4.1. Preparing for MOSS

In Chapter 2, you learned how to install the stand-alone version of Windows SharePoint Services (WSS 3.0). When installing MOSS you also install WSS, and the administration you learned to do in Chapter 3 is still valid. When running a MOSS environment, it is common to refer to the WSS part as the team sites, and this name is also used in this and following chapters. The procedure to install MOSS is very similar, but there are several important differences, such as the following:

  • More system user accounts to define and plan for.

  • Two more types of databases.

  • New SharePoint service roles.

  • A different type of SQL Server 2005 Express database.

The effect is that you must plan more carefully when installing MOSS compared to WSS. But you also gain many new and enhanced features, which enable you to build better solutions for sharing information among users in teams, departments, and complete organizations, and for more effective personal use.

In Chapter 2, you saw that WSS is the foundation for MOSS. It is simply impossible to install MOSS without WSS, and the setup program does it for you, so your SharePoint environment consists of one or more MOSS portal sites and any number of WSS sites. Everything you learned about WSS in the previous chapter is still valid when running MOSS and WSS together, including the option of running MOSS in a nondomain environment.

Just as with WSS, you can choose between two database types: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express (SQL Express), ...

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