Hi,
I have to setup team foundation server for a company, something that I don't have any experience in.
The company will have about 5 or so developers that will be using it.
Is this a big task or something that is fairly easy to do (with instructions)?
Any helpful tutorials that you can recommend?
Any recommendations on server specs for a team of 5-10?
Disregard the "Cliff's Note" link - it's for VSTS 2005. There's no reason to install an old version - the installer (and everything else about the product) is MUCH improved with VSTS2008. Also make sure you install SP1 - it's not just bug fixes but some MAJOR enhancements.
Instructions for install are here: Team Foundation VSTS2008 Install Guide make sure you closely follow the recommendations for the Accounts necessary for install.
Blog post with recommendations for server specs
The link that Espo posted is excellent walkthroughs for configuring TFS after you get it installed.
Also you will want the following
TFS 2008 Power Tools in particular there is a "Team Foundation Server Best Practices Analyzer" which you can run against the server before the install to make sure everything is patched correctly etc (and afterwards to make sure the install went properly). It will require Windows Powershell installed on the server as pre-req.
Also you will want Team System Web Access 2008 SP1 - (formerly Team Plain) which will allow you to access the features of TFS as a web application.
VSTS2005 was quite challenging to install and configure correctly. I have heard 2008 is MUCH better, but have yet to try it yet. Be prepared to spend a fair bit of time on this and read everything before starting. However, don't loose heart, TFS is well worth the effort!!
Your first step should be to download the latest TFS Installation Guide (TFSInstall.chm) from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=FF12844F-398C-4FE9-8B0D-9E84181D9923&displaylang=en
You should use TFS 2008 SP1, since it is the latest release and includes many new features and performance improvements.
If you are planning on installing with Windows 2008 & SQL 2008, you will need to "integrate" the TFS 2008 SP1 into the installation disc. Instructions are included in the TFSInstall.chm, but Martin Woodward also has a walkthrough on his blog: http://www.woodwardweb.com/vsts/creating_a_tfs.html (This isn't required for SQL 2005 SP2 + Windows 2003)
The install guide also has hardware recommendations.
For a team of your size, you should also consider running your TFS instance as a Virtual Machine. This will allow you to up-size and move your installation around more easily at a later date. TFS is supported on the Hyper-V virtualization platform: http://blogs.msdn.com/granth/archive/2008/06/27/team-foundation-server-and-hyper-v-virtualization.aspx
And if you need help along the way, you have three options:
Call up MS product support ($$, but you will get an answer)
Post on the official Team Foundation Server - Setup forums: http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=68&SiteID=1
Sign up to the http://OzTFS.com/ mailing list. The people on this list are pretty good at responding to questions almost instantaneously. It's also a great list to join if you just want to "watch" what's happening.