July 12, 2013

Business Intelligence Demo VHD (Part 2 of 10) – Windows Server 2012

We continue the build by installing Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition with GUI. The default install choice is server code (no GUI) but we will want the GUI to work with SharePoint and BI features interactively. For security, I am using “pass@word1” on all areas including local Administrator.

NOTE – There are some helpful tricks at http://www.win2012workstation.com/ if you plan to use this server with RDP for demos to get a more robust desktop like experience. Otherwise, you can always browse over HTTP from the VM host. Sometimes that’s a good way to show cross browser compatibility (IE, FireFox, Chrome, etc.)

I like to run Windows Update before doing anything else just to make sure I’m current and hopefully avoid errors.

I modified the computer name to be “DEMO2013A” for matching the Content Pack scripts from CodePlex documented requirements.

I modified the user “Administrator” to be just “Admin” for easier typing. This name will have to be typed into all sorts of places, easier to save a few keystrokes.

Next, it’s a good idea to load the VM guest additions. This might be different for other VM products (VMWare, Hyper-V, etc.)

Then we can modify PowerShell to have unrestricted execution policy. This will allow for running any PS1 script file without security prompt. I am using this for DEV, but in practice it is better to keep “RemoteSigned” for production.

Next, we run the Microsoft Content Pack Installer so that we can deploy package files downloaded from https://sharepointdemobuilds.codeplex.com/

July 10, 2013

Business Intelligence Demo VHD (Part 1 of 10) – Prepare VM

This series of posts covers in detail my experience with installing SharePoint 2013 and SQL 2012 BI features using http://sharepointdemobuilds.codeplex.com/

One of my favorite demos with SP2010 was the “Information Worker” VHD because it had so many great visuals, people, org charts, SharePoint team sites, and databases for BI. I haven’t been able to find any IW download VHD for SP2013.

However, today we have http://sharepointdemobuilds.codeplex.com/. Ivan Sanders was kind enough to package sample content with automated deployment. NOTE – There is no complete VHD file. You must obtain installation media for each Microsoft product (Windows, SQL, SharePoint). Trial editions are available and work fine, but you will need install from media. Below are screenshots from my experience configuring SP2013 with the demo content.

Please leave a comment if you found this post series helpful.

First we need to create a VHD container for the machine we plan to build. This can be done on any Windows 7/8 machine by opening Computer Manager and right clicking on Disk Management. I chose to create a 96 GB dynamic file. That allows room to expand while minimizing current disk usage.

The disk must be initialize to prepare it for the Windows O/S install we’ll perform next. Default options (MBR) are fine here.

The VHD file is now complete and ready for use in any VM host software. I chose VHD format for wide compatibility.

Next, we will create the VM guest machine. I am using VirtualBox (http://www.virtualbox.org) because it’s free and runs well on any Windows 7/8 desktop. The specifications I am using are shown below. NOTE – More RAM would boost performance. I have 10GB RAM and pointed to the VHD file we just created for storage. Also, I attached the Windows 2012 install media ISO to the virtual CD-ROM so we can boot and install.

July 27, 2011

FIXED – Rule “User account requirement for Farm administrator” failed

When installing PowerPivot on SharePoint 2010 you might see the below error. Behind the scenes several permissions are being verified, not just Farm Admin. In my case I also needed to grant SQL SYSADMIN permission to the user account performing the install. This error message is confusing because it can occur even if you are listed on Central Administration as a Farm Admin. So before you run “setup.exe” on the SQL CD, be sure to double check your permissions.

PowerPivot install account needs: