Problem definition

1. Our corporate email platform is Exchange Online, a MSCloud service. 
2. Our SharePoint (SP) servers are cloud based but are not hosted at a MSCloud service.
3. I need to setup SP to send automatic email notifications when changes occur. 
4. SP Administration allows the email notifications configuration only with SMTP servers set for Anonymous access.
5. Exchange Online provides an SMTP host but only works with authenticated access.

I can’t seem to successfully relay emails from SharePoint using the SMTP provided by Exchange Online.



Solution in a Nutshell 

1. SharePoint should use a local SMTP server.
2. The local SMTP server should be configured to relay to Exchange Online using authentication and correct ports.
3. Exchange Online should be configured to accept messages from your IP Range.

Before you go forward

1. The solution has been tested with: SharePoint Foundation 2010 and Windows Server 2008 R2 within a development environment.

1ST: Local SMTP & SharePoint

1. Open the Server Manager, I normally right click over “Computer” and select the “Manage” option.



2. Select “Features” on the Server Manager window and confirm that the SMTP Server is installed. If not select the “Add feature” option. I will assume you have it installed.



3. In order to configure the SMTP Server you will need to open the IIS 6.0 Manager. I know you are using IIS 7, butyou will be opening the IIS 6 Management Console (installed when installing the SMTP Server feature). Open it.



4. Right click on the Virtual Server and select “Properties”. There find the name of the Fully-qualified domain name.





5. Open the SharePoint Central Administration, go to the “System Settings” section and click on the “Configure outgoing email settings” link.



6. Fill the form using first the FQDN you found on the step 4 and then fill the email address you will use to send the notifications. This email is the one hosted on Exchange Online.



2ND: SMTP Server settings

1. Open the SMTP properties (like the step 4 above).
2. Be sure that the section of IP Address says (All unassigned) and then click the “Advanced” button. Confirm that the port is 25.





3. On the tab “Access” click on the “Relay” button and add the IP addresses used by your network interfaces. (An ipconfig command on the command prompt would help).



4. Click on the “Outbound security” button on the “Delivery” tab. Be sure to select “Basic Authentication” and provide the correct credentials for the account specified before on the SP Central Administration (step 5 above). Then select the “TLS encryption” box and Ok to accept the changes.



5. From the same “Delivery” tab click on the “Outbound connections…” button. There modify the TCP port to 587.



6. From the same “Delivery” tab click on the “Advanced” button.

-          There check that the FQDN is the same than the one set on your SMTP.

-          The smart host is set to: smtp.mail.microsoftonline.com. There is a list of other smart hosts available for different geographical areas.

-          Be sure that the “Attempt direct delivery before sending to smart host” check box is not marked.

3RD: Exchange Online should be ready to accept communications from your SMTP

1. Go to the admin.microsoftonline.com page and authenticate with your administrative credentials.



2. Select Exchange Online from the “Service Settings” tab.



3. On the “Safe senders” section you can add new Safe senders be specifying domains or IPs. In this case you should add the public IPs (normally one) that your SP box uses.



After all this is done I would advise you to restart the SMTP and IIS services.

Now you are free to start setting up some email notifications on your SP sites. Just be sure that your user accounts have email addresses assigned.

Problem

With evolution of search, different kinds of requirements arise for searching content. One of the requirements we came across was that they wanted to search for content from external locations (i.e. like Google, YouTube and other public facing internet applications).

Solution

SharePoint 2010 has a web part called "Federated Results". This searches content from the configured federated locations (like Google) that search content on provided parameters and generates output.

In this article, we will be concentrating on how to search content from such external applications. For this article, we will take "YouTube" as an external location. To define a federated (external) location, go to Central Administration > Application Management > Service Applications > Manage Service Applications > Search Service Applications. Click on "Federated Locations" under "Queries and Results" category.



Add a new location. We will first fill the general information: Location name (Youtube), display name (Youtube) and description (any suitable description) which makes a location unique.



Moving ahead to the Location Information category, we need to select the protocol which we will search content (i.e either Search index on the server, Fast index or opentext 1.0/1.1). For our requirement to define the YouTube location, we will select the Opentext protocol.

We also need to provide one mandatory detail which is the Query Template - which mentions from which location we will search and what will be the search parameter.

