Hi all,
Many times I follow and participate of discussions on "File Servers versus Sharepoint", and in this post I would like to place my personal vision on this subject.
Main (to begin) links on this topic:
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- Is the File Server Dead?
An excellent resource with information on Simplified Comparison of File Server file features and SharePoint Server file features, File Server Scenarios, Disk Space and Cost Considerations and some migration techniques.
- Is the File Server Dead?
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Joel Oleson's Blog
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What NOT to do on SharePoint
"The purpose of this document is to provide prescriptive guidance around the appropriate usage of Microsoft Office SharePoint 2003 as a data storage repository.In general terms, SharePoint is an excellent data repository upon which users can store their data, whether for personal or shared use. There are, however, specific scenarios in which SharePoint is not the optimal storage location."
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- File Shares vs. SharePoint
Some good points on ". where file shares make more sense than SharePoint as a storage technology ."
- File Shares vs. SharePoint
As a summary, this moment I think that the Sharepoint Technologies is not (and they do not have to be seen as) a competitor or replacement of the NTFS File Servers.
I see that the Sharepoint technologies must be boarded with a new vision, focus on new models of work and its necessities of productivity improvement. People-ready business from Microsoft can help to understand some details on the changes and evolutions of our model of work.
We are evolving toward a diverse yet unified global market with customers, partners, and suppliers that work together across cultures and continents. The global workforce is always on and always connected, requiring new tools to help people organize and prioritize their work and personal endeavors. Business is becoming more transparent, with a greater need to ensure accountability, security, and privacy within and across organizations.
Software is one tool that can help your business keep pace with change. It can help you meet the challenges of this new world of work by helping you to:
- Simplify how people work together
- Find information and improve business insight
- Protect and manage content
- Reduce IT costs and improve security
It is an investment that has the flexibility and capacity to adapt as your people increase their own capacity and output.
Sharepoint Techs is all about productivity, collaboration, evolution of models of work knowledge management. File Servers only has in its focus the storage model, without business model-oriented focus.
My personal conclusion:
- Sharepoint Technologies: Business focus
- File Servers: IT (infrastructure storage) focus
01 - Why, Where and When to store (or to move) files for the Sharepoint-based sites (infrastructure)?
We must think about storing files in the Sharepoint-based sites WHEN really we had intention to evolve of a simple "File Share" for a "Collaborative File Shares"; with focus in centralization, organization, security, management, personal productivity, sharing of knowledge, visibility of information, and other important points.
Sharepoint provides some services such as:
- DMS – Document Management System: featureslike versioning, check-in/check-out control, Recycle bin (2 levels)
- ECM (WCM) features
- Workflow services: using Sharepoint UI, Office 2007 Sharepoint Designer or Visual Studio .Net 2005 + WF
- Office System programs integration: see SharePoint Document: Microsoft Office Programs and SharePoint Products and Technologies Integration – Fair, Good, Better, Best
- Records Management (I really like this): Some Compliance requirements, Active, Auditing, Records metadata, Monitoring and Reporting and other's document actions
See Plan records management, What is records management? - Eletronic Forms: Using InfoPath 2007 desktop program and/or MOSS Forms Server
- Excel Services: Address business intelligence scenarios
- AND .. (We cannot forget): WSS/MOSS Enterprise Search Services
This differentiates the "classics File Shares" of the "Collaborative File Shares". Business Value and/or Business focus!
Here they are some links:
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Joel Oleson's SharePoint Land (MSDN Blog)
- File Servers and SharePoint Doc Libraries… Tough Questions
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"Where is the value of a collaboration platform then?
The value is in process improvement, workflows, check in check out, version history, rich context, templates, content types, UI for providing additional context and navigation.
ú Simplified broad collaboration Environment for more effective use
ú Ability for business to react quickly and increase reactions
ú Process acceleration
ú Faster problem remediation
ú Increased information awareness
ú More internal and external resources (way more APIs to leverage the information elsewhere Web Services, RSS, etc.
ú efficiency improvements within the company
ú Enables enforcement of information management policies with auditing, reporting and rights management
ú Enhanced ECM capabilities
ú Rich Dashboards and lists beyond files
ú Rich Calendars and Gant views
. Rich Templating and reuse"Joel Oleson
INFORMATION ON PERFORMANCE
One another important point in this discussions is the questioning referring the Performance (Loading will be example) in environments of collaboration based on Sharepoint.
What it is better (or faster) for my users? Open one file stored in the "File Share" or in the "Sharepoint-based site"???
As we know, the storage-architecture of data in Sharepoint Technologies is based on the MS SQL Server; using the fields BLOB to provide storage of great amounts of information. (limit of 2Gb of data)
Some weeks ago I read an interesting article on the storage of files in the SQL Server (Databases) or in File Shares; with focus in the performance of the access (user). You can have access this article in the site of the Microsoft Research – article To BLOB or Not To BLOB: Large Object Storage in a Database or a Filesystem?
The conclusion of this article is "if objects are larger than one megabyte on average, NTFS has a clear advantage over SQL Server. If the objects are under 256 kilobytes, the database has a clear advantage."
I think that these conclusions are sufficiently interesting, but also see that the MS Office (Desktop programs and Servers) Teams had made an excellent work with regard to architecture of the products, raising the performance of the products with this characteristic (Database Storage).
I believe that an excellent planning of architecture (infrastructure) at enterprise environment can raise performance levels (Sizing, capacity planning and more.). Here goes some important links:
Chapter overview: Plan for performance and capacity (Office SharePoint Server)
The articles in this chapter include:
- Chapter overview: Plan for performance and capacity (Office SharePoint Server)
- About performance and capacity planning (Office SharePoint Server)
- Plan for software boundaries (Office SharePoint Server)
- Overview: Estimate performance and capacity requirements (Office SharePoint Server)
. Estimate performance and capacity requirements for Windows SharePoint Services collaboration environments (Office SharePoint Server)
. Estimate performance and capacity requirements for portal collaboration environments
. Estimate performance and capacity requirements for search environments
. Determine resource requirements to support Excel Services - Additional performance and capacity planning factors (Office SharePoint Server)
- Tools for performance and capacity planning (Office SharePoint Server)
Hey guys, What do you think about this?
), mas tamb‚m incrivelmente extenso para ser abordado em uma tarde somente.
helio