Error configuring SSO in MOSS 2007

Configuring SSO service on Moss 007 should be a smiple operation…well sometimes. Some times when you want to create the SSO database and configure single sign-on on MOSS 2007 you get an error:

You do not have the rights to perform this operation

Well, this is a user rights issue. I am not stating the obvious and that anyone can figure that we can guess that from the error message. You check the account that you used to log into the MOSS Central admin page and you are sure that you used the MOSS central admin account. This is why this error is confusing. If you use the MOSS Central admin account why would you get that error and how can you resolve the issue? The solution is to use the same service account of SSO service as the SSO Administrator Account at the "Manage Server Settings" page and you have to log in to the Central Administration site with the SSO service account to configure SSO.

I hope that will help someone out there.

What to do to restore a closed web part?

I received a call from a client today asking me in panic what to do to get a web part that he closed by mistake.
Web parts closed using the close button (the x button) they are just hidden but not deleted, that means that the web part loads on the page but will not be visible to the user. To be able to view a closed web part and restore the functionality is to add (?content=1) to the page url as shown:
http://yoursite/whatever/default.aspx?contents=1

The best way to remove a web part is using the delete web part option after you put the page in the edit mode.

Microsoft released 10 new SharePoint themes

On March 19th, Micrsoft released a set of ten Visual Studio 2008 extensions for SharePoint projects containing designed themes for SharePoint. The themes looks great and i am sure many intranets will chnage their theme now that we have these new ones.
To downlooad the new theams click here

Microsoft has announced the release of the February cumulative patches on their SharePoint team blog. Here is the information from the update notice:

February Cumulative Update Uber Package for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (Version: 12.0.6341.5002)


Detail description

Description of the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 cumulative update package: February 24, 2009

Description of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 cumulative update package: February 24, 2009

Installation Recommendation for a fresh SharePoint Server

The recommended installation sequence is:

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Service Pack 1
The 2007 Microsoft Office Servers Service Pack 1
February Cumulative Update for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
February Cumulative Update for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

There is also a VISIO ifilter hotfix that is a seprate downloaded that you can get here

After applying the preceding updates, run the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard or “psconfig –cmd upgrade –inplace b2b -wait” in command line. This needs to be done on every server in the farm with SharePoint installed.
The version of content databases should be 12.0.6341.5000 after successfully applying these updates.

Announcing the WSRP Toolkit for SharePoint and Two Screen Casts Demos

On December 15th, the SharePoint Team at Microsoft announced the release of the Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP) Toolkit for Office SharePoint Server 2007. The WSRP Toolkit for SharePoint provides sample code for producing WSRP conformant data from SharePoint lists and libraries. External portal platforms (e.g. BEA AquaLogic Portal, IBM WebSphere Portal, SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal etc.) can then render SharePoint data natively through their WSRP consumer portlets. The Toolkit is available now for download from the MSDN Code Gallery.

The WSRP Toolkit for SharePoint consists of the following assets:

1. Visual Studio sample projects that demonstrate two different approaches to producing WSRP conformant output from SharePoint lists and libraries
2. A whitepaper that provides details on the different architectural approaches of the two WSRP producer samples
3. Screen casts showing the two WSRP producer samples in action

The Toolkit demonstrates possible methods of exposing SharePoint data through the WSRP interface. The announcement also includes two screen casts to show the configuration of the two WSRP samples.

Document management with Sharepoint

Daan De Brouckere posted a great article on how to use SharePoint as a document management system. He discussed the basics of

• Document management
• Version control
• Metadata
• Security
• Workflow
  

A very useful article to get you started in that direction. You can read the article here.

Developer Ramp up Kit for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Microsoft has introduced a kit for .NET based developers who want to ramp up and build on top of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 uses familiar components such as Web Service endpoints, Windows Workflow Foundation, SSRS reporting, and more; making it a general purpose platform for any line-of-business applications. Developers can use their existing .NET skills to take advantage of various features of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. This kit drills into the details of such development and explains how developers can connect, extend, and embed with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. It includes presentations, hands-on labs and a VPC environment for practicing.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc720132.aspx

Microsoft Introduces The Certified Master and Certified Architect for SharePoint M

Microsoft announced a new certification for Share point, the Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) for Office SharePoint Server 2007 and the Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) for Office SharePoint Server 2007.

The Master program is designed to be the top-tier technical certification for SharePoint Products and Technologies for years to come. While the MCA is designed for professionals who possess an additional skill set focused on the larger business strategies and technical architecture as a whole. In order to receive the MCA for SharePoint, students must first graduate from the MCM for SharePoint program and will then have the option of sitting for a comprehensive Review Board interview conducted by Microsoft experts and MCA’s.

To read more, visit the MCM homepage for additional detail and prerequisites for the program.