Installing Sharepoint server with shared Minrole - sharepoint

So I am a bit confused about SharePoint server deployment. Let me give a run down of how I want the installation to be.
We have about 6 servers with shared minroles and below is the plan on how we want it to be setup.
2 web front-end/distributed cache server
2 Application/search servers
2 db servers.
1 custom server
Also looking at setting up a load balancer for the 2 front-end servers.
My question is this, do I have to install SharePoint server software in all the servers in other to select their roles? I'm confused about that part.
If thats the case how do i go about the deployment really. Confusing

Yes, you have to install SharePoint SharePoint server software in all the servers.
First, you need to Create and configure the farm on the application servers. After creating the farm, you can add the servers to the farm. The below article would help you:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/multiple-servers-for-a-three-tier-farm
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/add-web-or-application-server-to-the-farm
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/add-a-database-server-to-an-existing-farm

Related

What's the best strategy to add WFE server to a SharePoint farm in virtualised environment?

My organization has a farm with 3 servers, 1 WFE, 1 APP and 1 DB. These are all VMs and we want to add a new WFE server to it.
What is the best strategy here? Should we start from scratch by installing OS, SharePoint etc. OR can we make a clone of the existing WFE.
Below are the services currently running in the WFE server.
Any suggestion will be appreciated.
First of all, clonning SharePoint Farm components is not supported by Microsoft.
But to save some time you can clone existing WFE, put it offline (Disconnect-SPConfigurationDatabase) to not interfere with current Farm, remove all Application Pools and Sites in IIS, remove SharePoint Logs, do SysPrep and then connect it to Farm with different name.
I recommend you do fresh install (OS,SP,Updates), but do not connect to Farm, then do SysPrep and save this image for future use (clonnable).
Also you should check AutoSPInstaller project, it's awesome for Enterprise Farm setup, also good to prepare new nodes to join Farm.
There is a detailed article on this topic:
Add a Web or application server to the farm (SharePoint Server 2010)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc261752%28v=office.14%29.aspx
In a nutshell, you do create it from scratch. There is no way to clone.
This worked for me in a production environment.
To clone a WFE:
Put one of the WFEs offline/remove from any load balancing cluster.
Run the Disconnect-SPConfigurationDatabase command in PowerShell.
Disconnect the web site in IIS.
Delete SharePoint Logs.
Sysprep, clone and create a template from the clone.
Create a new server from the template and do the usual work getting it on your domain.
I used the psconfiggui.exe to join the server to the farm. Keep an eye on the Timer service and WWW service during the process, they will need to be restarted.
A good way to know if you have everything right is that during the psconfig process you will be asked for your farm passphrase.
Before bringing the server on line you have to add the desired applications to the server and make sure you have the correct certificates in the server certificates store in IIS.

What is the exact difference between Windows Azure and Windows IIS?

