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Rose Solutions > Tips 'n' Tricks
Technical tips and tricks our staff have fallen over, stored centrally so we can find them again.
SharePoint: Repair fails
Sometimes you just gotta try a repair, and you get an error telling you to use a valid copy of "osrvmui.msi".
Turns out the INSTALL PATH was saved in the registry at the original install, and it wants the media to be there!
 
HACK: MSI files are self-registering, and typically bootstrap the other required files.  Go through the installation media, running all the MSI files.  Now run the repair...  Bingo.
Annoyed by WSP files?
Make a registry entry so they get opened as if they were CABs, without endlessly changing the extension to and fro...
 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.wsp]
"PerceivedType"="compressed"
@="CABFolder"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.wsp\OpenWithProgids]
"CABFolder"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.wsp\PersistentHandler]
@="{098f2470-bae0-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"
 
[Using on Windows2008ServerR2]
MOSS2007 on Win2008R2
R2 requires certain SPs, which as of writing were not available all-in-one.  It (mainly - the excpetion is SQL - see below) won't let you install and update.
 
So:
download the sps, and use the /extract:<dir> syntax to uncompact them.  Put em into the 'updates' folder in the MOSS source - they are now "slipstreamed"
 
You don't need to install WSS seperately anymore- the MOSS install has that - but you do need the WSS SPs, and you need to MANUALLY remove the wsssetup.dll (conflicts with the moss version, which is a superset)
 
HOWEVER, MOSS will only install SQL2005 Express x86:
  1. If you want 2008, non-express, or 64 bit, you need to install that first manually.
  2. If you let MOSS do the default thing, it will instruct you to install SQL2005SP3 after the install (but before the config wizard) (and remember, that's not the normal SP3, it's the special one for SQL Express)
Running up yet another Windows 2008 Server
A bit of doco
  1. I like Daniel Petri's SendTo Toys - great for getting a full path to paste into doco - http://www.gabrieleponti.com/downloads/sendtotoys.exe
  2. Make sure to add Notepad to the list!
  3. Manually reconfigure the dos prompt defaults to make it easier to read and turn on copy/paste
  4. Consider some of the perfomance changes for a workstation: http://www.win2008workstation.com/win2008/windows-server-2008-workstation-converter
  5. Create a shortcut to the 12 hive, and put stsadm on the path
  6. Create my standard quicklinks
  7. Add search providers for:
Val-IT Initiatives
Value Management
- Define the Value Propositiion for Value Management
- Define the roadmap for introducing value management
- Identify executive sponsor and 'champions'
- Comms program
- Determine funds needed
 
Governance
- Informa nd commit leadership
- Align and integrate with financial planning
- Processes, roles, responsibilities
- Framework, Portfolio, and Monitoring
- Close the loop
 
Inventory of Investments
- Assess and score curreent and candidate investments
- Make this part of the normal selection process
 
Clarify Value
- Benefit assessment of 'in flight' investments - track and update
- Delivery assessment of 'in flight' investments
- Define and implement reporting and review regime
 
 
Windows7 GodMode Control Panel Items

To create the Godmode folder, create a new folder and change its name to this string:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Now these were 'published' about Windows7, but many work on the server...

Here's the list of strings:  - and if they work in Windows2008R2, what they do!

{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}
{0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}
{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D} - PowerPlan
{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9} - taskbar Notifications
Vault.{1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70} - Windows (Credentials) Vault  <- AWESOME!!!
{15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4} - Install program from the network
{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966} - Windows Default Programs
{1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43} - Opens the GAC
{1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} - Network
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} - Disks on Local
{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D} - Printers
Remote.{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B} - Remote  <- I like this one
{4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423} - Firewall
{62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}
{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}

 

Oh, and once the icon changes, if it didnt remove the GUID from the name, you can safely do that.

The Lead Developer Model
The Lead Developer Model is a venerable and respected way to organise work inside a development team.
It is heavily used in organisations like Microsoft.
 
 
In this model, work packages are allocated to a lead developer, who is then responsible for fullfilment of the work. The lead developer will allocate work to the other team members, and coach them through their completion of the work allocated to them. 
[Benefit: This model creates healthy incentives for transferring skills, while ensuring tasks are managed by a more senior developer.]
 
All work should be peer-reviewed at least every 2 days - this keeps the reviewer fresh on what the work item/package is about.  Note that this includes the lead developer getting their work reviewed by the others, which is a great knowledge transfer opportunity.
[Benefit: in case of emergency, the reviewer should have enough knowledge to ensure work doesn't get lost]
 
Where there is no clear "seniority", developers may choose which of them will be the "lead" for a particular project phase.
 
The normal case is that each lead developer has one or two other developers working with them - it is unusual to put more developers into one group, since that starts to reduce the work efficiency of the lead developer (turning them into a manager). With 4 developers, for example, the ideal structure would be to have two leads, each with one other developer.
 
 
 
Both lead developers and junior developers usually report increased job satisfaction fromt his model: leads because of recognition and the chance to delegate some of the work, and juniors because they get more guidance about what is expected from them, and the chance to understudy a more senior developer.
Sociability testing - generic application built on SharePoint
* server
 - other apps already present on the servers involved [ie. using the same database] - do they still work?
 - how are other apps affected when this app is under load?
 
* network
 - performance from home, from overseas, via citrix
 - performance when network is busy
 - performance when this app is under load

* client
 - windows explorer ability to open libraries and interact with files
 - save/saveas from inside Word/Excel/etc
   (a) created externally
   (b) opened from a library
   (c) created from the new button inside a library
 - document library ability to open in windows explorer (from SharePoint UI) 
   [exact behaviour varies with permissions, versioning etc]
 - sync with Outlook command - what happens?
 - link to a SharePoint list from Access

Tools I like with SharePoint

Tools I would like: (bold ones are more urgent than the others)

http://blockspdhttpmodule.codeplex.com/   - block all users except for members of a specific AD group from using SharePoint Designer on prod

http://shareinfopathforms.codeplex.com/  - deploy and manage InfoPath forms easily

http://erte.codeplex.com/  - add HTML snippets (such as video) into a SharePoint enhanced rich text field

http://wspgenerator.codeplex.com/  - solution pack generator

http://solutionmanager.codeplex.com/  - deploy/retract etcetera the solutions

http://ilovesharepoint.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=15635  - attach the context menu to ID instead of title for those times you don't want it.

http://ilovesharepoint.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=15260  - WebService allows InfoPath to know the SharePoint groups of the current user - great for adjusting views on the fly

www.codeplex.com/iLoveSharePoint/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=15633 - lookup field with picker

 

 

bunch of SharePoint designer custom activities from

http://spdactivities.codeplex.com/ (includes a solution to the approval to change permissions issue for KMMS)

http://www.codeplex.com/iLoveSharePoint/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=20898

 

Ones that cost:

DocAve - http://www.avepoint.com/sharepoint-products/

OR echoforsharepoint (http://www.echotechnology.com/default.aspx)

http://www.lightningtools.com/

in particular BDC metaman

OR simego.com

 

 

 

for infopath - http://www.qdabra.com/en/products/qRules.aspx

 

 

Please download and install in a dev environment the solution at http://pdmsnet.codeplex.com/

Creating SCORM content

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/training/lcds.aspx (includes download, samples, etc)

Should we also consider a Managesoft package for it? - Maybe that should wait for the team downstairs to decide whether it is welcome in the environment or not...

(It's major pluses are that it is free, it is architecturally benign, and normal users can use it)

FYI, there is a maintenance forum - http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/LCDS/threads

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