Hardware

First and foremost, you will need a 64-bit machine. SharePoint 2010 mandates 64-bit hardware. Either a desktop or laptop will work. As I deliver presentations and attend speaking events frequently, I decided to get a Lenovo W510 (8GB RAM, 256GB Solid State Disk) laptop. The SSD is a little pricey but the performance gain is well worth it. The bootup time is blazing fast, and the noise factor is much lower. Make sure you load up on RAM and disk storage when purchasing the system. It is best to run the VM from a separate spindle from the host OS. If your budget allows, get two SSDs or at least a secondary high-speed disk drive. You will be grateful of the increased productivity and thank me later.

Virtualization

Once the hardware requirements are satisfied, you have to decide on the operating system configurations. SharePoint 2010 requires Windows 2008, but most systems come preinstalled with Windows 7. Your options include dual boot and virtualization. For maximal flexibility and convenience, I went with the virtualization route. The major virtualization options are Microsoft Hyper-V, VM Ware, and Sun VirtualBox. I have been using and liking the freebie VirtualBox since SharePoint 2010 beta came out few months ago. However, Hyper-V and VM Ware are probably more flexible. This comes down what you have available at your fingertips.

Architecture Topology

If portability is more important than scalability, a stand-alone installation will probably suffice as a sandbox solution. Otherwise, consider running a complete installation in case you need to ever delegate different application roles to numerous other servers/VMs.

Resources

http://delicious.com/kennethlo/sharepoint2010+sandbox

Above is my delicious bookmark collection that points to additional details on this topic. I followed Andrew Connell’s hardware recommendations. If you are using VirtualBox, Eric Harlan’s How to Install SharePoint 2010 Guide will be especially handy. Thank you, Andrew and Eric!

I’d like to invite you to SharePoint Saturday DC on May 15. SharePoint Saturday DC is a FREE, community driven, 1-day event that provides education around SharePoint at all levels.

You wouldn’t want to miss this event as there will be around 89 speakers and 84 sessions that will be delivered. Touted as the biggest SharePoint event in Washington, DC right after SharePoint 2010 is launched, 800 people are expected to attend. Get to network with SharePoint experts and get a chance to win raffle prizes such as Apple iPad, Netbook, Zune HD, SharePoint books, training passes, Access to online content from Microsoft’s SharePoint Conference 2009, and many more!

So what are you waiting for? Register now http://bit.ly/spsdc3

Marcy Kellar took this jump shot of Geoff Varosky as Dan Usher and I watched on from safety.

It was a snowy Saturday, but that did not deter 100+ devoted attendees from showing up at SPSDC! Dan Usher, Dux Raymond Sy, Gino Degregori, the corporate sponsors and volunteers, as always, did an amazing job putting this event together. And thanks again to all my peer speakers for making this event so much fun! Check out the “jump shot” that Marcy Kellar took of Geoff Varosky as Dan Usher and I watched on from safety! I can hardly wait until the next SPSDC in this spring.

As promised during my session, I have uploaded my slide deck:
Secret Ingredients of Successful SharePoint Project Management

It is also available on slideshare.net

In addition, the delicious bookmarks were updated to help attendees locate the resources we discussed in class:
Helpful Resources on SharePoint Project Management

Shoot me an email if you have any questions regarding the session or other SharePoint project management topics. Cheers!

By the way, Salvation Army notified us today that there is a big need for brand new children’s clothing (any age) in the Washington DC area. If you can donate these that would be great! They’ll still accept other new or used clothing donations as well.

Don’t forget to bring your donations this Saturday. Let’s show the true meaning of sharing during this holiday season.

The long-awaited SharePoint 2010 Beta was finally released this week. It has set the entire community on fire! Many new features have been added and existing ones improved. I will be posting a series of blog posts next few weeks as the adventures take place. Stay tuned!

Before you start installing the beta in your sandbox environment, you will need to have the 64-bit hardware ready. Below is a list of the minimum requirements:

• Windows Server 2008 64-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later OR Windows Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 64-bit with SP2 or later OR SQL Server 2008 64-bit
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 with SP1

Level 1 Internet browser options running on the Windows operating system:

• Internet Explorer 7 32-bit
• Internet Explorer 8 32-bit
• Firefox 3.x 32-bit

Level 2 Internet browsers options:

• Internet Explorer 7 64-bit
• Internet Explorer 8 64-bit
• Firefox 3.x on non Windows operating system
• Safari 3.x

For the complete and updated list of prerequisites for installing SharePoint Server 2010, see “Determine hardware and software requirements (SharePoint Server 2010)” (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=166546) on the Microsoft TechNet Web site.