Installing March Public Update for SharePoint 2013 in a CloudShare Environment

Microsoft released its first public update for both SharePoint Foundation and Server 2013 last March. As you can read in several blogs on the Internet about this update, it is a mandatory requirement in order to install new SharePoint updates coming in the feature. For instance, you can read this statement in Stefan Gossner’s blog post (Note: Stefan is Senior SharePoint Escalation Engineer at Microsoft):

Due to a change in the package configuration introduced after SharePoint 2013 RTM the March Public update is a mandatory requirement in order to install subsequent SharePoint Updates.

In this article, I will show you step-by-step how to install this first public update for SharePoint Server 2013 in a CloudShare Environment.

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SharePoint Color Palette Tool

A couple of months ago I wrote an article about the new look of SharePoint 2013, focusing on the new Site Collection themes for SharePoint. I gave a couple of examples for the new built-in themes included in SharePoint 2013.

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How to Debug SharePoint Autohosted Applications using the Windows Azure Service Bus

As you know SharePoint 2013 introduces a new development model, known as the App Model, that allows you to create and deploy applications for SharePoint On-Premise and SharePoint Online in Office 365. If you want to know more about how to build applications for SharePoint, I recommend you to visit the Build apps for Office and SharePoint portal created by Microsoft. There you can find a lot of useful information and resources about this new development model, how to build apps, and so on.

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How to Install the RTM Version of the Microsoft Office Developer Tools for Visual Studio 2012

Microsoft recently released the RTM version of the Microsoft Office Developer Tools for Visual Studio 2012 (read the announcement on S. Somasegar’s blog) as a step forward in their development support for SharePoint and Office 2013. In this article, I will explain how to install the final version of the tools in a CloudShare environment where Visual Studio 2012 + Preview 2 of the Office Developer Tools is installed.

Let’s start!

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How to configure SharePoint 2013 Content Databases in read-only mode

Read-Only Databases is a feature available when upgrading or moving SharePoint 2013 content databases to avoid any data loss and allow users access to the information stored in the system. In this mode we can backup content databases with the latest information available, and at the same time guarantee our SharePoint users can read existing data, but not modify it. In this article, I will explain step-by-step how to configure an existing content database in read-only mode:

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Defining a SharePoint 2013 IT Strategy Part II

This is part two of the Defining SharePoint IT Strategy article. If you have not read the first part, please see this first.

Q: Who needs to be involved with the process?

A: A variety of organizational personnel will be involved in the development, execution, and analysis of any IT strategy at different times. The key to success is the input from IT and business management who have the ability and authority to assign resources to the project, and to authorize business initiatives as they relate to SharePoint.

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Defining a SharePoint 2013 IT Strategy Part I

Your organization is considering whether to install SharePoint, and you are now envisioning what it can do for your company. But you also need to consider costs versus benefits, keeping in mind your company’s directive of “being more strategic with IT spending”. The time has come for your team to clearly define an IT strategy to guide your upcoming SharePoint deployment.  OMG.

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How to Recover SharePoint 2013 Databases from Suspect Mode

I restarted my SharePoint server, opened Central Administration and encountered the following error:

Server Error in ‘/’ Application
Runtime Error
Description: An application error occurred on the server.

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How to install and configure workflow infrastructure in SharePoint 2013

Workflows are another key area in  SharePoint 2013 where Microsoft has made great investments. In fact, workflow platform is completely new in that it allows creation, usage and deployment of .NET Framework 4.x workflows in a SharePoint 2013 farm. Microsoft has completely redesigned the workflow platform for SharePoint by creating the Windows Azure Workflow Server (WAS) that enables us to completely separate the SharePoint side from the workflow one. Indeed, workflow infrastructure in SharePoint 2013 is completely independent from the SharePoint point of view that consumes and uses workflows through a web services façade.

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How to resolve HTTP 500 Internal Server Error in SharePoint 2013 site

Once in a while I encounter an error that doesn’t provide any helpful information. This is exactly what happened the other day I opened my SharePoint site and found out that the website cannot display the page due to HTTP 500 Internal Server Error.

First thing I tried to do is open SharePoint Central Administration, to see if I get the same error message. Strangely, I was able to open Central Administration without any errors.

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