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FEATURED ARTICLE
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Compelling TFS Features to Upgrade from 2005 to 2008
by Jeff Levinson
 The 2008 release of Team System provided several compelling features and upgrades over the 2005 release. Most of these were in the Visual Studio client editions. In fact, many people feel that Team Foundation Server itself did not see substantial improvements. I disagree. I’d like to take just a few minutes to bullet point a few of the many improvements at the Team Foundation Server tier of the 2008 release. Some of these come from the October Power Tools release, which I consider a “must have” download!
[FULL STORY]
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SPOT LIGHT
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Suggestions for an Orderly Upgrade
Moving to TFS 2008, but have to keep using Visual Studio 2005 on the client? Here’s a few things to make your life easier!
Did you know you can run VS2008 Team Explorer side by side with Visual Studio 2005? You can! And you can still access TFS 2008 with your old VS2005 Team Explorer, too! Also, here are the tools you will need (maybe) to upgrade to VSTS 2008 and the order in which you should install them in.
Team Foundation Server 2008 Power Tools (October Release) – This contains some useful features such as TFS Best Practice Analyzer, Windows Shell Integration. Install on all of the client machines that will be accessing TFS (this can also be installed on the server since that will have Team Explorer also).
Team Foundation Server 2008 MSSCCI Provider – Enables the integration of TFS with Visual Studio 6 and other legacy environments. Don’t install this if you don’t need it.
Install on all of the client machines that will be accessing TFS with Visual Studio 6.
Windows Powershell 1.0 – Required for the TFS Best Practice Analyzer (included in the power tools). This is a pre-requisite to installing the Power Tools. Install this on all machines which get the TFS 2008 Power Tools before installing the Power Tools.
Visual Studio 2008 Team Explorer – The client tool for TFS 2008. Allows access to all of the functionality of TFS 2008 (the MSSCCI provider only allows access to a subset). Install on all client machines that will be accessing TFS. Install on the server that will host Team System Web Access.
Team System Web Access (TSWA) SP1 – Web access to TFS for non-developers
Install on a server (can be the same server that TFS is on).
Install order:
1. Team Explorer (Client and Server hosting TSWA)
2. PowerShell (All machines hosting the Power Tools)
3. Power Tools
4. MSSCCI Provider (All machines connecting with VS6 – requires SP6)
5. Team System Web Access (Server only)
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VSTS: TIPS
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Tips from the Tech Team
Fifteen Tips on a Successful Team Foundation Server UpgradeBy Doug Seven | Senior Product Manager | Visual Studio Team System | dseven@microsoft.com
It’s 2009. Oh how the time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were all excited about Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server, got it installed and up and running. Suddenly it’s 2009 and Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server has been out for just over a year. If your New Year’s resolution is to upgrade from Team Foundation Server 2005 to 2008 then let me help you get started right, and finish successfully. As a Product Manager for Visual Studio Team System I have excellent access to some great resources – the engineering team that built Team Foundation Server. I asked them for some tips and tricks for a successful upgrade from 2005 to 2008.
Here are fifteen tips, straight from the team:
- Read the docs.
- Run the TFS Best Practices Analyzer (requires PowerShell) and resolve any errors before upgrading.
- Make sure you have full backups.
- Backup the RS encryption key.
- If you installed any pre-release bits (beta’s, etc.) make sure they are removed (Control Panel > Add Remove).
- Make sure all TFS service accounts (aka TFSService, TFSReports) and passwords are known before starting.
- Before you upgrade, ensure your SQL Server installation has the most recent Service Pack.
- When we say 'Uninstall TFS from the data tier' don’t sweat – it doesn’t don't remove any data. Really (but do backups anyway).
- Validate that TFS 2005 is working before starting; this includes manually looking at the Team Portal (WSS) and Reports (SSRS) via the browser.
- If using SQL Server mirroring, temporarily break mirror for upgrade (see the TFS Install Guide).
- If upgrading SharePoint from 2.0 to 3.0, read the latest guidance.
- Allocate one (1) hour of upgrade time (read: downtime) for every 8Gigs of database size.
- Make sure you have at least 2x the size of your database in free disk space.
- Don't attempt to use the upgrade time for other backlogged Admin operations. Start with a working system. Upgrade. Test. If service accounts, users, permissions, etc. need changing also, do this after the upgrade has been tested.
- Read the docs (yes, it is so important that I listed it twice).
Now you are armed and ready to perform a successful update from Team Foundation Server 2005 to 2008. You will find that the benefits of the 2008 version make it worth the time spent. Good luck!
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ASK SME (Subject Matter Expert)
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Quizzical about SQL
Dear SME:
I’ve heard great things about SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services, and would love to use SQL Server 2008 as the backend for my Team Foundation Server. Is that possible? What are the implications?
Quizzical about SQL
 Dear Quizzical,
SQL Server 2008 has many compelling features, and many companies are already using it for their Team System implementations. But there are some restrictions. First, only Team Foundation Server 2008 SP1 supports SQL Server 2008, so if you’re still on Team Foundation Server 2005 you’ll need to upgrade. Next, if you’re doing a fresh install, you’ll need to slipstream SP1 onto the TFS 2008 installation media. If you’re working with an existing TFS implementation, on the other hand, you’ll need to install SP1 prior to upgrading your SQL Server. Finally, you’ll need to consider licensing. A copy of SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition is included in your TFS 2005 and TFS 2008 license. However, a copy of SQL Server 2008 is not. That means you’ll need to own a licensed, production copy of SQL Server 2008 to use for TFS. (It can, of course, be used for other applications, as well.)
