Cumulative Updates in your SharePoint Farm

For SharePoint Online, view here

Farm Build Version via SharePoint Management Shell.
Open SharePoint Management Shell as administrator.

Run the Cmdlet’  Get-SPFarm.BuildVersion

SharePoint Farm Build Version via Central Administration.
Go to Central Administration > System Settings > Manage Servers in this farm.

Under Farm Information > Check the Configuration database version = farm patch level of the farm (Build Farm Version).

Get the Products and Patches build numbers that already installed on the farm.
Go to Upgrade and Migration > Check product and patch installation status.

You could check all the installed products in the whole farm or on a specific server.

Check the install status and version columns for all installed Products/Patches.


Get the Database build number on the farm.
Central Administration > Upgrade and Migration > Review Database Status.

Manage Database Upgrade Status > Click on Content Database name.

Get the database Schema Versions.

Get the Farm Build Version via SQL Server.
Open SQL Server Management Studio.
Open the Content Database > Versions Table. 
SELECT TOP 10 [VersionId]
      ,[Version]
      ,[Id]
      ,[TimeStamp]
FROM [SharePoint_Config].[dbo].[Versions]

The Farm build number is the corresponding value of versionID start with ‘0000000-000’ that is ‘15.0.4569.1000‘.
The version table also shows the Database Sequence build number that is ‘15.0.14.0‘ & ‘15.0.146.0‘.

After you get the farm build version, you’ll be able to get its corresponding release.by browsing the below links based on your SharePoint version.
For SharePoint 2010 Build Version Number.
SharePoint 2010 Build Numbers (Cube Sheet).
SharePoint Server 2010 Build Numbers
For SharePoint 2013 Build Version Numbers.
SharePoint 2013 Build Numbers (Cube Sheet).
SharePoint Server 2013 Build Numbers
For SharePoint 2010/2013/2016 Build Version Numbers.
Build Numbers Blog.

Then search for the corresponding release with the farm build number as shown below:

In my case, the related release of my farm build number ‘15.0.4569.1000’ was SharePoint 2013 Service Pack 1.

Datasheet View error with Office 365 Pro Plus

"The list cannot be displayed in Datasheet view for one or more of the following reasons. 

- A datasheet component compatible with Windows SharePoint Services is not installed.

 - Your browser does not support ActiveX controls.

- A component is not properly configured for 32-bit or 64-bit support".

As Office 2007 end of life was Oct 10, 2017, MSFT stopped sharing the links related to Office 2007 and its components like 2007 Office System Drivers: Data Connectivity Components.

Now a days, many users were using Windows 10 with Office 365 Pro Plus, but still have SharePoint 2007 and SharePoint 2010 sites. When they go to any List and click on Datasheet View, it still shows the above error message.

We searched in MSFT downloads and found links for Access Database Engine for Office 2010 and Office 2016. Installed but didn't work.

Finally we found the download for 2007 Office System Drivers: Data Connectivity Components at the below link and installed.

https://download.cnet.com/2007-Office-System-Driver-Data-Connectivity-Components/3000-10254_4-75452798.html

It worked, without restart of laptop.

Note: Make sure the users are aware of clearing Browser cache and Disk Cleanup to clear the temporary files which causes issues most of the times.

Services/Jobs not running on SP 2010 Servers

We encountered problem with Timer Service on one of the servers in SP 2010 Farm. The System log was filled with error events [Event Id 7024 - The SharePoint 2010 Timer service terminated with service-specific error %%-2147467259] and [Event Id 7031 - The SharePoint 2010 Timer service terminated unexpectedly.  It has done this 20 time(s).  The following corrective action will be taken in 30000 milliseconds: Restart the service] every 2 minutes causing the Timer service and jobs to fail.

Not sure, but assuming that this issue might be caused after recent Windows and SP security patches/updates.

We tried with Microsoft Support ticket for $499. They couldn't resolve and we got refund. Also tried solutions from different blogs and local MSFT certified vendors (charged $200 per hour). But, nothing worked.

In SP 2007, we don't see any CONFIG files in the BIN folder.
[C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN]

But, from SP 2010 onward, we see new additional CONFIG files in the BIN folder.
[C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\BIN]

Luckily, the Timer service is working fine on one of the SP 2010 Farm servers.
[As part of Rollback plan for the activity Change Request, we took snapshots for both the servers, DB backups and also copied the original config files as backup into another folder].

• Copied both the OWSTIMER.EXE.CONFIG and PSCONFIG.EXE.CONFIG files from the working server and pasted into the folder of the problematic server.

• Ran the below PSConfig command successfully on both the servers. 

            PSConfig.exe -cmd upgrade -inplace b2b -force -wait

• Also ran the SharePoint 2010 Products Configuration Wizard successfully on both the servers.
• Re-booted both the servers

Magically the Timer service started working, the error events disappeared from the log and the jobs started running on both the servers.

Enable NTFS long paths policy

This will help SharePoint Users with Windows 10 OS, while using Windows Explorer thru MOSS 2007, SPS2010 and SharePoint Online.

