MAJOR SQL and SharePoint Upgrade - Help with Installation Overview

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I have been put in charge of the wonderful task of upgrading our
existing SharePoint sites from WSS 2.0 and 3.0 to MOSS 2K7 and also
upgrading our SQL Express install to SQL 2005 Enterprise to help
handle a more intensive database load (we are shifting to almost
exclusively using SharePoint as our document and collaboration
center). To clarify for my own understanding, SQL Express limits the
size of your databases and SQL 2005 Enterprise does not have as strict
(if any) limitations on database size? We are looking to transfer all
of our company's proposals etc. to a SharePoint content database and I
do not think that SQL Express would satisfy these size requeirements.

For the purpose of providing my background, I am fairly familiar with
creating SharePoint sites, permissions, groups, libraries, lists etc.
I am currently administering and creating all SharePoint sites for the
company but have taken over just recently. However, I am not familiar
at all with the inner workings of SQL services and installation. This
is definitely my weak point and I could use some tips and insight into
how it works alone, and with SharePoint content and configuration
databases. After reading through the below, if someone could tell me
what the most basic steps and/or processes I would need to learn to be
able to create databases and link them to applications I would greatly
appreciate it.

So as of today we have one small site that is still running off the
WSS 2.0 platform and two small sites with very little information
running off of the WSS 3.0 platform. Apparently, an incomplete upgrade
was performed at some point in time and we ended up running both
versions. The amount of information and data that we are dealing with
here is so inconsequential that it would be possible to completely
wipe out the existing sites, after exporting the data to a database,
and start from scratch with a MOSS 2K7 install.

In addition to the existing SharePoint installs, we are also running
SQL Express for a seperate application and the existing SharePoint
sites. Thankfully, this application is rather new and does not have
any sort of working database associated with it as of yet. As with the
SharePoint databases, this database could be wiped out if necessary,
it would not make any difference.

I currently have a RAID 5 setup with three 250GB hard drives. I have
allocated roughly 250GB for storage of the SharePoint content and
configuration databases.

So my questions are::

1 - I assume that SQL 2005 Enterprise would have to be installed prior
to installation of MOSS 2K7. I am not very familiar with either SQL
installation or services and am not sure what steps I need to take (if
any) during the SQL 2005 installation to make sure that any databases
used by MOSS 2K7 are going to be stored in the allocated 250GB on the
RAID 5 array. This may not be necessary at this point and may actually
take place during the MOSS 2K7 install....I just need clarification on
this.

2 - I believe that the MOSS 2K7 install can be initiated without
either WSS 2.0 or WSS3.0 installed. It is only necessary to have the
other pre-requisits such as ASP.Net 2.0, ASP.Net 3.0 and SBS Service
Pack 2 installed. Can anyone confirm this?

3 - If MOSS 2K7 is to be installed as an upgrade, I would have to
either wipe out the WSS 2.0 installation or upgrade the WSS 2.0
installation to the WSS 3.0 platform. Again, can anyone confirm this?

4 - When I install MOSS 2K7 it asks where I want to install it. Would
it be best to install it on the same partition as the OS or would it
be beneficial in any way to install it on the allocated 250GB on the
RAID 5? Would it be best to just install on the same partition as the
OS but instruct it to install the data files on the allocated 250GB on
the RAID 5?

5 - Once installation of MOSS 2K7 is complete, how do i link the
database associated with SharePoint to the SQL 2005 or assign a
database from SQL 2005 to contain the SharePoint databases. I guess
this is where I am getting confused the most and may have a few
different follow up questions to this particular point.

I CAN'T SAY THANKS ENOUGH TO EVERYONE WHO HELPS ME WORK THROUGH THIS
SERIES OF TASKS! THANKS IN ADVANCE!

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: SHAREPOINT out of order : how to retrieve some data ?
    ... make a backup of your SQL content database of the contentdatabase which you want to backup. ... Next, install a new SharePoint-installation ... This will add the content database which you backed up, to your new SharePoint installation. ... ...and it is not all the fix that i pass that will help to do it ...
    (microsoft.public.sharepoint.windowsservices)
  • Re: WSS 3.0 question
    ... Uninstalll WSS 3.0 ... If the above database exist, remove it following the instructions in the ... SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard ... If WSUS 3.0 is installed, I would suggest you uninstall it and then you install WSS 3.0. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)
  • Re: Moving SPS 2003 from one server to another.
    ... I would say that you did not create a new Configuration Database when you ... Install SharePoint on the new server. ... What would be absolutely perfect is if I can just install WSS and SPS ...
    (microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver)
  • Re: WSS 3.0 question
    ... Uninstalll WSS 3.0 ... Goto 'Services' and see if there is an entry for 'MSSQL$Microsoft##SSEE' (this is the database that WSS 3.0 installs and unfortunately does not uninstall when you remove WSS). ... SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard ... If WSUS 3.0 is installed, I would suggest you uninstall it and then you install WSS 3.0. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs)
  • Migration Sharepoint 2003 to MOSS 2007 Issue!
    ... I am trying to migrate an existing Sharepoint 2003 site to MOSS 2007 ... SQL Server 2000 Database and MOSS 2007 uses a SQL Server ...
    (microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver)