Installation of the package failed while installing CU on SharePoint 2013

This applies to SharePoint 2010 and 2013.

ISSUE:

While installing the CU on SharePoint 2013 server got below error.

It says"The installation of this package failed"

CAUSE:

1. Missing cab files, all the files cab and exe file should be in same folder.

2. Also check the size of the files that you downloaded and double check with Microsoft site.

3. Above two are not the reason for failure. Then check the name of your cab file, it should be like ubserv_1.cab or ubserv_2.cab it cannot be ubserv_1(1).cab or ubserv_2(1).cab. This can also cause installation failure.

4. Download the CU again from the microsoft site.

Hope it helps.

Happy SharePointing :) 

Common Question : Difference between Service Pack and Cummulative Updates

 This post will help you out with most common question that a SharePoint techie needs to know.

Difference between Service Pack and Cumulative Updates (CU).

Some of you might don't know but we also have Public Update knows as PU and Critical on demand fix know as COD

So we instead of just talking about difference between Service Pack and CU

We will talk about Service Pack vs CU vs PU vs COD

there are other guys who have answered this question i just wanted to throw my hat in the ring ;)

Lets get started.

Service Pack

 

A Service Pack is combination of all the previously released fixes and potentially any new feature added to SharePoint till date.
It includes new fixes, new functionality and all the older released Service packs and fixes.
It doesn't comes with language pack you have to install a separate service pack for language installed in SharePoint.
There is no release cycle for service pack.

Cumulative Updates

 

A Cumulative update includes fixes for the bug or problem with SharePoint that are reported by users or customers.

It contains all new and previously released CU and PU.

CU comes with language pack so no need to install separate CU for language installed in SharePoint.

Since July 2014, CU has been release every month.

Public Update (PU)

Public Update basically includes security fixes and fixes for the problems that are reported by large number of customers or users

What it includes you have to review the KB article while downloading the PU from Microsoft.

PU also comes with language pack. It will  release once in a month if required.

Critical on demand fix (COD)

 

A COD is a fix which is provided only to a small number of customers affected by a critical problem directly through Microsoft Support.

It includes specific fix for a specific issue. Doesn't come with language pack.

It is only released On Demand 

Hope this article gives you more clear picture about Service Pack, CU, PU and COD.

Happy SharePointing :)

Ports required for SharePoint

I recently had project to migrate SharePoint 2010 from old server to a new server.

It was just Server migration not SharePoint Migration.

My networking team doesn't know how to find the Ports which should be opened in new server to communicate with each other and for all other important Sharepoint Functionality to work.

So i prepared a list of port number which are required for my SharePoint Farm.

My SharePoint Farm consists of:

1. 2 Application servers
2. 2 Web Front End servers
3. 1 SQL servers
4. Domain controllers.

Below is the list of port required to be open on new servers.

Hope this helps you :)

Happy SharePointing :)

Create Multiple Document libraries from Custom template using PowerShell.

Below PowerShell Script will create multiple document libraries using custom Template.

In My case custom template name is Farm Template.



Add-PSSnapin "Microsoft.SharePoint.Powershell"

#create a subsite using blank Template

$WebAppUrl="https://SharePoint.com/Sites/TEST"

#->SubSite1<-
$SubSiteTitle1 = "Subsite"
$SubSite1Url = "Subsite"
New-SPWeb –url $WebAppUrl"/"$SubSite1Url -name $SubSiteTitle1 -Template "STS#1" –AddToTopNav –UseParentTopNav

#load the custom template to new subsite

$site = Get-SPSite https://SharePoint.com/Sites/TEST
$web = Get-SpWeb https://SharePoint.com/Sites/TEST/Subsite

$custTemplate = $site.GetCustomListTemplates($web)

#Verify the custom template name

$custTemplate | select name

write-host "Loading powershell module" -ForegroundColor Red

# specify the source and destination sites
$sourceWeb = "https://SharePoint.com/Sites/TEST";
$DestinationWeb = "https://SharePoint.com/Sites/TEST/Subsite";


# get the source and destination sites web objects
$sourceWebObj = Get-SPWeb $sourceWeb;
$DestinationWebObj = Get-SPWeb $DestinationWeb;

#creating new document libraries using custom template.

$listTemplate = [Microsoft.SharePoint.SPListTemplateType]::"FarmTemplate"
$DestinationWebObj.Lists.Add("01","My Doc Library",$custTemplate["FarmTemplate"]);
$DestinationWebObj.Lists.Add("02","My Doc Library",$custTemplate["FarmTemplate"]);
$DestinationWebObj.Lists.Add("03","My Doc Library",$custTemplate["FarmTemplate"]);
$DestinationWebObj.Lists.Add("04","My Doc Library",$custTemplate["FarmTemplate"]);
$DestinationWebObj.Lists.Add("05","My Doc Library",$custTemplate["FarmTemplate"]);

Happy SharePointing :)

SharePoint 2013 : Unable to search for a document/ file in search results

Sometimes, when we try to search for a file and we don't get a result. We thought that file is not available on the site or may be search crawl will take sometime to crawl it.

ISSUE:

File is uploaded and checked in into SharePoint even search crawl is idle. Still no search result.



CAUSE:


If you check crawl logs you can see that the file has been deleted by gatherer.

FIX:

1. Do an index reset.
2. Do a Full Crawl on local SharePoint site content source.

This help the file or content to get back in the index.

Hope it helps:)

Happy SharePointing :)

Step by Step installation of Cumulative Update on SharePoint Farm.

This post will guide you with steps on how to install cumulative update on your SharePoint Farm.

Assume you have 4 servers in your farm. 2 APP and 2 Web front end.
APP1 is hosting your central admin. Also take a note of current SharePoint build number from
Manage Server on farm under system settings.

So lets get started with steps:-

1. Download your latest Cumulative Update or the update you want to install from Microsoft official site.

2. Once downloaded, copy paste it across all servers in farm.

Note: Sometimes we also have file with .cab extension so make sure you keep application file(.exe) and .cab file in same folder.

3. We always start with the server that host Central Administration in our case it was APP1. So we run the exe file on app1.

4. After installing it on APP1. Then we go ahead with APP2, after that WFE 2 and lastly WFE1.

5. Once installation of Cumulative update done on all servers. Go to APP1 server and Run SharePoint Configuration Wizard.

6. You should run it in same way you installed Cumulative update.

7. After successful completion of SharePoint Config wizard. Go to Manage Server on farm under system settings. It will have the new build value.

Hope it helps:)

Happy SharePointing :)

Unable to edit any fields in User Profile Application.

You have created a new user profile service application and using old Profile DB.

So now when you search for user in manage user profile you get the result but you are unable to edit or check user's profile  property.

Even if this happens with UPA connection.

Solution:

Go to you internet explorer  and click on tool or settings icon.

Click On Compatibility view settings.

Now add your URL /central admin name to it.

Click OK and your page will be refreshed.

Now you will be able to edit the User properties.


Hope it helps :)

Happy SharePointing :)