Microsoft added a new feature to Windows 10 OS to resolve one of the longest standing issues (260 character limit) that users experienced when using Windows Explorer.

Windows by default has a limit of 260 characters which led to all kinds of issues including the inability to run operations on files stored under paths exceeding the limit, issues with the extraction of files, and issues with transferring files from systems that have no such limit.

Enable support for long paths using the Group Policy Editor.
(This policy is available in Windows 10 only, not in Windows 7)

1. Tap on the Windows-key, type gpedit.msc, and hit enter.
2. Confirm the UAC prompt if it appears.
3. Use the hierarchy on the left to navigate to the following policy: Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem
4. Locate the "Enable NTFS Win32 long paths" policy and double-click on it.
5. Switch its state to Enabled.
6. Click OK.

Enabling NTFS long paths will allow manifested win32 applications and Windows Store applications to access paths beyond the normal 260 char limit per node. Enabling this setting will cause the long paths to be accessible within the process.

Check Out & Open message while opening PDF

To avoid getting this annoying message while you click on a PDF file in SharePoint, please try the below step.

Please disable "Adobe Acrobat Sharepoint OpenDocuments Component" Add-on in the Internet Explorer.

When you click on the PDF file, the PDF should open in the Browser. Please make sure the below add-on is enabled.

Account lockout with Worker Processes (w3wp.exe)

Jun  01 10:50:00 TRDC1.OU.SP.COM/11.1.9.56/111.99.228.36 MSWinEventLog,4,Security,37482936,Fri Jun 01 10:50:20 2017,4740,Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing,SPDEVAPP1\SPFarm,N/A,Success Audit,TRDC1.OU.SP.COM,User Account Management,,A user account was locked out.    Subject:   Security ID:  S-1-5-18   Account Name:  TRDC1$   Account Domain:  NT   Logon ID:  0x9g8    Account That Was Locked Out:   Security ID:  S-1-5-21-787380144-786785121-371256054-14454   Account Name:  SPFarm    Additional Information:   Caller Computer Name: SPDEVAPP1,37363918

We see log on the Domain Controller that SPFarm account was locked out. No clue what is going on.

Install the below Process Monitor (Microsoft Free Tool)
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/processmonitor.aspx

This tool lets you to go thru the process monitor to get more details about the Account Lockout.

Once you identify the Process Monitor log related to the Account lockout, open Windows Task Manager and add PID (Process Identifier) in the Processes tab.

C:\Windows\system32>tasklist /FI "PID eq 5580" /FI "USERNAME eq spfarm"

C:\Windows\system32>cd inetsrv

To pick the right w3wp.exe among Multiple Worker processes

C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv>appcmd list wp
WP "6064" (applicationPool:e57375f456e1238c9bcf287fe1fd6234)
WP "5284" (applicationPool:SecurityTokenServiceApplicationPool)
WP "5136" (applicationPool:dab94fcb5f6e4bc4be4f9123426cf456)
WP "7684" (applicationPool:4543drad11234cf087f51c04f1671234)
WP "5580" (applicationPool:90123851e0a1470093450b2d67b2bc73)
WP "696" (applicationPool:9fb84a123c7c4123b70eadbsd2c7adfd)

Get Worker Processes ( w3wp.exe) List : Another method

To get list of running  worker process, Open IIS Manager ( Run > Inetmgr ), Select root level from left site navigation tree and from “Features View Panel” select “Worker Processes”

Click on the “Worker Processes” to get details of all worker process which are currently running as shown in below.

The Account SPFarm was getting locked with the App Pool with PID 5580. Updated the App Pool with different account and monitored for a couple of days. Everything is fine now.

PDF Files Issue in SharePoint 2010

In SharePoint 2010 document libraries, the PDF’s that have been uploaded do not show the correct icon and only give you the option to save instead of opening them.

The below PowerShell script downloads a icon GIF image from Adobe named pdficon_small.gif, places it in the images folder under the 14 hive, associates it in the DOCICON.XML file, sets Browser File Handling to Permissive, and then runs IISReset.

PowerShell

$14 = "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14"

$src = "http://www.adobe.com/images/pdficon_small.gif"

$dst = $14 + "\TEMPLATE\IMAGES\pdficon_small.gif"

$webClient = New-Object System.Net.WebClient

$webClient.DownloadFile($src, $dst)

$xml = New-Object XML

$xml.Load($14 + "\TEMPLATE\XML\DOCICON.XML")

$icoAsn = $xml.CreateElement('Mapping')

$icoAsn.SetAttribute('Key','pdf')

$icoAsn.SetAttribute("Value","pdficon_small.gif")

$icoAsn.SetAttribute("Open Control","SharePoint.OpenDocuments")

$xml.DocIcons.ByExtension.AppendChild($icoAsn)

$xml.save($14 + "\TEMPLATE\XML\DOCICON.XML")

Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell

Get-SPWebApplication | ForEach-Object {$_.BrowserFileHandling = “Permissive”; $_.update()}

iisreset

                                           The pdf icon was downloaded to the IMAGES folder.

             The PDF Key was added to the DocIcon.XML with this PDF GIF image icon file.

