How do I create a development environment for SharePoint using Windows Server 2008?

Question

I'm in need of creating a development environment for SharePoint 2007. I'm running Windows 7 RTM and have installed Windows Virtual PC (not Virtual PC 2007). I have a VM of Windows Server 2008 running with all available updates applied.

At this point, I know I need to install IIS 7, Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server (hoping to use 2008, not 2005 like every guide mentions), and finally SharePoint 2007. I've also seen mentions of installing Active Directory and DNS. I'd rather not install those unless I have to, simply because it's a development environment and I'd like to keep it as simplistic as possible.

What I've noticed is that the requirements are pretty specific when installing packages like IIS. I've also noticed that nearly every tutorial available uses the Server 2003, VS/SQL 2005 stack. I'd like to use the newest versions of everything if possible, but have yet to come across a solid guide.

Answer 1

This is the one I used which is all 2008. This one is a bit easier to follow though it is not Win2008-specific.

You will definitely want to be running AD. One of the biggest hassles is getting the service account permissions right. Assuming you are going to be using more than one server in production, you definitely want to be using domain accounts from the beginning.

Answer 2

Looking at the current Windows 2008 64-bit development environment I have set up:

The Web Server (IIS) role is configured with IIS 6 Compatibility features as well as the .NET Framework 3.0 and Windows Powershell features.

IE Enhanced Security Configuration is switched off and web sites added to Trusted Sites. I use the hosts file located at c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts to test sites on different DNS entries.

The database engine and management tools of SQL Server 2008 are installed.

There are local service accounts for:

• SharePoint farm administrator
• Every SharePoint web application / content database
• SQL Server database engine

Whenever another SharePoint feature requiring a service account is needed I create another local user through lusrmgr.msc. For example in an older VM there were accounts for SharePoint search (and I was less lazy with accounts for the SSP as well).

I did not choose to set up Active Directory and DNS as I didn't want that overhead in a VM. This can be limiting if you need to work with this functionality. I use a test environment to get around it but there is no Visual Studio installed there so it's not as convenient. If you have the resources available, install AD.

Can't remember which guide I used but it may have been the TechNet article Deploy a simple farm on the Windows Server 2008 operating system.