Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Category 1: General Q. What is Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services? How is it related to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. Windows SharePoint Services is the solution that enables you to create Web sites for information sharing and document collaboration. Windows SharePoint Services—a key piece of the information worker infrastructure delivered in Microsoft Windows Server 2003—provides additional functionality to the Microsoft Office system and other desktop applications, and it serves as a platform for application development. Office SharePoint Server 2007 builds on top of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to provide additional capabilities including collaboration, portal, search, enterprise content management, business process and forms, and business intelligence. Q. How do I get Windows SharePoint Services? A. Windows SharePoint Services, a component of Windows Server 2003, is currently in version 2.0 Service Pack 2 (SP2), and is also offered as a free download. Windows SharePoint Services also comes as part of the recently released Windows Server 2003 R2 media. Q. What is Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 is an integrated suite of server applications that can help improve organizational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management; accelerating shared business processes; and facilitating information-sharing across boundaries for better business insight. This portal and content management server also provides IT professionals with the tools they need for server administration, application extensibility, and interoperability. Q. Who is Office SharePoint Server 2007 designed for? A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 can be used by information workers, IT administrators, and application developers. Q. What are the main benefits of Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a single integrated platform to manage intranet, extranet, and Internet applications across the enterprise Business users gain greater control over the storage, security, distribution, and management of their electronic content, with tools that are easy to use and tightly integrated into familiar, everyday applications. Organizations can accelerate shared business processes with customers and partners across organizational boundaries using InfoPath Forms Services–driven solutions.
Information workers can find information and people efficiently and easily through the facilitated information-sharing functionality and simplified content publishing. In addition, access to back-end data is achieved easily through a browser, and views into this data can be personalized. Administrators have powerful tools at their fingertips that ease deployment, management, and system administration, so they can spend more time on strategic tasks. Developers have a rich platform to build a new class of applications, called Office Business Applications, that combine powerful developer functionality with the flexibility and ease of deployment of Office SharePoint Server 2007. Through the use of out-of-the-box application services, developers can build richer applications with less code.
Q. When will Office SharePoint Server 2007 be available? A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 will be available toward the end of 2006. Category 2: Licensing Q. There are a lot of terms when it comes to licensing. Where can I go to get help with these terms? Please refer to the licensing glossary on Microsoft.com which you can directly access from here. Q. What is the difference between a User CAL (Client Access License) and a Device CAL? Microsoft offers either a device-based CAL ("Device CAL") or a user-based CAL ("User CAL") for purchase. With a Device CAL, you purchase the CAL for every device that accesses your server, regardless of the number of users who use that device to access the server. With the User CAL, you purchase a device for every user who accesses the server, regardless of the number of devices they use for that access. Because there are two types of CALs available, you can use the model that makes sense for your organization. For example, purchasing a User CAL might make more sense if your company has a need for employees to have roaming access using multiple devices. Device CALs may make more sense if your company has multiple-shift workers who share devices. Q. How is Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 licensed? A. Windows SharePoint Services is included as part of the Windows Server 2003 server license or is available for download at no additional charge, and it conforms to the Windows Server 2003 licensing model. Please visit the Supplemental Licensing Information for Windows SharePoint Services Web site here.
Q. What are the different editions and how are they licensed? A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 offered in the following editions: Office Server Edition Licensing Options Server and client access licensing. For each server, or each Microsoft Office server in a farm, a valid server license must be purchased. For SharePoint Server each client accessing Office SharePoint Server 2007, a Standard 2007 CAL must be purchased. To enable the enterprise features of Office SharePoint Server 2007, an Enterprise CAL, in addition to the Standard CAL, must be purchased. Once the enterprise features are enabled on a server, clients accessing that server, or farm of servers, should have a valid Enterprise CAL in addition to their Standard CAL when accessing the enterprise functionality. Per Server licensing only. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Microsoft Office 2007 for Internet Sites is for running extranet and Internet sites SharePoint Server and should not be accessed by employees creating, sharing, or 2007 for Internet collaborating on content which is for internal use only (for Sites example as a corporate intranet). Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites includes all the standard and enterprise functionality of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. Per Server licensing only. For each server, or each server in a farm, a valid server license must be purchased.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search Enterprise Edition Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search Standard Edition Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007
Per Server licensing only. For each server, or each server in a farm, a valid server license must be purchased.
Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007 for Internet Sites
Per Server and Client access licensing. For each server, or each server in a farm, a valid server license must be purchased. For each client accessing Office Forms Server 2007, a Forms CAL must be purchased. Per Server licensing only. Office Forms Server 2007 for Internet sites is for running forms solutions on extranet and Internet sites and should not be used for forms solutions for internal use only (for example, a forms solution on your corporate intranet). Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007 for Internet Sites includes all the functionality of Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007.
Q. How is Office SharePoint Server 2007 licensed on computers that have more than one CPU?
A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 is licensed per server. There is no additional cost for servers with multiple CPUs. Q. How do I know which Client Access License (CAL) I need? A. These are the different client access options for each Office SharePoint Server 2007: Server Edition Client License Access Requirements For each client computer or user accessing Office SharePoint Microsoft Office Server 2007, a Standard CAL must be purchased. To access the SharePoint Server enterprise features of Office SharePoint Server 2007, an 2007 additional Enterprise CAL is required. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Standard CAL: Enables a user to access the collaboration, portal, search, and enterprise content management capabilities of Office SharePoint Server 2007. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise CAL: An additive CAL that provides additional capabilities for line of business data search, business process and forms capabilities (such as Web-based Microsoft Office InfoPath forms) and business intelligence capabilities (including report center sites, the ability to build interactive dashboards, and Excel Services).
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server for Search Enterprise Edition Microsoft Office SharePoint Server for Search Standard Edition Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007
No CAL is required. Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites is licensed per server and does not require client access licenses. Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites cannot be accessed by internal users for creating, sharing, and collaborating on content that is for internal use only (for example as a corporate intranet). No CAL is required. Office SharePoint Server for Search Enterprise Edition is licensed per server and does not require CALs. No CAL is required. Office SharePoint Server for Search Standard Edition is licensed per server and does not require CALs. For each client computer accessing Office Forms Server 2007, a Forms CAL must be purchased.
For more detailed information, see the Office SharePoint Server 2007 home page. Q. How do I know how many Client Access Licenses (CALs) I need?
A. Each client computer accessing Office SharePoint Server 2007 or Office Forms Server 2007 requires a valid CAL. Q. I’ve heard of the Core CAL Suite. How does the Core CAL Suite relate to Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. The Core CAL Suite is a bundle of CALs that includes the Windows Server CAL, Exchange Server CAL, Office SharePoint Portal Server CAL, and Systems Management Server CAL. With the new release of Office SharePoint Server 2007, the SharePoint Portal Server CAL will be replaced by the Office SharePoint Server Standard CAL in the Core CAL Suite. For customers who own the Core CAL suite, you will have the right to the Office SharePoint Server Standard CAL as long as your Core CAL is valid at time of the release of Office SharePoint Server. For more information on the Core CAL, please go here. Q. I’ve heard of the Enterprise CAL Suite. How does the Enterprise CAL Suite relate to Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. The Enterprise CAL Suite is a new offering from Microsoft. The Enterprise CAL Suite will include the Core CAL plus new capabilities. Specifically, for Office SharePoint Server 2007, the Enterprise CAL Suite will contain both the Office SharePoint Server Standard CAL (through the Core CAL Suite) and the Office SharePoint Server Enterprise CAL. You can find more information about the Enterprise CAL Suite here. Q. What if I am using SharePoint with external users. Do I still need to purchase CALs? A. If you are using SharePoint for an Internet- or extranet-facing Web site, it is recommended that you use Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites, which does not require CALs. Web sites hosted using Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites should not be accessed by employees creating, sharing, or collaborating on content that is for internal use only.