Browser File Handling to "Permissive" will enable the PDF’s to be opened instead of only saved. 

PDF docs now have the correct icon and are allowed to be opened.

Microsoft KB Article related to PDF Issue in SharePoint.
________________________________________________________________________

We can also enable opening PDF files is by adding the pdf extension to the allowed MIME types of the web application.

VIEW

$webApp = Get-SPWebApplication "http://sp2010dev/"

$webApp.AllowedInlineDownloadedMimeTypes

ADD

$webApp = Get-SPWebApplication "http://sp2010dev/"

$webApp.AllowedInlineDownloadedMimeTypes.Add("application/pdf")

$webApp.Update()

REMOVE

$webApp = Get-SPWebApplication "http://sp2010dev/"

$webApp.AllowedInlineDownloadedMimeTypes.Remove("application/pdf")

$webApp.Update()

SSL Certificate Update

In SharePoint, IIS is the only place where the SSL Certificate needs to be uploaded and attached to the Site in the Site Bindings.

1. Click on the root node in IIS 7 Manager and select the “Server Certificates” icon in the feature pane on the right, you should Import your Cert here.



2. Enter a name (I’m using company.com in this example) and click OK. You should see your certificate appear in the list of server certificates.



3. Select the IIS site that is running the SharePoint application and click on the “Bindings…” link on the right hand side of the page.

4. To enable SSL click “Add”, select “https” and select the SSL certificate we created earlier:



5. Click OK. At this point we have configured IIS to allow connections to this site over SSL but we need to let SharePoint know to map these requests to the correct web application.

Configure SharePoint to accept requests over HTTPS

6. Navigate to Central Administration > Operations, select “Alternate Access Mappings” and click “Edit Public URL’s”


7. Select the Alternate Access Mapping Collection for the FBA web application and enter the relevant HTTPS address (e.g. My FBA site is located at http://www.company.com as an example so I would enter https://www.company.com). It is up to you which Zone you put the URL in as this doesn’t affect anything and is just there to help you remember what they are each used for.

Sometimes, even after the SSL Certificate is updated properly and the old Certificates are deleted, it will still be showing the OLD SSL Cert and may cause issues.

We should run the below Commands to make the NEW SSL Cert get updated.

• 1. Issue an iisreset /stop command
• 2. Then type net stop http followed by net start http
• 3. Issue an iisreset /start command

Even though you ran the above Commands sometimes, site will not be accessible. Verify the below option of the specific Web Site and make sure it is set to 'Ignore'. Don't forget to reset IIS, if the below option is modified.

People Picker Settings - MSFT Bug

$wa=Get-SPWebApplication http://dev.sp2010.com

$wa.PeoplePickerSettings

$wa.PeoplePickerSettings.SearchActiveDirectoryDomains

http://thesharepointfarm.com/2014/01/powershell-for-people-picker-properties/

Syntax:

stsadm -o setproperty -url http://<server:port> -pn peoplepicker-searchadforests -pv "forest:contoso.corp.com, contoso\<account>, <Password>;domain:bar.contoso.corp.com,contoso\<account>,<Password>;forest:abc.corp.com,abc\<account>,<Password>;domain:bar.abc.corp.com,abc\<account>,<Password>"

Example:

stsadm.exe -o setproperty -url http://extranet.osi-systems.com -pn peoplepicker-searchadforests -pv "domain:ap.sp.com,AP\ups,Ff#bc5JD;domain:be.sp.com,BE\ups,SdF5a3m;domain:ip.sp.com,IP\ups,S&athn9w"

NOTE: Don't use $ in you password for the UPS accounts. This is SharePoint bug and it fails to de-crypt the connection to AD and fails to retrieve the users based on your search in the People Picker.

Retrieve People Picker Settings:
$wa=Get-SPWebApplication http://extranet.osi-systems.com
$wa.PeoplePickerSettings.SearchActiveDirectoryDomains
$wa.PeoplePickerSettings

Services running on the Server:
Get-SPServiceInstance

Stop-SPServiceInstance d0f73d70-9aa4-4266-ab26-df033d1df895

How to list all the sub-sites and the Site Collections within a SharePoint Web Application using Powershell

PowerShell script helpful for getting all the sub-sites and the Site Collections within a SharePoint Web Application.

Get-SPWebApplication https://sp2010.spdev.com | Get-SPSite -Limit All | Get-SPWeb -Limit All | Select Title, URL, ID, ParentWebID | Export-CSV E:\InfoAllSites.csv -NoTypeInformation

set-executionpolicy allsigned

set-executionpolicy remotesigned

set-executionpolicy unrestricted

Outgoing Email Settings

There are multiple Places to update Outgoing Email Settings on SharePoint Server.

1. System Settings >> Configure outgoing e-mail settings.

2. Application Management >> Manage Web Applications, select the Web Applications.
    Drop down - General Settings >> Outgoing E-mail

Make sure the Settings were same across all the Web Applications.

You can also specify different From address and Reply-to address based on the purpose of the Web Application.

Also you need to work with your Network Admin to make sure the Static routes are configured correctly on the SharePoint Front End/App Server.