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MOSS BACKUP

Share point backup/recovery can be done at different levels..

Binary Files  (OS) : Will be required to reinstall OS and provide for  updates

Configuration (IIS) : Need to backup IIS metabase, and document all IIS configuration.

Binary files (Office Share point server) : Installation Of Share point Server (MOSS)

Configuration (Office SharePoint Server) : Configurations in Office SharePoint Server are set in Central Administration and stored in the configuration database and the Central Administration content database and need to be backup regularly.

Customizations : Stsadm export and import operations, to archive and re-insert a site or subsite. Although using the export operation saves data for us, it does not produce a full-fidelity backup. The export operation can include content and security settings only. It does not include customizations and settings such as workflow, alerts, features, solutions, or Recycle Bin state which may have to be done by the content versioning module.

Content: Can be backup and restored using Versioning, which addresses the issue of losing data by overwriting a document. It allows the document library to keep multiple copies of the same document. In the event of an unwanted change, an overwrite, or a document corruption, the previous version can easily be restored by the end user. You turn on versioning at the library or list level.

Things to Do :

Backup all SQL DB regularly.
Backup all IIS metadata and document configuration.
Backup using stsadm export/import operation site configurations and data at site level and farm level
Use Share point versioning from the user level upwards.
Try to recreate the farm from the above strategies on to a different system If this application is critical, go ahead on the following:
Create a recovery farm/fail over farm
Recover DB & Site collection to new locations.

A practical and effective backup strategy for  Windows SharePoint Services installation is to use DB backup and Stsadm . At longer intervals, such as monthly, back up our  entire set of databases by using the Db backup tools. At shorter intervals, such as weekly, run Stsadm to back up just those site collections that have changed. This will facilitate quick recovery of lost items with a minimum of space usage, while the Db backup are available for large-scale disaster recovery.

MOSS review

In computing, the Microsoft SharePoint products and technologies sold by Microsoft includes browser-based collaboration and a document-management platform. It can be used to host web sites that access shared workspaces and documents, as well as specialized applications like wikis and blogs from a browser. SharePoint is not intended to replace a full file server. Instead, it is targeted as a collaborative workspace, a tool for the management and automation of business processes, and a platform for social networking. Microsoft markets this as Collaboration, Processes, and People. SharePoint interface is through a web interface, such as a task list or discussion pane. SharePoint sites are actually ASP.NET 2.0 applications, which are served using IIS and use a SQL Server database as a data storage backend. All site content data is stored within a SQL Server database called WSS_Content.

The term “SharePoint” collectively refers to two products, the platform and the services; this can be very confusing to beginners since it is counter-intuitive. WSS 3.0 is the platform while MOSS 2007 provides additional services. As of 2008 the most current of these two are:

* Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS)
* Microsoft Office SharePoint Server  (MOSS)

The SharePoint family

Windows SharePoint Services (WSS)

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS) comprises a free add-on to Windows Server. It is for the state forms and use ASP.NET pages instead.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server  (MOSS )

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) is a package that provides additional functionality on top of WSS 3.0. Live deployment of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 requires licensing of the server as well as a one time Client Access License (CAL). Microsoft’s licensing changes regularly and you should consult the Microsoft web page or a representive or licensing partner for the latest information. MOSS comes in two levels, standard and enterprise with enterprise costing more per CAL license. The standard version includes out-of-the-box workflows and reporting, additional policy management, auditing and records management for the file sharing capabilities, greater personalization of the sites, as well as further search capabilities including enterprise search and people search. The enterprise edition includes business data search, the Business Data Catalog, InfoPath Form Server and Business Intelligence capabilities such as Excel Services, Report Center and Dashboarding.

Microsoft Search Server

Microsoft Search Server (MSS), an enterprise search platform from Microsoft, builds on the search capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.MSS shares its architectural underpinnings with the Windows Search platform for both the querying engine as well as the indexer. MOSS search provides the ability to search metadata attached to documents.

Microsoft has made Microsoft Search Server available as Search Server 2008, released March 2008. A free version, Search Server 2008 Express, is also available. The express edition features the same feature set as the commercial edition, including no limitation on the number of files indexed. However, it is limited to a stand-alone installation and cannot be scaled out to a cluster.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer

The WYSIWYG HTML editor Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer primarily targets the design of SharePoint sites and end-user workflows for WSS sites. It is the sucessor to FrontPage 2003. It shares its rendering engine with Microsoft Expression Web, its general web designing sibling, and Microsoft’s Visual Studio 2008 IDE. SPD represents a next-generation Microsoft replacement for Microsoft FrontPage. SPD requires that IIS has Frontpage extensions installed on the server.