Announcing SharePoint Easy Setup for Developers

Starting today developers can download a new set of pre-packaged tools that help developers easily get started with SharePoint 2010 development by automating the provisioning of a developer workstation using Windows 7, SharePoint & associated tools.

Written in Windows PowerShell these scripts will install and configure all the pre-requisites & products to get you up and running with SharePoint development.

Additionally they will download evaluation copies of the products it installs (or use fully licensed product bits you supply), install them either locally or in a user supplied Windows 7 VHD & set that VHD up for dual boot using the Windows 7 VHD native boot feature. It also allows you to configure what products are installed via a configuration file, so you can add or remove products.

All the source is included for your use. If a particular aspect of the setup isn’t right for your requirements then you have the ability to change it. A good example of this might be to configure the SharePoint installation to fit your organizations standard deployment.

Out of the box it will help you install:

  • SharePoint Server 2010 + pre-requisites (Standalone)
  • Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate Edition
  • Silverlight 4 Tools for Visual Studio
  • Expression Studio 4 Ultimate
  • Open XML SDK
  • Visual Studio SDK
  • Visual Studio SharePoint Power Tools
  • Office 2010 Professional Plus
  • SharePoint Designer 2010
  • Visio 2010

Download the kit

Walk Through Guide

I did this just now and here is how it works…

After installation of the kit you will see a introduction screen like the one below:

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The kit also installed the set of scripts in the following location:

C:\SPEasySetup\Labs\GettingStarted\Source (This is the default install location)

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Before continuing review the Config.xml file.

The Config.xml file specifies 3 main things:

  • The type of SharePoint product to install
  • Any other applications to install
  • VHD locations (if you want to set up VHD boot)

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In my case I have set the location to a Windows 7 Ultimate sys-prepped VHD file I supplied. This is the source VHD that will be used. The script makes a copy of the source VHD at a location you choose. I specified I want my copy of the VHD to boot into at d:\Win7.VHD

For more information on the Config.xml file, refer to the “GettingStarted.docx” included in the kit.

Once you are happy with your Config.xml setup you can kick off the build of your machine.

Right click Run.bat and choose Run as Administrator

The first thing the script will do is download all the pre-reqs and applications needed for the installation. This can take quite a while depending on your connection. Hey, we said it was an easy script … not a fast one :) Note: Running the script a second time wont download the products again.

Once everything is downloaded you will need to specify if you want to install on your current host [H] or a new VHD [V]. If you pick [H]ost then it will attempt to install all the products locally on your machine. If you pick [V]HD then it will make a copy of the VHD you specified in the Config.xml file, mount it, copy all the source installation bits & setup your boot options to add “SP Easy” as an additional Boot option.

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I picked the [V]HD option.

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Once this is complete you are prompted to reboot your PC and pick the “SP Easy” boot option. It wont be your default option, so make sure you pick it before the timer runs out and you are booted into your default installation.

This is where you will be booting into your newly created VHD. Its worth noting that because you provide the VHD for this there is the potential for things to go wrong. The best way to ensure this all works correctly is to provide a sys-prepped/generalized VHD. This will ensure the correct drivers etc… are installed on first boot for your specific hardware. When in doubt about this step go and have a chat with your most friendly IT-Pro Windows deployment person :)

Once your new machine has booted (potentially with a reboot after driver installation etc… ) the SP Easy script will start off again.

You might be prompted to reboot after the script turns of UAC.

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Again, after the reboot the scripts will continue. This is the point at which the Windows components will be added & the products will be installed. Time to sit back and watch or go and get a coffee. Again, this will take a considerable amount of time, depending on the products being installed. I leave this running and go and do some other work for a few hours.

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You might see some red text like below during the install. Don’t panic, it is the script just checking if a reboot is required after installing a product. If a reboot is needed the script will pick back up where it left off in the installation cycle.

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TIP: If for some reason you get a product that fails to install, it could be that there are Windows Updates that are pending and a restart is needed. Try rebooting & the script will try the installation again.

If everything works as expected then you will see a message stating “Setup has completed”.

Open IE and put navigate to SharePoint using your PCs name e.g. https://Chris-PC

You will be prompted to pick a template for the default site. I picked Team Site.

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Once that is complete you should see your shiny new SharePoint 2010 site.

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There you have it. An easy way to provision your Win 7 machine with all the stuff you need to get started with SharePoint 2010 development.

Be sure to hit up the SharePoint Developer Center on MSDN to learn about what you can start building. https://www.msdn.com/sharepoint

Thanks,

-Chris Johnson