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Inventorying SharePoint Using PowerShell

By Michael T. Smith

Microsoft SharePoint quickly spreads through the enterprise because it’s very easy to use. Unfortunately, that often means that it’s easy to abuse, too.

To manage the ever-growing spread of SharePoint, we often write governance plans that mandate the auditing and policing of users, content, and policies. Which tools can you use to perform these audits or even just to find out what's happening in your SharePoint installation? Third-party tools can handle some of the necessary inventories and auditing, but you already have a great instrument in your toolkit: Windows PowerShell.

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Additional Resources

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Michael Noel explores approaches for reliable, efficient distribution of SharePoint content.

Windows Server 2012, Hyper-V: The Essential Guide to New Virtualization Capabilities
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SharePoint Pro Magazine Tips and How-To's

Deploying FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, by Agnes Molnar

 

SharePoint Pro Magazine Tips and How-To's

Exploring and Inventorying SharePoint with PowerShell, by Michael T. Smith

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SharePoint Pro: Update

SharePoint Admins Can Learn to Love PowerShell: By Todd Klindt

As with any new release, there was a lot to learn when SharePoint 2010 hit the streets. There were new features to master, and there were even some old features with which to get reacquainted. Typically, I’m up for such a challenge. Heck, I revel in it. However, one of the biggest challenges that I almost didn’t overcome was learning Windows PowerShell.

I’ve been working with SharePoint for a long time now. Although I started with SharePoint Team Services 2001, I really cut my teeth with Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 (WSS 2.0). I used it to manage a farm that had more than 1,200 site collections and more than 10,000 subsites, which are often referred to as webs. I learned very early on to love and embrace scripting.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

The Essential Guide to New Virtualization Capabilities in Fibre Channel Environments
Learn how Hyper V’s new advancements make it an ideal platform for all application tiers and scenarios

The Essential Guide to Achieving High Availability for SharePoint Data
Michael Noel explores approaches for reliable, efficient distribution of SharePoint content.

That Paperless Nirvana SharePoint Promises, by Caroline Marwitz

Creating SharePoint 2010 Workflows, Starting with Visual Studio, by Serge Luca

Configuring Content type hub in SharePoint 2010 step by step

Configuring Content type hub in SharePoint 2010 step by step

Content Type Hub is like a repository where we can store the content types in a site collection and can be shared among all site collections in a web application and multiple web applications in a farm.

It is one of the features available in Managed Metadata service in SharePoint 2010

Create a site collection name it as content type hub

http://intranet.contoso.com/my/personal/ContentTypeHub

Site collection: ContentTypeHub

Webapplication: http://intranet.contoso.com

Now configure this content type hub site collection in Managed Metadata services

Click on Manage Service applications under Application Management section

It will display all the services

Select the Managed Metadata service and click on Permissions

Add the Administrator

Click on Administrators

Select the Full control permisssions

Click on Properties

Now enter the URL of content type hub site collection here

http://intranet.contoso.com/my/personal/ContentTypeHub

Click ok and again select the managed metadata service ..click on properties

Select the Managed Metadata Service Connection and click on properties

Select all the checkboxes

Click ok

Now publish the Managed metadata service by clicking on Publish

   Select the check box..publish this service application to other farms

Click ok

Now open the content type hub site collection

Navigate to site action --> site settings

Click on site collection features under Site collection administration

Now content type syndication hub feature is already activated

Click on site content types under Galleries section

Now create a custom content type and name it as Cricket Content type

To publish this content type…click on Manage publishing for this content type

Select the publish radio button

Click ok

Now Cricket content type is published and it is available for all site collections in a web application and all web applications in a farm

Create a site collection “Australia” check this new content type “Cricket content type” is available.

http://intranet.contoso.com/my/personal/Australia

Now navigate  to site actions à site settings

Click on Site content types under Galleries section

Cricket content type is available in custom content types section

Create a site collection in another web application to check whether cricket content type is available

http://hrweb.contoso.com/sites/Newzealand

Now navigate  to site actions à site settings

Click on Site content types under Galleries section

Cricket content type is available in custom content types section

What is the difference between a PU, a CU and a COD?