Q: What are the most appropriate licenses for customers to buy in a multi-tier development, staging, and production environment? A. This table shows the best licensing option for the various servers in each configuration. Tier Development Server(s) Staging Sever(s) Production Server(s) Intranet Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Office SharePoint Server 2007 + CALs Office SharePoint Server 2007 + CALs Internet Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Sites
For more information on MSDN licensing, please visit the MSDN Frequently Asked Questions Web site here. Q. What if some users need enterprise features and others do not? A. Once the enterprise features of Office SharePoint Server 2007 are enabled, every client accessing enterprise functionality on that server, or servers in a farm, is required to have an Enterprise CAL in addition to their standard client access. Q. Can I purchase only part of the Enterprise CAL features, such as Excel Services? A. Portions of Office SharePoint Server 2007, such as Excel Services, cannot be licensed independently. Search services are available as part of Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search and InfoPath Forms Services are available as part of Office Forms Server 2007. For all other capabilities you must license Office SharePoint Server 2007 in its entirety. Q. Do I still need to purchase an Office Client license if I’ve purchased a SharePoint CAL? A. Your SharePoint CAL only covers the use of Office SharePoint Server 2007, not the 2007 release of the Microsoft Office system. When choosing a release of Microsoft Office, it is recommended you use the 2007 release for the richest user experience. For example, with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 you will have bidirectional offline sync with SharePoint document libraries. Also with the 2007 release, certain features such as the document panel and the ability to publish to Excel Services will only be enabled when using Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 or Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007. Additionally, Excel Services will only work with documents saved in the Office Excel 2007 file format (XLSX). If you purchased a Core CAL Suite you will have an equivalent number of Office SharePoint Server 2007 Standard CALs. If you purchased Enterprise CAL Suite, you will receive an equivalent number of Office SharePoint Server Enterprise CALs. For more information on Microsoft Office suites, please visit the 2007 Microsoft Office System Packaging Web site here. Q. How do I license Office SharePoint Server 2007 for my Virtual Machines (VMs)? To help you take advantage of the deployment flexibility that VM technology offers, Office SharePoint Server 2007 is licensed by "running instance." Each license you assign to a server gives you the right to run one "instance" (also called "copy" or "installation") of Office SharePoint Server 2007 on that server at a time. A single license for Office SharePoint Server 2007 also enables you to create and store any number of instances on your servers and storage media. For example, if you are running an instance of Office SharePoint Server 2007 in each of the four VMs on a server, you need to assign four SharePoint Server licenses to that server—one for each of those running instances. However, you do not need separate licenses for the instances of Office SharePoint Server 2007 stored in any inactive VMs.
See Windows Server System Licensing to Virtualization Scenarios for more details.
