Accessing Sharepoint File Server Search Results Externally - search

We are currently implementing MOSS 2007 to replace an older portal system (Plumtree) and are currently looking at searching. We have 1000s of documents on a file server that we would like users to be able to search. This I can set up by adding a content source of "File Shares" and pointing it at the UNC of the file share. The issue is getting access to this data when you are not on the local network.
So, file share is \FileServer01\Files. This has a file called Wibble.txt containing the word Wibble.
When I search for Wibble it finds this document, BUT it points to file:\FileServer01\Files\Wibble.txt.
That is great if I am attached to the network, but what about when I am accessing Sharepoint via the Internet and I'm not on the LAN that knows about that server?
If I wrote something from scratch I would have a download page that I passed in the location of the file and it would stream it to my browser. Sharepoint does not seam to do anything like like.
Ideas? Suggestions? Have I missed something simple?

Create an HttpModule that intercepts requests to documents in this file share, and presents them through an HttpHandler to the user. Deploy the module and handler to the web application.

The only way to make that content accessible via HTTP would be to bring everything off the file server and into the SharePoint content database. You can then simply let SharePoint crawl that instead of the file server; and your users will be able to download content as well.
Edit: To make the migration task quicker and easier, you can ensure that the WebDav service is running on the sharepoint box, which will allow you to open a document library using the windows explorer interface.

Related

Using SAS to write to external Sharepoint library

I need a routine for loading files (.html) onto a sharepoint library using SAS. The site is outside the firewall (am unable to use the 'map network drive' method).
The sharepoint library is configured with 'No versioning' etc, and my username / password has administrator privileges..
I believe there are easier ways (tools) to do it than SAS, so I'd just let SAS call some other process - e.g. if your SAS is on Windows, it could call (even generate) a Powershell script.
This http://poshcode.org/2122 seems to be a way.
I've done something similar with SAS calling curl to upload files to SAS webDAV server.
If you'd like a pure SAS way - it should be doable using new PROC HTTP as a web service call.
Refer to
http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/proc/61895/HTML/default/viewer.htm#a003286672.htm for SAS side and probably this http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff798339.aspx
for Sharepoint side.
Anyway, PROC HTTP seems interesting for some easier things.
I don't think you can use plain old SAS to do this. If you have the SAS Enterprise BI Server product, there is a component called "SAS Web Parts for Microsoft SharePoint", but that is really an interface between Sharpoint and the BI server (so you can display dashboards or run stored processes).
The "easiest" thing to do is create your html files and then use FTP to copy then to the SharePoint server. Of course, this requires an FTP server on the other end and you would want to engage the help of the Sharepoint administrator. I've done something similar myself. I don't know SharePoint myself but there is a way to set it up so that all content that shows up in a directory is automatically recognised.
There may be other solutions and I'd love to see them as well.
Sharepoint has this wonderful web interface. Basically what you do is open your web browser, works best in IE8+ and navigate to your site URL and open your document library. If you select Items in the Ribbon you can upload a document using their interface. :)
SharePoint already exposes several options, using legacy web service and the new rest services.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff798339.aspx

Sharepoint 2010: Copy or add file to Document Library

I have a silverlight application inserted in a SharePoint page. The SilverLight application runs on a different server thatn that of SharePoint. From an event in the SilverLight, I generate a document on the server side from SQL Server. I can generate the doc on the server hosting the silverlight application and also copy it to the SharePoint server. I wanted to know if I can include this file in a sharepoint document library automatically. I was thinking if like emailing to a list allows us to copy the file into the library, can we configure the reverse, means copying the file make it part of the list.
Update:
I wanted to avoid uploading. For me uploading is sending the file from one location to the target location. But what I am saying is, if I copy the file into the folder where SharePoint keeps the file physically for the particular list, can it be added to the list automatically?
I am not sure, how well I am being able to describe the point. Please elaborate if required or I can answer your queries.
SharePoint stores the files in a database, not a folder.
WebDAV access may be what you're looking for - it's a backbone of the the Explorer View feature that allows a user to access a document library as if you were accessing a file system through a Windows Explorer window.
You can configure "incoming e-mail" properties for the document library, and assign an e-mail address.
After that, when you e-mail a document as attached to e-mail to this e-mail address, then attachment will be saved to that library by sharepoint automatically.

FTP from Mainframe ( MVS or VM ) to SharePoint?