I thought of Sharing this Article written By Stefan to my Readers . Its really good to understand what is

Service Pack
Cumulative Update (CU)
Public Update (PU)
Critical On Demand Fix (COD)

Service Pack

What is it: A service pack is a combination of previously released fixes, fixes which have only been released in context of the service pack and potentially new functionality added to the product.

What is included: new fixes, new functionality, all previously released fixes (older Service Packs, CUs, PUs)

Multilingual: No. You need separate Service Packs for each installed language

What is the prerequisite: Usually there is no prerequisite to install a service pack.

When to install: it is recommended to evaluate and install Service Packs as soon as possible.

Impact on future fixes: CUs and PUs released more than 12 months after the last service pack can only be installed if the Service Pack has been installed before

Installation Sequence: no specific sequence. You can install a service pack on top of CUs and PUs released later.

Release Cycle: no specific release cycle

Cumulative Update (CU)

What is it: A cumulative update includes fixes for problems with our product that have been reported by customer in context of support cases.

What is included: New and all previously released fixes (CUs and PUs) since the oldest supported service pack (within the first 12 month after a Service Pack has been released the CU includes also fixes released after the previous service pack)

Multilingual: Yes. The CU package includes fixes for all languages.

What is the prerequisite: The oldest supported service pack. Within the first 12 months after releasing a SP you can install on the latest SP and the previous one. CUs released more than 12 months after the newest SP require the newest SP to be installed.

When to install: CUs should only be installed to resolve specific issues fixed with the CUs as mentioned in each CU KB article: "Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problems described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.". Or if adviced to install by Microsoft Support.

Impact on future fixes: In general a CU is not a prerequisite of future CUs and PUs. But in some situations a CU can be a prerequisite of a COD (see below).

Installation Sequence: no specific sequence.

Release Cycle: every second month (February, April, June, August, October, December)
Public Update (PU)

What is it: A public update usually includes security fixes for the product or fixes for problems which affect a broad number of customers.

What is included: please review the KB article for each public update in detail to see which fixes are included.

Multilingual: Yes. The PU package includes fixes for all languages.

What is the prerequisite: Usually the oldest supported service pack. Within the first 12 months after releasing a SP you can install on the latest SP and the previous one. PUs released more than 12 months after the newest SP usually require the newest SP to be installed.

When to install: As a PU includes security fixes it is recommended to evaluate and install PUs as soon as possible.

Impact on future fixes: In some situations a PU can be a prerequesit of future CUs and PUs. E.g. the March 2013 PU for SharePoint 2013 will be a prerequesit for all future CUs (and potentially PUs) for SharePoint 2013.

Installation Sequence: A PU can only be installed on a system which does not already have the included fixes applied through another source - e.g. through an earlier released CU. As PUs are advised to be installed by all customers while CUs should only be installed by customers affected by one of the fixes incuded in the CU the test cycle for a PU is much longer than for a CU. That means a PU released in March can be superseeded by a CU released earlier (e.g. February CU or December CU). Also in some situations a CU requires an earlier released PU to be installed first - otherwise the fix will not install.
Release Cycle: once a month (if required)
Critical On Demand Fix (COD)

What is it: A COD is a fix which is provided only to a small number of customers affected by a critical problem directly through Microsoft Support to provide a quick relief. The code change in the COD will be included in one of the next CUs and it is advised to install that CU on top of the COD as soon as it has been released.

What is included: only the specific fix for a specific issue.

Multilingual: Usually not.

What is the prerequisite: Usually the CU that was used as the baseline to develop the COD. Microsoft Support will provide guidance which CU is required to be install as a prerequisite for the COD.

When to install: Only if advised by Microsoft Support.

Impact on future fixes: A COD will not have an impact on future CUs or PUs. But the next CU can potentially revert the the code change introduced in the CU. See Installation Sequence.

Installation Sequence: As the COD will be released as soon as possible to a small number of affected customers it might happen, that the next CU released shortly after before or after the COD will not include the code change introduced by the COD. Customers which need the fix in the COD have to wait for the CU which will include the fix included in the COD. Microsoft Support will provided guidance on which CU can be installed on top of a COD.

Release Cycle: on demand
   
http://blogs.technet.com/b/stefan_gossner/archive/2013/03/21/common-question-what-is-the-difference-between-a-pu-a-cu-and-a-cod.aspx