Installing MsProject2003 Server is way too difficult

[Tom van Stiphout]

My suggestion is to flog all members of the Setup team.
That's right. It was a TERRIBLE experience trying to install the Project2003
product on SBS2003. There were about 20 steps, several of them things that
normally a setup program can handle (create domain account, create sql server
login), and several that did not apply (open a command window and run some
exe in an obscure subfolder: I have the folder but not the exe. Also some
verbiage of the 20-step instructions did not correspond to my software (e.g.
the sharepoint admin form has different options).
In all, it SEVERELY undercut my confidence in the product. It feels like a
deck of cards, carefully erected on top of Analysis Services, SharePoint,
IIS, etc, and I'm very afraid the whole deck will come tumbling down if I as
much as cough.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...40a7fea6ca&dg=microsoft.public.project.server

 

[Engelbert]

I doubt if you are intended to install Project Server 2003 on SBS 2003. SBS
2003 already comes with enough applications for one box, I'd have thought.

Given that I think your criticisms of the Setup team for making an
installation on SBS 2003 difficult are inappropriate.

Complain (loudly) if you can't install it on a Windows Server 2003 Server
machine because of poor instructions from MS. I have found their
installation guides for all different variants (single machine; more than
one machine) of setup on Windows Server 2003 Server to be excellent however.

Engelbert

 

[Rolly Perreaux]

My suggestion is to flog all members of the Setup team.
That's right. It was a TERRIBLE experience trying to install the Project2003
product on SBS2003. There were about 20 steps, several of them things that
normally a setup program can handle (create domain account, create sql server
login), and several that did not apply (open a command window and run some
exe in an obscure subfolder: I have the folder but not the exe. Also some
verbiage of the 20-step instructions did not correspond to my software (e.g.
the sharepoint admin form has different options).
In all, it SEVERELY undercut my confidence in the product. It feels like a
deck of cards, carefully erected on top of Analysis Services, SharePoint,
IIS, etc, and I'm very afraid the whole deck will come tumbling down if I as
much as cough.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...40a7fea6ca&dg=microsoft.public.project.server

Hi Tom,

You would be right to say that the Project Server installation is no
where near as easy as installing Windows Server 2003 - Small Business
Edition. There are no Wizards that step through the _entire_ process.

But having said that, the mere fact that SBS is limited to a total of 75
workstations on the network makes it very easy to create a setup wizard
to install SBS and force certain setup configurations. It also narrows
your scope options quite a bit.

But as you are probably aware with Project Server there are many
configuration scenarios, from small environments such as yours to
enterprise-wide server farms. Having one setup guide to do everything
would be virtually impossible.

So don't lose confidence in the product just because of your setup
issues. If you are having setup problems (or any other), drop us a note
and we'll all try our best to help you resolve them.

Cheers,

--
Rolly Perreaux, PMP
Project Server Trainer/Consultant

IT Summit Series
Advanced Microsoft Technology Training
http://www.itsummitseries.com

 

[Nico Oosthuysen]

http://www.sbslinks.com/Project_Server.htm

 

[Gary L. Chefetz [MVP]]

Tom:

The simple truth is that Project Server is not fully supported on SBS, and I
wouldn't recommend it, despite the fact that Microsoft seems happy to tell
people it's OK. Follow the link that Nico posted to get Chris Jones document
on installing on SBS which is not covered in any of the Microsoft Project
Server documentation.

 

[JKHarner]

Thank you Microsoft! (sarcasm, if you can't tell) and thank you Chris Jones
for picking up where Microsoft left off (not sarcasm). I can't believe how
difficult it is to get this thing to work.

I have to agree with Tom's original posting - Flog them All!

Jonathan