Installation

• How do I activate this product?
  • Please download the product and install it in SharePoint. Open the site collection in which you want to use the product, and login as the site collection administrator. Find the site collection features in the site settings page, and then activate the product feature in the Site Collection features list page. After that you can use the product.
• When installing the product, why do I receive an access denied error during the "system check step"?
  • This is because you do not have permission to install the product. Please log in as administrator of the server and try again.
• Why do I receive a "Security Exception" when installing the product?
  • You do not have permission to access and make changes to your registry. Please login as administrator of the server and try again.
• Why do I receive "the web.config is invalid on this IIS Web Site" error when installing the product?
  • The installation program will check the web.config file. If the web.config is not in a standard format or is invalid for some reason, it will show this error.
  • If you don't need to install the add-ons in this web application, you can ignore it and check if these add-ons have been installed in other web applications. (If not, please re-install the add-on and don't select the invalid web application when installing.)
• When I try to install, I get a "conflicting solution detected: sharepointboost.xxx.wsp" error. What should I do?
  • A "conflicting solution detected" error indicates that you have an older version of the same product installed (the product causing the error will be indicated by sharepointboost.xxx.wsp). To resolve this error, retract the solution using the previous major version of the SharePointBoost product installer (available here), and then install the latest version of the product using the most recent installer. Your original settings will not be affected.
  • NB: If you are using an old version of the product and you received the formal license code from SPB on or before December 2009, you will need to contact sales@sharepointboost.com for a license compatibility upgrade. This upgrade is required for the software to function. This upgrade is FREE OF CHARGE.
• Why does an update conflict occur when installing a product?
  • The error may be caused by the conflict between the installation and auto backup. Stop the automatic backup in the central administration, then install the program again, or install the product when there is no backup in progress.
  • You can deploy the solution manually by following these steps:
    • Why does an update conflict occur when installing a product?
    • On the top navigation bar, click Operations;
    • In the Global Configuration section, click Solution Management;
    • On the Solution Management page, click the link of the product you want to install (e.g., "brandysoft.sharepoint.xxx.wsp";)
    • On the Solution Properties page, click Deploy Solution;
    • On this page, choose the web application in the "Deploy To" section, and then click OK.
  • Then the solution will be deployed on the specified web application manually.
• I get an "Http-Exception for file does not exist" error when installing the product. How can I resolve this?
  • The cause of the problem may be that the setup files have not been deployed on the appropriate web applications. To resolve this, uninstall the product, and then reinstall it making sure that the web applications are selected on the "Deployment Targets" page during the installation.
• After a product is successfully installed on the server, why can't I see the feature in the place where it is supposed to be?
  • Please check if you have activated the feature in Site Collection feature list. To learn more about how to activate the feature, please refer to the Installation Web page of each product.
• Should I remove the application before installing a new version? Should I acquire another license key?
  • You don't need to uninstall the software when upgrading to a new version, and you don't need another license.
• Do I need to reboot the server or IIS after installing the product?
  • You don't need to reboot server or IIS after installing the product.

End Users

• What is an end-user and how does it affect my license?
  • An end-user is defined as any user who has been authorized to access any site in your Site Collection or Farm. To find the number of end-users you have in a Site Collection or Farm, please check the license management page (this will appear after you install the trial version of our software on your SharePoint servers), or download and run the free End User Viewer Tool available here: http://www.sharepointboost.com/end-user-viewer-tool.html.
• How does the product calculate the number of end-users in a site collection or farm?
  • The number of end users in the site collection is the amount of all end-users who are given permission to visit any site in the site collection or farm; users with same login name will be calculated only once.
• Why is the number of users in the site collection higher than the actual number of users we have?
  • Our software uses the standard established by Microsoft to determine the amount of end-users in a Site Collection or Farm. An end-user is defined as any user who has been authorized to access any site in your Site Collection or Farm. If they have access to your site, they are counted as an end-user. Domain users in Domain Groups who have ever accessed your site collection are counted, even if they are removed from Active Directory later.