I have finished developing a webapplication on Visual Studio 2012 along with Microsoft SQL 2008. I'm trying to make it a "live" webapp which can be accessed through the phone rather than a localhost.
I researched and found 2 solutions which are
IIS
Azure
I have been looking all over the net for various clear explaination of the main difference between IIS and Azure. From my understanding, IIS is a web server application that comes with Windows Server and is used to serve up web sites while Azure is a Windows hosting solution that utilizes IIS. In that case why do people still uses IIS while Azure provide both a cloud platform and IIS?
Which is also better to host any typical web-application that used to run on the localhost?
I can't seems to find any thread in SO or ASP.Net forum which can clearly explain the main difference between the two along with the advantage and disadvantage.
Here are some of the link1, link2 i have found that provide brief information about the two.
What you are looking for is actually a place to run your web application, Teo.
As you've found, you can do that in IIS if you have a server that is connected to the Internet. A way to get such a server is to either got to a hosting company or just use the Windows Azure cloud as you've found as well.
One of the simplest ways for you to do this right now and for free is to sign up for a Windows Azure trial account. As part of that account you get a basic, shared Windows Azure Website for free.
Here are the links you need:
(1) http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/develop/net/tutorials/get-started/
(2) http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/
I would strongly recommend that you go through the entire tutorial (1) step-by-step before trying to do this with your own application. Before you start, sign up for a trial account (2). You will not be charged in the first month and you will not be charged if you stick with the free website.
Enjoy.
Comparing IIS to Azure is irrelevant. Those are two different concepts, which are vaguely related to each other. You lack some very basic understanding of what each one means, and I recommend you to go and read about each them from scratch.
IIS is indeed a web server application. That means, for example, that it can rout HTTP request and responds to and from the web site application that you have created.
To keep it simple, let's say that IIS can run on any Windows machine, which makes the machine a Web Server.
If you want to have your web site up and running, you need either have your own machine that acts as a web server, or either upload your web site application to some other machine.
Azure is a group of cloud services. One of the services is a Web Site Host, that allows you to use cloud computers to run the IIS that hosts your web site.
As part of the service, Azure will take care of installing and using the IIS server for you.
Bottom line, if you are going the Windows path, you will probably end up using Both Azure and IIS (unless you will want to self host your web site...)

asmx service hosting under sharepoint - recommendations

I have a SharePoint web application that has some custom web parts that consume an asmx web service. This service talks to an Oracle 10g database. Currently, the service is hosted on the application server in its separate web site (and port). I think I should host it on the front end servers under the _vti_bin folder to automatically achieve high availability and load balancing of the service calls. Would you recommend this "enhancement"?
Please notice that the asmx service is configured to run in a 32 bit app pool since oracle client, which it uses, is 32 bit software. I think then I can’t just have it under _vti_bin, I may need to have it in its own virtual directory under the SharePoint application’s IIS web site and configure that VD to run in a separate 32 bit app pool. Will that work out? Will I still achieve the HA and LB benefits knowing that Windows NLB is used?
Another related question; should the service be hosted on the WFE in the first place? It hits an external database which I could think of as a middle tier service that can be kept on the application server(s); one more server to be added soon 

Creating Web Application in SharePoint with multiple Web front ends

How do you go about creating a web application in a Sharepoint server farm that has multiple Web front ends(identical ones for load balancing), especially if you creating it from command line? When you create it on one web server does it get automatically copied to other servers as well? Or do you have to extend the app to other servers?
As long as you play by SharePoint's rules you don't have to worry about the multiple Web front ends.
SharePoint will automatically make the changes on all of them (including future ones)
BUT if you go and make modifications in IIS manager or the filesystem (could be web.config) then you have to make these modifications to all Web front ends (also the ones you'll add in the future)
So always do all your modifications through Cdentral Admin, STSADM or the object model. And always use wsp packages when adding functionality
It's quite simple (in theory):
Install SharePoint
Add the server to the farm through Central Admin
This goes into a little more detail.
When you deploy new code/solutions to any one server, it will create a timer job that deploys to all servers in the farm. So, to answer your question, applications are deployed to the farm, not to servers.

Is it possible to create a multi-server SharePoint farm in the DMZ without using a domain?

I'm working with a client to plan the topology for a public facing SharePoint internet site.
The SharePoint installation will live in the client's DMZ and the plan is to use an existing SQL Server machine to host the SharePoint databases.
The problem is that there is no domain in the DMZ - and the client doesn't want to create one without going through the proper planning process.
As far as I understand, there is no way to configure a multi-server SharePoint farm without using a Domain Account to initially connect SharePoint Central Administration to SQL.
I'm pretty sure (and have tried this) that you can't use SQL Server authentication to connect the farm to SQL Server when first provisioning Central Administration using the Productions and Technologies Wizard.
My other option is a single server install, acknowledging that this limits our future growth if we ever need to add another WFE.
Thank you
No. Mostly.
It is possible because it works this way here in the company I work.
We basically have an user account with the same name on the 2 servers (web front end server and SQL database server). This account has access to the database.

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