We are migrating our sites to SharePoint. We have multiple back end jobs that run on our mainframes and ftp output files to the server and we have links to the location on our web pages and clients can access them.
Now when we have moved to SharePoint we have found that this is not possible We have found that we will not be able to ftp to a SharePoint site. How do we do it? Can some one help.
You can access content from a SharePoint server using the WebDAV protocol.
If your mainframe has some kind of means of doing WebDAV, then you can use that instead of the FTP protocol.
If your mainframe has support for Java, there are a couple of Java based solutions that you can take a look at here.
Another solution would also to develop a custom Windows Service, that either polls or subscribes to file creation events on the FTP server folder and upload the documents to a SharePoint Library using the SharePoint object model.
There are many examples of that out there, for example this one.
Java is well supported on the mainframe and Sharepoint provides a web service API. The two should make for a pretty simple solution.
First, it is true that there wouldn't be a good way for the mainframe to interact with Sharepoint directly. This is because all of the Sharepoint content is stored in a database, not as static files in some directory. (mainframe >> Sharepoint == !work)
Second, you could create a custom webpart that uses a connector to talk directly to the mainframe (Sharepoint >> mainframe == expensive custom development)
Thirdly, you could create a site that has a page of links. Those links would be to the server where the mainframe FTPs the files. This way the mainframe isn't trying to connect to the Sharepoint server. (mainframe >> ftp-server << Sharepoint == quick and dirty out-of-the-box solution)
Maybe an option is a to write a custom Webservice, that accepts the file as binary and the filename / path as parameters. Then deploy the WebService to sharepoint.
Another option is to write a Windows Service that uses a FileSystemWatcher to detect changes to a folder on the sharepoint server you FTP to. The service then moves the file to sharepoint.
Sorry for all the Tag confusion on the top.
Now
Thirdly, you could create a site that has a page of links. Those links would be to the server where the mainframe FTPs the files. This way the mainframe isn't trying to connect to the Sharepoint server. (mainframe >> ftp-server << Sharepoint == quick and dirty out-of-the-box solution). Our FTP server will be decommisioned soon so we may not able to do it.
Second, you could create a custom webpart that uses a connector to talk directly to the mainframe (Sharepoint >> mainframe == expensive custom development).( Need to investigate. At present have no idea about it.If you can help with few examples it would be great)
What about the Email option to Lists in a share point site.Will mainframes be able to email to share point site directly?
Need more suggestions.

Adding file to WSS 3.0 document library without GUI

OK I am new to working with SHarePoint Services and have an issue that I am trying to overcome. Where I work, I have implemented a Crystal reports Scheduler that outputs the reports to a shared folder. What I am trying to accomplish now is finding a way that I can point the output of the scheduler to the document library. I was hoping that I could find it like any other shared folder.
On your box hosting sharepoint, turn on the WebClient Service.
Goto the library you wish to upload to, drop down on actions-> open in windows explorer
The path you see can be converted to a UNC path, where you can use it like any other shared folder.
To convert, it should look like \\servername\Shared Documents
This unc can be mapped as a shared folder like any other physical networked folders.
Happy Uploading!
If you want to upload the file in your code (not manually) without mounting a WebDAV share, you can also HTTP-PUT it to the desired URL, for example http://myserver/sites/mysite/mysubsite/mylist/myfolder/foo.doc
Try the code in this question: Uploading files to Sharepoint (WSS 3.0) document library using HTTP PUT
With the tip in this answer: Uploading files to Sharepoint (WSS 3.0) document library using HTTP PUT.

Upload files to Sharepoint document libraries via FTP

I was wondering if anyone knows how to or if it is possible to upload files to a sharepoint (v3/MOSS) document library over FTP. I know it is possible with webdav. If it is possible is this even supported by Microsoft?
I don't think so. I think your options are:
HTTP (via the upload page)
WebDAV
Web Services
The object model
You can map a drive to a SharePoint document library, for example \\serveraddress.domain.com\Documents. So I would try mapping a drive on your FTP server, then making sure files that come in over FTP get sent to that drive.
Big edit: Have any of you figured out how to upload to SharePoint (WSS)? I've tried drive mapping and then using Robocopy and Synctoy to copy files thinking a tool might offer greater control (i.e. a Copy Date Modified control). As I understand it the files are actually stored in SharePoint as database objects and therefore SharePoint views display the database object (SQL object's) properties in Document Libraries where a new user would expect to see the file properties. Those file properties are still alive! They just need to be uncovered by a different view. I particularly like the mapped network drive view of a SharePoint Document Library. File attributes are pretty important to my team, so we were concerned about that at the start. As an opinion note though, the default view showing attributes that appear as incorrect is just plain annoying!
The best solution we've come up with for doing large file migrations into SharePoint is a mapped network drive then using a tool called FreeFileSync available at SourceForge to move your files and folders. It's great because it produces verbose error messages and give a lot of control, especially for the instances that SharePoint tries to block a particular filename or file extension.
Direct FTP into SharePoint is not one of your options. You would need to have a timer job run that checks your FTP directory and uploads into the document library.
Yes it is possible.
The WebDav Redirector allows you to access webdav resources (including Share Point) via UNC path, ie \yourspserver\site\doclib. The IIS FTP server accepts UNC paths as backing storage to virtual directories.
On your ftp server, right click the ftp site in the IIS Manager and select "Add Virtual Directory". Give it a name and specify the sharepoint unc path for the physical path. You'll need to set the "connect as" user to a domain user that has access to the sharepoint folder you're connecting to.
Connect to the ftp folder and you should be able to "cd" into the directory and put/get files without issue (just confirmed it myself). The only caveat is an age old bug/feature of IISFTP, that doesn't show a virtual dir in an ls/dir command listing. The fix is to create a physical folder that mirrors the virtual directory's location. For example, if your ftp root is c:\inetpub\ftproot, then you'll need to create a dir that matches the name of your virtual dir in this location. It will then show up in an ls/dir listing but the cd command will still move into the virtual dir, not the physical dir.
You can directly SFTP/FTP into your SharePoint doc library using Couchdrop. It turns your SharePoint into a native SFTP/FTP server, you can create additional users, etc. Sing out if you need assistance more than happy to assist.
Full disclosure: I represent Couchdrop

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