Home Forums Discussions General Discussion SharePoint 2010 is Free?!

First off check out Bert's excellent thread to see the benefits of using SharePoint in your office. There was a tremendous amount of work put in to demonstrate the benefits with all the screenshots and diagrams, and I'd like to thank him for that.

People seem to be under the impression that you have to pay for SharePoint. SharePoint is free! You can install it on Server 2008, Windows 7, Vista, or XP. There's no need to get SBS Standard just for SharePoint. (Exchange is pretty sweet though). Obviously it's not as tightly integrated as it is on SBS2011, but it is functional. SharePoint 2010 Foundation is the same version included in SBS 2011. SBS Essentials people will not be able to install this on the server.

You can download SharePoint Foundation 2010 directly from Microsoft.

Sandeep,

I downloaded and began the install process for Sharepoint, but I didn't proceed any further after reading some statements that the install updates the version of SQL Server, and other security changes to "harden" SQL server. Could this interfere with Amazing Charts?

What are you guys using sharepoint for?

See Bert's summary in the link in Sandeep's first post above.

How sure are you about not being able to use Sharepoint on Essentials. I found a discussion in one of the Essentials manuals (I don't remember which at this time) that had a chapter on how to put Sharepoint on it. I did not follow through, so I do not know if it works.

You can't just run the installer directly without completing some prerequisites on a non-Server OS. The installer doesn't work directly on Wind 7, it requires a little tweaking. See further down the post for instructions.

No, it actually uses SQL Server 2008 while AC uses SQL Server 2005. You will have both on your computer. They can be installed on the same machine. SharePoint foundation doesn't necessarily have to be installed on your main computer. When you install AC on SBS Standard, it already has SQL Server 2008, and AC installs SQL 2005. They work fine side-by-side. Of course, you can always install it on a different computer/not your main.

I have confirmed that it works fine in Windows 7 x64 alongside AC. See the screenshot : Click Me for ScreenShot

You will need to complete several prerequisites before you install it: Instructions Here <-

I think I read something about it not being supported on SBS Essentials. It doesn't work well with a domain controller unless you do some configuration to make sure your SBS Essentials installation doesn't get messed up. You shouldn't try it just yet. I'll try it first and I'll let you know.

See this document: Issues to consider when you install...Point Server 2010 on a Domain Controller

Have you ever had sushi ?

I just noticed this, but I above I said it runs on XP. That's not true. Got a little carried away.

If you don't have time to try it out.
Click Here for the regular site
Click Here for the Mobile Site

The username is deep
Password is 1234

Sandeep,

Are those just example sites? Not yours?

No they are mine. Not my real ones. These are the ones hosted in Windows 7. The one from the screen shot.

I mean I like you guys, just not enough to give you public access to my SBS SharePoint site.

Does anyone else want to give it a try before I close it?

Update: SBS Essentials

The default installation options on SBS 2011 Essentials are not working. Finding a workaround at the moment. Server 2008R2 works fine.

I only ask, because I want those interested to realize that when you set it up, it looked 50 times nicer; I hope Sandeep's isn't like that. By the way, I talked with Raja, the Microsoft SQL expert, and this is his quote:

Yes, the free edition of Sharepoint Foundation 2010 server will contain either SQL Server 2008 R2 or SQL Server 2008 with SP1 inside it. Since it will be either 2008 R2 or 2008, it will not interfere with 2005 instance and hence it will not impact AC.

This is not the same look as the preconfigured SBS SharePoint. You can make it look just the same though. I just left the default settings for people to play around with. I added announcements to the main page for example. It's completely customizable. SBS has the same SharePoint foundation with it's template already loaded.