Category 3: Pricing Q. What is the pricing for Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. The cost of a SharePoint deployment depends on the Office SharePoint Server 2007 edition, the number of servers and CALs, and any applicable volume discount. For more information on server, client, and volume licensing, please visit the How to Buy page. Q. Is Independent Software Vendor (ISV) pricing available for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. Yes. Microsoft provides an ISV Royalty Licensing program designed for ISVs that incorporate Microsoft technology into their value-added software business solutions for commercial distribution to their customers. For information on ISV pricing, please visit the Microsoft ISV Royalty Licensing Program Web site. Category 4: Upgrades Q. How do customers license an upgrade from Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003? A. Customers who purchased SharePoint Portal Server 2003 with software assurance will be granted a server license to upgrade to Office SharePoint Server 2007. An Office SharePoint Server 2007 Standard CAL will be granted per each existing standalone SharePoint Portal Server 2003 CAL or Core CAL covered with software assurance. Q. How do customers license an upgrade from Content Management Server 2002? A. Depending on their usage scenario, customers who purchased Content Management Server 2002 with software assurance will be able to upgrade to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. The CAL granted depends on the site usage. For complete details, see the Content Management Server upgrade information Web site here. Q. How does upgrading and downgrading work between the different editions of Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 with Standard CAL features can be upgraded to Office SharePoint Server 2007 with Enterprise CAL features. Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search Standard can be upgraded to Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search Enterprise Edition. Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Forms cannot be upgraded to a different Office SharePoint Server 2007 edition. Downgrades are not possible for any Office SharePoint Server 2007 edition. When upgrading from a previous editions, the following table summarizes the upgrade options: Existing Version Upgrade Path Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Office SharePoint Server 2007 SharePoint Portal Server 2003 + External Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Connector License Sites *Content Management Server 2002 Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Enterprise (for internet/extranet Web sites) Sites *Content Management Server 2002 Office SharePoint Server 2007 including Standard (for intranet Web sites) Standard CALs *Content Management Server 2002 Office SharePoint Server 2007 including Enterprise (for intranet Web sites) Standard and Enterprise CALs *Content Management Server 2002 Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet Standard (for internet/extranet Web sites) Sites For more information on licensing upgrades from Content Management Server, please visit here. Category 5: Product Information Q. What’s the difference between SharePoint Products and Technologies packaging options? A. The following chart summarizes the feature areas for each packaging option. For more detailed information see the Feature and Edition comparison Web sites (URL)
Windows SharePoint Services SharePoint SharePoint Office SharePoint SharePoint Server for Server for Forms Server 2007 Server 2007 Search STD Search ENT Server STD CAL ENT CAL (500K docs) (unlimited*)
Feature Area Collaboration Portal Enterprise Search People Search Business Data Search Enterprise Content Management Excel Services Report Center & Dashboards Business Data Catalog Forms Services
(unlimited*) (unlimited*)
*Unlimited search dependent on hardware Q. What is the difference between Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search Enterprise and Standard Editions?
A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search Standard Edition is limited to indexing 500,000 documents. The Search Enterprise Edition has no limits (dependent on hardware). Q. What suites of the 2007 Microsoft Office system work with Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. Office SharePoint Server 2007 has no restrictions in terms of support for previous releases of Microsoft Office. When choosing a 2007 Office system suite, it is recommended to use the 2007 Office release for the richest user experience. Consider the following when choosing a Microsoft Office suite: Office Outlook 2007 provides bidirectional offline synchronization with SharePoint document libraries, discussion groups, contacts, calendars, and tasks. Microsoft Office Groove 2007, included as part of Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007, will enable bidirectional offline synchronization with SharePoint document libraries. Features such as the document panel and the ability to publish to Excel Services will only be enabled when using Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007or Office Enterprise 2007. Excel Services will only work with documents saved in the new Office Excel 2007 file format (XLSX).
For more information, please visit the 2007 Microsoft Office System Packaging Web site here Q. What are the software requirements for Office SharePoint Server 2007? A. You can find all the 2007 Microsoft Office release system requirements here. Q. Will Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 run on a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows? A. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Office SharePoint Server 2007, Office Forms Server 2007, and Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search will support 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003. Category 6: Language Support Q. Does Office SharePoint Server 2007 come in any language other than English? A. Yes Office SharePoint Server 2007 is available in the following languages: Arabic German Portuguese (Brazil) Chinese (Simplified) Greek Portuguese (Portugal)
Chinese (Traditional) Czech Danish Dutch English Finnish French
Hebrew
Russian
Hungarian Italian Japanese Korean Norwegian Polish
Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish
Additionally, language packs will be available for the following languages: Arabic German Portuguese (Portugal) Romanian Russian Serbian (Latin) Slovak
Bulgarian Catalan (LIP) Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French
Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian
Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Norwegian Polish Portuguese
Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian
(Brazil)