For our requirement we need to mention, "http://www.youtube.com/rss/tag/{searchTerms}.rss" where "searchTerms" will be the content searched in search box. Optionally, we can also provide a link for "More Results" that will appear at the bottom of search (as shown in the image below).

Leave the rest of the options to defaults.

Click on OK and add location.



Perform a full incremental crawl after the location is created.

Now go to the web application > search center results page and add a web part named "Federated Results" from "Search" Categories.



Edit the Web Part properties and browse to the Location section under Location Properties. If everything above is performed accurately, an option named "Youtube" will appear. Select it and apply changes.



Now we will search some content like "Microsoft" and we could see that with the search core results, a column of search results appears on right side of the screen which provides search results related to "microsoft" from youtube.



By implementing a process this way, it can reduce overburden of configuration and management of searching from federated locations.

We will now look at the setup required on our Exchange server to complete the task; this is the same in Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010.

The first step is to create a new send connector so in Exchange Management Console navigate to Organization Configuration|Hub Transport and click the send connectors tab. In the actions pane on the right click “New send connector”


Enter a descriptive name and select internal from the dropdown list then click next on the next screen you will have to enter the FQDN’s of your SharePoint server.


Click next; on the next screen enter the IP address of your SharePoint server and make sure that Route mail through the following smart host radio button is selected.


Click next; the next page asks about your authentication settings leave this at the default “None” selection.


Click next; At Twynham we have all the Exchange roles on one Exchange box so the next screen asks for the address of the hub transport server which should be picked up automatically during the setup of the send connector but you can add one manually


Click next and then new and finish your send connector for SharePoint is now setup and we can continue to the next step.

We are working on a continuing SharePoint 2010 support project for a group of school one of the features they require is the ability for students to be able to have a drop box to submit their work to teachers, this is a perfect example of the use of mail enabled document libraries in SharePoint so I thought while I am writing this up I may as well share how to setup this function. This post will be divided into five parts:-

1)      Configuring SMTP on the SharePoint Servers
2)      Configuring Exchange 2010 to route mail to SharePoint
3)      Configuring Active Directory
4)      Configuring SharePoint 2010 Central Admin
5)      Document Library Configuration

Configuring the SMTP service on SharePoint 2010

The first step we need to do in the setup is to add and configure the SMTP service on one of our SharePoint web front end servers. I will be setting this up on a farm configuration with 2 web front end servers and 1 application server.

The SMTP service is vital for mail flowing into SharePoint so your first port of call is to log onto your chosen SharePoint server and open server manager and navigate to features here we can add the SMTP service



As you can see from the illustration below after the service is installed the server MAY require a restart in my case this was not needed but it may be needed on your server so please be aware that you may have to have some down time in your setup so plan accordingly.





As you can see from the illustration above the setup of the service is now complete and no restart was required. The next step is to configure the service through IIS manager on the server, for this you will need to use IIS manager 6 here at Twynham we install this role during the setup of our servers but you may not, if not installed open Server manager|Roles|Add Roles|IIS 6 Management Compatibility through this interface which you can see below we can manage SMTP



Right click on SMTP Virtual Server and choose properties once open click on the access tab and then click the Authentication button “Anonymous Access” should be ticked.



Next step click OK and then click the Connection button and ensure that “All except the list below” radio button is selected and click ok



The final button to click is the relay button and make sure that “Only the list below” radio button is selected and also make sure that you see a tick in “Allow all computers which successfully authenticate to relay regardless of the list above”



You can also fine tune the permissible message size by going into the messages tab this could be crucial for students sending in attachments via email so please make sure this is set to a reasonable limit.



You will find that all the settings are pre-set out of the box the only setting that you will really need to check is the Start-up type on the SMTP service by default this is set to manual so obviously change this to automatic

   

"A quick Note from the field is that I have found that if you restart your exchange server you will need to restart the SMTP service on your SharePoint servers, we route our internal mail from an ISA server to Exchange 2010 and this needs to be done after each restart of the Exchange box.” 

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The Sharepoint Designer has a lot of great features. While we won’t discuss every one of them here, we will take a look at some of the most noteworthy below. The reusable workflow, Designer ribbon, customized out-of the-box workflows and workflow action prompts, are the ones we will look at more in-depth.

1. Reusable workflow: This is a new feature, added since the 2007 version of the system was released. This particular feature makes it possible for individuals to create workflows that can be applied to as many libraries and/or lists as required by the company. The SharePoint Designer workflow settings page can be used to attach the reusable workflow to the library or list. Reusable workflow also makes it possible to forgo building a check content type action right into the workflow. This is one less step for IT and makes life a bit easier for everyone involved.

