SQL server at xxx has an unsupported version 10.0.2531.0, SharePoint PSConfig error

While I was preparing a bonsai SharePoint 2010 web farm with Sql Server 2008 Enterprise database in my Dell Studio 1555. As I did numerous standalone SharePoint 2010 deployment for development activity on Windows Server 2008/R2/Win 7 with Sql Server 2008 express + SP1, I used to have the pre-requisites handy in my hard disk to build multiple virtual hard disks.

After building and networked the domain controller and the enterprise database server, executed the SharePoint 2010 installer and ran the PSConfig wizard on designated app server image. While connecting to the database server, wizard throws an error

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SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard

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SQL server at windb\dbsvr2010 has an unsupported version 10.0.2531.0. Please refer to "http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=165761" for information on the minimum required SQL Server versions and how to download them.

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OK   

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I never expected this behavior ,went back to my standalone SharePoint installation and verified the database server. It says 10.0.2531.0 and running happily.

Went back to MSDN Hardware and Software requirement, there's a different standard for Sql Server 2008 Express(standalone) and Sql Server 2008 Enterprise(Farm installation). 

If you are gonna install Sql Server Express 2008 as your data store you are good enough to go with only Sql Server SP 1 (10.0.2531.0) but if you are preparing a web farm and proceeding for Non-Express database then you should also install the Cumulative update 2(10.0.2714) or CU5 (Installing CU3 or CU4 is not recommended)

Now the PSConfig wizard is happy and configures my web farm successfully.

Expose SharePoint 2010 Central Administration out of the job server

We tried to access the central administration of a Test server(Windows 2008 R2, IIS 7.5) from a client machine by adding proper host entries and providing the right port number and we were able to access the central administration. But soon we realized that the hyperlinks end up in a ASP.NET authorization error.

After tweaking the following authorization settings IIS 7.5 admin console, we were able to expose the links

Open inetmgr and select ASP.NET Authorization

Expand the central administration node and Select the _admin node and you can see a "Deny" rule, remove the deny rule and add a "Allow" rule

Repeat the same for _vti_adm node

Do an IISReset and good to go, 

Even after this some buttons from the Ribbon were disable for e.g;,Create application, Extend application 

Switching off the User account control solves the issue, start -> search for UAC and do the following change

Instructions provided above relaxes the security on SharePoint Server and shouldn't be applied on test,stage or production servers.

 

Porting Sharepoint 2007 document library STP to SharePoint 2010

Recently read a post from Tom Belgium which speaks about porting SharePoint 2007 list templates to SharePoint 2010 and it worked just by replacing the product version and and repackage with makecab utility.

I faced a scenario to port a document library STP template including some documents.SharePoint packages the documents of the document library and manifest.xml as a single package.

Following are the steps to modify the STP file.
Rename the STP File to a CAB file and have a look at the contents

Create a new folder in c: drive say c:\Templates\, drag and drop all the contents from the cab file

Edit the Product version tag in Manifest.xml and save the file

Open a command prompt, navigate to the folder where we copied contents from CAB file and take the list of files in a txt/ddf file. Store this file within C:\Templates folder

Prepare the DDF file with the list of obtained file names, don't forget to give the cabinet file name in DDF file

Download the sample DDF file here


Execute Makecab utility to generate the CAB archive, you will see a C:\templates\Package folder and within that folder the STP will be available

This is the new STP file which will work in SharePoint 2010 edition.