Beginning SharePoint® 2007 Administration: Windows® SharePoint® Services 3.0 and Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007

2.2. Preparing to Install WSS

WSS is the base module of SharePoint 2007, and it can use one of two available database types:

• MS SQL Server 2005 Express (embedded)

• MS SQL 2000 or 2005 Server

NOTE

Contrary to the standard edition of MS SQL Server 2005 Express, the embedded version has no space limitation.

SharePoint also needs some user accounts in order to work, and it is your job to decide what accounts are to be used (which is discussed throughout this chapter). You should plan what WSS will be used for and who the users will be. This may affect the structure of your WSS environment.

Although WSS 3.0 is a great product, you should really think twice before making the choice to install it without MOSS. WSS has a lot of benefits, not the least of which is that it comes free with Windows 2003 Server. However, it also has its drawbacks. You should analyze what problems you are trying to solve with SharePoint. If you later decide to upgrade to MOSS, it can be done, but you will have to complete several manual steps in order to make it work. So, the best course of action is to be sure that you have the right version installed from the beginning.

NOTE

The first version of WSS, released in 2001, was named SharePoint Team Services (STS). The STS acronym is still used in today's version of WSS. Whenever you see something that begins with "STS" in this book, such as STSADM and STS_Config, think "WSS."

Think about what needs and problems you want to address with your SharePoint installation. ...