Once you’re on SQL Server 2008, you can begin to enjoy the improvements in Reporting Services, as well as the new business intelligence features of Analysis Services. Enjoy!
Signed,
Mr. SME
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Winter Events
With the new economic era upon us, the common themes seem to be around doing more with less, leveraging what you already have, and making smart investments with measurable ROI. We have heard lots of questions in recent days around why to move from Visual Studio Team System 2005 to 2008 and if there is a way to leverage VSTS 2008 to lower the cost of software development. For our early adopters, we are hearing questions around if VSTS 2010 is really going to change the software development world that we all know so well.
In this sea of questions during these uncertain times, our goal is to help bring clarity, answer questions, connect resources, provide information, and be of service. With that, we have built a full schedule of free training and community events, hoping that we will have something for everyone. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Let me know!
 CONNECTING THE DOTS: 5 PART VSTS MINI-SERIES
premiering on February 10, 2009
Migrating from VSTS 2005 to 2008
Learning About VSTS 2008 Developer Edition
Learning About VSTS 2008 Tester Edition
Learning About VSTS 2008 Database Professional Edition
Visual Studio Team System 2010 Highlights
LIVE EVENTS (West Coast) – California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska
Deep Dive into VSTS: Illuminating the Possibilities (Mountain View, San Francisco)
Team System in the Real World (Portland, Olympia, Kirkland)
TRAINING
Building Applications with Visual Studio Team System 2008 (4-day training class in Kirkland)
OTHER EVENTS
Northwest Cadence is looking forward to delivering a full day pre-conference VSTS training session at DevConnections and TechEd 2009. If you are planning to attend DevConnections and/or TechEd, come visit us at the PreCon or during one of our sessions during the conferences. We always like seeing familiar faces!
EVENT ABSTRACTS & REGISTRATION INFORMATION
CONNECTING THE DOTS: 5 PART VSTS MINI-SERIES
This 5-part series will bring you from VSTS 2005 to VSTS 2010 with lots in between. Bring your questions!
This series is an interactive, casual, and informative way for you to talk with your peers and a couple of VSTS MVPs, ask the hard questions, and learn what others are doing – all around Visual Studio Team System 2008 and 2010. We’re looking forward to having you! The more, the merrier.
February 10, 2009: Migrating from Visual Studio Team System 2005 to 2008 (part 1 of 5): http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134756
February 24, 2009: Learning about VSTS 2008 Developer Edition (part 2 of 5): http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134757
March 10, 2009: Learning about VSTS 2008 Tester Edition (part 3 of 5): http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134758
March 24, 2009: Learning about VSTS 2008 Database Professional Edition (part 4 of 5): http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134759
April 7, 2009: Visual Studio Team System 2010 Highlights (part 5 of 5): http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134760
LIVE EVENTS
Deep Dive into VSTS: Illuminating the Possibilities
More about Visual Studio Team System
VSTS is an integrated software development platform used to build the mission-critical applications that businesses depend on. It extends Visual Studio's integrated and productive experience from the developer to the entire development team. VSTS does this by delivering role-based tools for architects, developers, testers, database professionals, and project managers.
Why Visual Studio Team System
Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) can help drive predictability, visibility, and control into your software development process, while remaining agile. It can also illuminate the key metrics that help make improvements possible.
Team System Applied
During this deep-dive event, you will learn best practices through the actual use of Team System and will walk away with an understanding of how VSTS can illuminate the possibilities for your software development team. We will dive deep into VSTS, walking you all the way through the development of an application - from planning to coding to system build and test. Along the way, we'll demonstrate best practices with VSTS allowing you and your teams to be more effective.
Should I dive deep?
If you're already using Team System, you'll come away with best practices and ideas for leveraging the tool in ways you may not have thought of before. If you've never used Team System, this presentation will provide a powerful introduction to the possibilities.
February 11, 2009: Mountain View, CA: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134300
February 12, 2009: San Francisco, CA: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134301
Team System in the Real World
This training event is designed to provide practical and implementable ways to attack common issues that plague development organizations today. See how various organizations with various problems leveraged Visual Studio Team System to make it work harder and smarter for them, solving real business problems and improving their Team System return on investment.
During this session, we will delve into real business problems of real organizations and see how Team System made practical solutions happen. With each example, we will explore the root cause, identify the possible solution, and demonstrate the implementation that solved the problem.
Sounds great, but how can I be sure this session will cover practical and implementable VSTS solutions that address our business problem? During this session, we will also look at possible solutions to related problems provided to us by attendees prior to the pre-conference presentation. Early registrants will be given the option of submitting more details on their software development or Team System problems. Send your problem(s) to us and we may incorporate your submission into our presentation!
March 13, 2009: Olympia: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134771
March 17, 2009: Portland: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134772
March 20, 2009: Kirkland: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=134773
TRAINING
March 9-12, 2009: Kirkland: 4-day VSTS Training
Building Applications with VSTS 2008
The focus of this course is on the effective use of Team System to improve an organization’s application management lifecycle. Software teams will learn not only how to use Team System effectively, but how to use Team System to improve their software development process. Developers will learn improve the quality of their code and speed development. Testers will learn to validate code quality and track test cases. Project managers will learn to use Team System to bring their projects under control. Configuration Managers will learn the best practices around branching strategies and will learn to create a tailored software configuration management strategy. As a team, you will learn how to use TFS to increase traceability, improve the quality of your code and ease the process of releasing your applications.
For more information or to register, please contact Lori Borg (206.947.0967 / lori.borg@nwcadence.com)
OTHER EVENTS
DevConnections Visual Studio and .NET Connections
TechEd 2009 Pre-Conference Seminars & Technical Tracks
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