Licenses

• Please explain what the site collection ID is.
  • The Site Collection ID is a string of code that can be found on the license management page of our products. Each site collection has a unique site collection ID, so we need this code in order to generate a license for you. After we receive your Site Collection ID, we will send you a license code within one business day.
• How do I find my "Site Collection ID"?
  • To find your Site Collection ID or Farm ID, please check the license management page (this will be accessible via a license management link that will appear after you install the trial version of our software on your SharePoint servers), or download and install the free License Management Center Application here: http://www.sharepointboost.com/licensecenter.html.
• What is the difference between a site collection license and a farm license, and which type of license should I choose?
  • A site collection license is applied to a specific site collection and refers the number of end-users on that ONE site collection. A farm license refers the amount of end-users the LARGEST Site Collection within a particular farm.
  • A site collection license is better if you only have one site collection and your Site Collection ID is unlikely to change frequently (your Site Collection ID will change if you reinstall SharePoint or transplant your SharePoint data from one server to another). If your Site Collection ID changes, contact our sales team for assistance.
  • A farm license is better if you would like to install a SharePointBoost product on multiple site collections or if your Site Collection ID frequently changes.
  • If you are still unsure as to which license type is best for you, please email sales@sharepointboost.com for assistance.
• Are we required to purchase a license for each site collection?
  • Yes. If you have 5 site collections, you have to purchase 5 licenses. However, in this situation we recommend you purchase a farm license. Please contact sales@sharepointboost.com for assistance.
• Do I need to buy a new product license if I back-up and then restore data on the same servers?
  • The licenses for our software are based on the Site Collection ID, not on the server. If you back-up/restore the data without changing the Site Collection ID, then you do not need a new license. However, if you transplant or migrate data to new servers, you will need a new license if and only if the site collection ID changes.
• If the current end-user number exceeds the end-user number allowed by my site collection license / farm license, what will happen?
  • If the current end-user amount exceeds the amount of end-users allowed by your license, the original functions and settings of the software will NOT be influenced until you change them (e.g. additions, deletions, modifications, etc.) At that time, you have two options: delete superfluous end-users with the End-user Viewer Tool available here or upgrade your license by contacting sales@sharepointboost.com.
  • Note that upgrades will incur additional fees equal to the price difference between the old and new licenses. For example, if you purchased a 200 end-user license for $399 and you want to upgrade to a 300 end-user license with a list price of $449, you only need to pay for the difference in prices (in this case $50).
• How long is the trial period for SharePointBoost products?
  • The trial period for all SharePointBoost products is 30 days. If you want to extend the trial period, please contact our sales department: sales@sharpeointboost.com. Note that a trial license can only be extended once.
• After testing the trial version, do I need to reinstall the full purchased version?
  • You do NOT need to uninstall the trial version. To switch from the trial version to the standard version, you just have to enter the license code.

Technical Issues

• How do I find "Windows SharePoint Services Administration service"?
  • Click Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services. There you can find Windows SharePoint Services Administration service.
• Is this the server or desktop version of the software?
  • The software is the server version. Please note that the software is licensed per site collection or farm, not per server.
• Why does the software not appear in the Site Settings/Site Features list?
  • Our product is a site collection feature but not a site feature. Please login as administrator and find it in site collection feature list.
• Do you have a version of products that would run on SharePoint Server 2003?
  • Our products are not supported by WSS2.0 or SharePoint 2003.
• Are your products supported in win2008?
  • Yes, they are all supported by Windows 2008.
• What will happen if I restore the same site collection to some other server or installation? Will the license expire in that case?
  • The license code is generated from the Site Collection ID. This means that you cannot use the license on a site collection other than the one for which the license code was generated.
• Since we intend to upgrade from WSS3.0 to MOSS2007 soon, what will we need to do to ensure your product remains on our site?
  • You don't need to do anything when you upgrade from WSS3.0 to MOSS2007 if you don't remove or modify the site.