with creating an ISO file. I personally use UltraISO, you can use any software you prefer. Your steps may differ from mine, but the idea is same.

    Create a folder. I will call it MOSS
    Since I have MOSS 2007 SP1 in a DVD, I will need to copy everything inside MOSS folder that I just created.     Notice that there is an Updates folder. This is the place where all the patches and cumulative updates will go.

     For more details refer to Create an installation source that includes software updates
     If you are doing it manually, you must ensure that the order is correct. 
     I have downloaded April CU (I am doing this just for fun, I could have downloaded SP2 and June CU at one shot and I would have had the latest MOSS installation as on 9th September, 2009. Once I am done with the setup of MOSS SP1 with April CU, I will show you how to upgrade to SP2 and June or August CU)
     Delete Wsssetup.dll because it may conflict with Svrsetup.dll. Having both Wsssetup.dll and Svrsetup.dll in the updates folder for a slipstreamed installation source is not supported
     So far I have downloaded April CU for WSS and MOSS. After that, I have extracted them all in the MOSS\Updates folder. This build can now be referred to as slipstream. We will use the same build to install SharePoint on all the machines.
     Let me create an ISO file before I begin. Okay, I am done, and I’ve mounted the ISO on my AS virtual machine.
     The moment I try doing setup for SharePoint on AS, it shouts back saying…

     Download Redistributable package from Microsoft and set it up on all the machine, AS, WFE1 and WFE2.
     I am done with .NET Framework 3.0 installation, let’s begin with SharePoint now. 
     No errors this time… Good…

     Enter your product key… and click Continue

     Accept the agreement and click continue…

     Choose Advanced.

     Select Complete. If you choose Complete, later on, if you wish you may choose to switch roles between different servers of a farm. Thus an Application Server can serve the purpose of Web Front End, and vice versa. If you don’t choose Complete, and later decide to switch roles, if you will be required to un-install and re-install SharePoint. Stand-alone install installs and configures SQL Server 2005 express edition for you at one shot. It won’t be much of a multiple computer farm if you choose to do this. Click Install Now.

     Installation will begin…

     Notice the sweet little “Applying Updates” phase… this is why we took so much pain. But now that the slipstream is ready, we just have to repeat these steps on WFE1 and WFE2.

     Once done, you will get the following screen… Right now, UNCHECK the checkbox, and click close.

     Repeat the steps above to install SharePoint binaries on remaining machines WFE1 and WFE2.

Great!!! Now you have SharePoint binaries installed on all the machines.

Next step would be to configure the farm using PSConfigUI.

We will discuss about it in the next post. Stay tuned…

-Rahul

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