Installing Windows SharePoint Services Web Service Adapter BizTalk Server 2010/SharePoint Foundation 2010

I think a lot of you have read the excellent series ShareTalk Integration (SharePoint/BizTalk) by Kent Weare. Focus was on BizTalk 2009 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. Now with BizTalk 2010 you are able to configure SharePoint adapter to Windows SharePoint Services like previous 2009 version.BizTalk Server 2010 supports two versions of WSS:

• SharePoint Foundation 2010
• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 with SP2

Latter is explained in detail by Sandro Pereira, BizTalk 2010 Installation and Configuration – Install and Configure Windows SharePoint Services. In this post I like to share how to configure BizTalk SharePoint Adapter with SharePoint Foundation 2010.

Installing and configuring Windows SharePoint Services consists of the following procedures:

• Install Windows SharePoint Services
• Configure Windows SharePoint Services
• Extend the Default Web Site as a virtual server

Install Windows SharePoint Foundation 2010

First step of installation is to install prerequisites. In my situation I am installing SharePoint Foundation on virtual machine (Windows Server 2008R2 x64, 4 core’s 4 Gb memory) following the installation manual for BizTalk Server 2010 called: Installing BizTalk Server 2010 on Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2008 (see BizTalk Server 2010 documentation).

When installing software prerequisites you just have to click Next a few times (it is pretty straight forward).

After this it installing SharePoint Foundation itself.

This involves also a couple of steps, where you have to make some choices.

Installation depends on if you want to do a standalone or server farm.

A Stand-alone installation configures a single computer with all the necessary files and settings to create a fully functioning SharePoint implementation, including Web server, application server, and database. SQL Server Express 2008 is installed and configured to provide data storage capability. SQL Server Express is based on the Microsoft SQL Server architecture, but it has the following limitations:

• lack of enterprise features support;
• limited to one CPU;
• one gigabyte (GB) memory limit for the buffer pool;
• databases have a 4 GB maximum size;
• SQL Server Express will not support a server farm configuration or a multi-processor computer.

In addition to the SQL Server Express limitations, the inherit SharePoint Foundation Standalone configuration limitation is that you cannot add servers to create a SharePoint farm. If you need to add another SharePoint 2010 Web Front End later than you won’t be able to. If you anticipate the need to scale up to a larger or more robust installation, choose the Server Farm option.

SharePoint Foundation 2010 Server Farm will install all components. You can add additional servers to form a SharePoint farm, including load balanced SharePoint 2010 Web Front End servers. The Complete option installs a Web server and configures the computer to provide application server functionality. The SharePoint Foundation 2010 Complete install option does not provide database functionality. If you continue with this option and your server does not belong to a domain, for instance just a workgroup you will see error if you proceed with steps below.

For development purposes, proof-of-concepts or demo it is better to choose Standalone. If you opted for this then the SharePoint 2010 Products Configuration Wizard will immediately begin the ten step configuration process.

After you have let the wizard run through, you should automatically be directed to a default SharePoint Foundation 2010 site that looks a lot like the screen below.

Install Windows SharePoint Services Adapter

As soon as this has been done you can proceed with next steps installation manual. It then comes down to installing BizTalk. When you select components you will see that you can install Windows SharePoint Services Adapter.

As you can see it is a simple process of installing the Windows SharePoint Services Web Service Adapter when SharePoint Foundation 2010 is installed. Do bear in mind that SharePoint Foundation only install on x64!

Technorati: biztalk server 2010

Windows Azure – BidNow Sample

If you want to dive more into Windows Azure you can have a look at BidNow. BidNow is an online auction site designed to demonstrate how you can build highly scalable consumer applications running in the Windows Azure Platform.

When BidNow was originally released, it was a sample built using Windows Azure and Windows Azure Storage, along with authentication provided via Live Id. Since the original release, a number of additional services and capabilities have been released. Consequently, BidNow now utilizes the following pieces of the platform:

• Windows Azure
• Windows Azure storage (e.g. blobs and queues)
• SQL Azure
• Windows Azure AppFabric Caching
• Windows Azure AppFabric Access Control
• OData
• Windows Phone 7

These updates not only provide important and useful capabilities, but also highlight the ways in which to build applications in the Windows Azure Platform. If you like to learn more you can read Wade Wegner’s latest post. It will show how setup a platform (what you need to install, OS, Visual Studio, SDK, Identity Framework) to make this sample run.

My environment is as follows on a 8740w HP Elitebook, 8Gb RAM, Intel Core i7 machine:

• Windows 7, Professional x64
• Windows PowerShell 2.0 (already installed on Windows 7)
• Windows Azure Software Development Kit 1.3
• Windows Azure AppFabric SDK 2.0
• Internet Information Services 7.5
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0
• Microsoft SQL Express 2008 R2
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate
• Windows Identity Foundation Runtime
• Windows Identity Foundation SDK 4.0

When downloading the sample you will get a zipped file and need to unpack (run it). After that you need to start ‘StartHere’ (Windows Command Script). It will then show the screen below:

Click next will run scan to check if all required software is installed.

Click Next.

Configuration of BidNow Demo starts and will setup AppFabric Labs ACS and Cache, Database (SQL Azure, SQL Express or both), blobs and certificates. During the setup you will see a couple of screens like below, where you will have to type in namespace, secret keys and so on.

Steps to undertake and actions to perform are described in a wiki.

After configuration is completed code can be opened through visual studio and then it simply build and run.

If you that familiar yet with Windows Azure you can start by going to Windows Azure Platform Portal, where you find lots of resources like whitepapers and so on. Other important resources to look at are:

• Windows Azure Pricing
• Patterns & Practices – Windows Azure Guidance
• Cloud Development – MSDN
• Windows Azure Account
• Using Windows Azure Development Environment Essentials
• TechEd Online
• Windows Azure Platform Training Kit - November Update

Have fun and there are more samples to be found for Azure on code gallery.

Technorati:microsoft azure

BTUG The Netherlands – BizTalk 2010

Tomorrow BizTalk User Group will get together for some interesting sessions at BTUG Meeting. One can still sign up for it. The BTUG meetings are for architects, engineers and project managers, who are interested in and have experience working with Microsoft BizTalk Server.

BizTalk User Group (BTUG) aims to create a network of companies, which inspire each other and share knowledge. The purpose of the BTUG is to accelerate the learning effect on the application of new technology and the consequences for the organization.

The BTUG provides a platform for knowledge and experience exchange between users and the ability to make informal contacts.

Tomorrow the BTUG meeting will extensively dive into BizTalk 2010 and all Dutch BizTalk MVP’s will do a session:

• BizTalk 2010, what's new? (Randal van Splunteren and myself)
• Extended and scalable integration through the cloud (Leveraging the Microsoft Application Platform and Windows Azure AppFabric to the max) (Gijsbert in 't Veld)

It will start at 16:00 at Sogeti (see below).

See you there!

Technorati: biztalk server 2010 appfabric