2. The Designer Ribbon: The Designer Ribbon provides the user access to many of the tools necessary to create workflows. Instead of having to pull up commonly used commands, one-by-one most can be found on the Sharepoint Designer Ribbon, making the workflow creator’s job much easier, significantly speeding up the development process.

3. Workflow action prompt: This prompt allows users to input their workflow logic into the workflow. The workflow action prompt will automatically make suggestions that match the information a person is inputting. This helps speed up the process and improves efficiency.

4. SharePoint Designer and Microsoft Visio Premium 2010 Import/Export: This is a brand new feature. It allows individuals to build workflows using Visio and also those exported into the Sharepoint Designer. Users will have access to every condition and action found within the Designer when they use the Microsoft SharePoint Workflow template found in the template section (Flowcharts) in Visio. If a person has already developed workflows in Sharepoint Designer, they can import them into Visio.

Sharepoint Designer is tool for creating workflows. Sharepoint has added a number of excellent features since the 2007 version. Though there are many, we’ve chosen to highlight only a few. Workflow action prompts, Two Way Import/Export of Sharepoint Designer and Microsoft Visio Premium, the Designer Ribbon and the Reusable workflow feature are just a few the new ones offered in the 2010 version of Sharepoint Designer, which weren’t in the 2007 version. For a comprehensive listing of features, individuals will want to visit the product’s homepage. There, individuals will find a complete listing of everything that’s included

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Sharepoint gives organizations the tools to handle day-to-day operations with programs that they are already familiar with, for instance, Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Outlook. Sharepoint also supports every stage of the document life cycle.

ASPHostCentral.com, as one of the SharePoint 2010 Hosting Providers, proudly confirms that we do support both SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Server Hosting.

During the document management planning process, companies tend to follow certain steps. They often times first determine document management roles. This will generally involve determining who in the organization will be involved in the document management process and in what role. Sharepoint can help individuals identify who these employees will be. This can be especially helpful for companies or executives who don’t have much experience in this regard.

Next, it will be necessary for organizations to figure out what documents will be needed. These will include forms used daily and those that will only be used sparingly. Again, companies will find that Sharepoint will walk them through this process.

The proper organization of documents is important to every company. When it is done correctly and in a way that is intuitive to those who will be using the documents, life becomes much easier for everyone involved. Using Sharepoint, companies will find that they are able to organize documents in a variety of ways including document libraries and records repositories, amongst others.

In addition to the aforementioned, companies will also find that they are able to organize documents based on content type (policies, metadata, workflow processes, etc.). This helps create much needed consistency when it comes to the management of a company’s documents, which is extremely important. Having a document management system in place which that makes accessing and working with documents easy, will help companies save both time and money. Workflow planning, content control and the development of information management policies are also made possible using Sharepoint.

Overall, Sharepoint is a very good document management system. The proper management of documents is crucial to the smooth running of an office or organization. Document sharing, collaborative authoring, archiving and keeping confidential documents protected are just a few of the document management capabilities Sharepoint offers users. Companies in need of a quality system to manage their documents should consider it. It will require that a company own certain hardware and software programs, which is something that will need to be taken into consideration before a company opts to use it as their document management system

If you are looking for a web hosting plan that works as hard as you do then SharePoint hosting 2010 is exactly what you need to get the job done.  As a matter of fact, SharePoint hosting services provides you with an easy way to build a top performing team.  As you begin comparing different plans you will have a whole new perspective on the best methods for communicating with your team.

SharePoint hosting 2010 gives you the competitive edge necessary for collaborating and connecting with your employees on a daily basis.  Thanks in part to the latest technology, SharePoint hosting services puts you in absolute control of all your data and places all your documents at your fingertips with a few clicks of the mouse.  Stay in contact with an unlimited number of employees in confidence, knowing that your information is being transmitted over a secure network.

To get remarkable results, you have to choose the SharePoint hosting 2010 plan that compliments your business.  Think carefully about the amount of disk space you will need to accommodate your staff because the cost of SharePoint hosting services will vary based on that factor.  You can get as little as 500MB of disk space or as much as 50GB of disk space.

