Datasheet
SoFtware requirementS 
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DVD Drive  This is not really required for SharePoint but is useful.
Display  Microsoft avoids mentioning a recommended resolution. I’ve found 1024
×768 on 
the client is a functional minimum. Pages don’t display well at lower resolutions. To avoid 
any scroll bars, many pages in SharePoint are now better viewed at resolutions closer to 
1152×864 or higher.
Network  Microsoft, again, doesn’t mention a real requirement here. But I find that 1 Gbps 
is a good recommendation.
These recommendations are just starting points; however, they are more than adequate for 
most simple SharePoint server farm installations. Most single-server or simple server farm 
installations can probably handle 1,000 people creating an average load on the SharePoint 
server, without seeing a lag in operations per second. Commonly, each gigahertz of processing 
power in a SharePoint server can handle about nine operations per second.
Software Requirements
To make all that SharePoint goodness possible, the following roles and technologies must be 
installed and running on the SharePoint server. These are the underlying technologies that 
make SharePoint function. Without them, SharePoint won’t even install.
For this version of SharePoint, these prerequisites are pretty lengthy. So to make installing 
SharePoint Foundation easier, most of the software prerequisites (after you install the operat-
ing system, of course) can be installed automatically on the server during setup by selecting to 
install prerequisites on the preinstallation screen. Keep in mind that this version of SharePoint 
is all about 64-bit; it cannot be installed on a 32-bit operating system, nor can its databases be 
stored in 32-bit SQL.
Operating System  SharePoint requires a 64-bit operating system. In production, the 
server needs to be at least Server 2008 SP2 (during installation, if the server is not up to 
Service Pack 2, it will be installed—you have been warned). It is suggested to use Server 
2008 R2 or higher.
The prerequisites installer will also install some hotfixes to support claims-based authen-
tication (a security token–based authentication method now supported by this version of 
SharePoint). For Server 2008, it is KB976394. For Server 2008 R2, it is KB976462.
Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 come in different versions, and SharePoint Foundation 
will install on Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter. It will not install on Core, Web Server, or 
Foundation. Installing SharePoint on a domain controller is not supported.
Windows 7
For the sake of developers, Microsoft has finally made it possible to install SharePoint on a Windows 7 
workstation. It takes additional modifications, but it can be done. This is for development and testing 
purposes only, but there are numerous blogs and articles detailing the tweaking necessary to make 
it work.
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