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Everything you need to create the ultimate virtual work environment can be found in SharePoint hosting services.  Everyone on your team will be able to work immediately on documents being stored on the hosted SharePoint WSS in a central location.  What’s more, Microsoft Office applications flow in a natural and seamless way with SharePoint 2010 hosting.

Give every staff member a blog to share company information and ideas on specific documents when you host with SharePoint.  You’ll absolutely love being able to set up and share calendars among team members.  Mobile access is also a dynamic feature that you will come to appreciate when you choose SharePoint hosting.

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SharePoint hosting 2010 is definitely the best fit for tomorrow’s business needs.  It comes through in a clutch and more importantly, it really works.  Bear in mind that SharePoint offers both shared and dedicated hosting plans and you can choose based on what is appropriate for your employees.  If you want a automated hosting solution that practically runs itself, and saves you money, then SharePoint hosting will definitely keep you ahead of the game and help your entire team work smarter.

SharePoint 2010 Foundation problems encountered when doing a quick spin-up of a test instance.   

- Search service wouldn’t start
- Performing a search returned the error “Your search cannot be completed because this site is not assigned to an indexer”

To allow the search service to start the credentials assigned to the service were changed from Local Service to Local System.

To fix the “not assigned to indexer” error use Central Administration.

Navigate to “Manage content databases.”


Make sure you have the correct web application selected and click on the content database


Scroll down and find the Search Server section and select the search server from the drop-down

In SharePoint 2007, if you created a new site collection using the ‘Collaboration Portal’ template, it would come with a number of sites, including the Search Center. In SharePoint 2010, this is no longer the case. There isn’t a Collaboration Portal template for starters, the nearest you’ll find is the Enterprise Wiki template which is my recommended starting point for Intranets, KM and Collaborative Sites. (Side note: Another example of poor usability on Microsoft’s part. The Enterprise Wiki template is available in both the Standard and Enterprise editions of SharePoint 2010. When you read about features with ‘Enterprise’ in the title, don’t assume they are limited to the Enterprise Edition, in most cases they are also available in Standard.)

In SharePoint 2010, the clue is in the search box:


When you create a new site collection, the default search settings limit search to within the current site only and uses built-in search pages. If you want to search across multiple sites (a fairly normal requirement for most internal SharePoint deployments), use search scopes and configure different types of results pages, you will be wanting a dedicated search site. Here’s what to do:

Create a Search site

1. At the root of the site collection where you want the Search site to live, click Site Actions and select ‘New Site’
2. Select the search site template you want to use
3. Enter a title and URL (Search works for me…) and create the site

There are up to three search site templates to choose from (and you should use a search template if you don’t want to create a lot of extra work for yourself setting up search query and results pages):

1. Basic Search – available with all versions of SharePoint
2. Enterprise Search – requires SharePoint 2010 Server: Standard or Enterprise edition (yes, another of those ‘Enterprise’ features also available in Standard)
3. FAST Search – requires SharePoint 2010 Server Enterprise Edition (or FAST add-on/dedicated)

The search query box is automatically integrated every SharePoint site within the global navigation bar (as shown in the first image above). Unless you particularly want to also have the Search site listed in navigation, go into the Navigation settings and hide it.

Configure Search Settings

Once you’ve got your search site, you can now configure the search settings to use it. This step needs to be repeated for each site collection that you want to point to the Search site.

1. At the root of the site collection, go to Site Actions – Site Settings.
2. Under Site Collection Administration, click on Search Settings
3. Within Search Settings:
- For the Site Collection Search Center, enter the URL to your search site in the format /search/Pages (replace the word ‘search’ with the site URL for your search site, if different))
- In Site Collection Search Scopes dropdown mode, select ‘Show search scopes’
The image below shows the settings for my demo machine:


4. Click OK and you’re done.

Once the search settings are configured, the search box will show scopes with the default set to search across all sites instead of just the current site:


Don’t forget, you’ll need to configure search settings for each site collection that you want to point to the Search site. Whilst the URL will be relative for the site collection where the search site is located, for all other site collections you will need to enter the full path (for example, on my demo the URL is http://sp2010/search/ for all other site collections)

Enter a search query in the new search box and you will be routed to the Search site to display results:

In the image above, I’ve configured the default results page in the Search site to also include federated search results. When I enter the query ‘SharePoint’ I can see documents and items on the Intranet (along with refiners on the left to filter results), people who have SharePoint in their profile and federated results YouTube.