In this appendix, we provide you with the following two options for server setup so that you can use the tools discussed in this book.
Option 1:
You can download and install the 2010 Information Worker Demonstration and Evaluation Virtual Machine (RTM). The virtual machines (VMs) are already pre-configured for you.
Option 2:
Follow the guides and relevant links in this appendix to create the VMs from scratch and set up a test configuration. The VMs enable you to work along with the exercises with minimal effort and with minimal impact on your other machines.
Perform the required SharePoint 2010 installation and configuration procedures. These procedures are essential for you to succeed in following the exercises. This section references resources such as articles and videos to help you get up to speed.
Perform the necessary security configuration steps. This is essential for connecting to external data. It is also extremely important for securing business intelligence (BI) assets.
The authors went back and forth between two viable options for setting up an environment in which you can test the tools. On one hand, you have the option to download a VM onto an existing machine that has Windows 2008 R2 with Hyper-V enabled. On the other hand, you might want to start from scratch by installing Windows 2008 R2, enabling Hyper-V, and creating your own VMs by installing and configuring the available 180-day evaluation software. The benefits and tradeoffs of each method are described in the following table.
|
Tradeoffs | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Preconfigured VM |
You get a large variety of software features already installed and configured on one VM. |
The size of the VM and number of pre-configured platforms require a robust machine with a minimum of 4 GB of RAM, with 8 GB recommended. The files might take more than an afternoon to download. |
|
Much simpler and quicker than manually installing and creating your VMs. |
Some troubleshooting is required. | |
|
Manual setup |
You get the IT professional experience and understanding from setting up your own VM, which can prove helpful if you need to set up a development or production environment in the future. |
This option requires more research about installing and configuring the software that is needed for each VM, and thus requires more time. You will need to seek out various online resources to find out how others overcame some of the potential blocking issues. |
|
You have the option of choosing the minimum configuration to test the tools. |
You must download and install more software if you want to try out all that the pre-configured VMs have to offer. |
In the preconfigured VM, Active Directory has been configured for more than 200 “demo” users with metadata in an organizational structure. All these user profiles have been imported and indexed for search within SharePoint Server 2010 but are not necessary for the exercises in the book.
SharePoint Server 2010 has been configured in a “complete” farm, using Kerberos authentication and the default SQL Server 2008 instance for data, and has a site collection created by using the Team Site template at http://intranet/ and a FAST Search Center at http://intranet/search/.
You can also create other site collections after you have set up VM “a”. To learn more, see Chapter 7, which shows you how to create a site collection using the Business Intelligence Center template.
For both manual setup and pre-configured setup, you must install Windows Server 2008 R2 and enable the Hyper-V role. It gives you the tools and services to create and manage a VM-based computing environment. You can manage and run multiple VMs on one physical computer using Hyper-V. You can use the available trial version for 180 days.
The computer you choose as the host also matters, because it must have a Hyper-V-capable processor.
The following is a modified version of the Virtual Machine Setup Guide.docx, which you get when you download the install files.
The download is very large and usually requires some time. We recommend that you use the Akamai Download Manager to download faster; it also can pause and resume if the download is interrupted. Make sure to locate the faster download links at the bottom of the main download page at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=751fa0d1-356c-4002-9c60-d539896c66ce&displaylang=en .
Of the files you find on that page, you need the following:
Virtual Machine 2010-7a parts 1-12
Virtual Machine 2010-7a parts 13-20, SFV & Setup Guide
Virtual Machine 2010-7b (needed only if you want to run Exchange Server)
Everything you need to work through the exercises in this book is included on one VM, except for the exercises in Chapter 3. The download includes an Active Directory domain and CONTSOS.COM with DNS and WINS configured.
The 2010-7a VM contains the following pre-configured software:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Evaluation Edition x64, running as an Active Directory Domain Controller for the “CONTOSO.COM” domain with DNS and WINS
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition with Analysis, Notification, and Reporting Services
Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 R2
Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise Edition
Microsoft Office Web Applications
FAST Search for SharePoint 2010
Microsoft Project Server 2010
Microsoft Visio 2010
Microsoft Project 2010
Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2
The 2010-7b VM contains the following pre-configured software:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Evaluation Edition x64, joined to the “CONTOSO.COM” domain
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
To install VM “a”, you will need the following:
Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2 with the Hyper-V role enabled
Drive Formatting: NTFS
Processor: Intel VT or AMD-V capable
RAM: 8 GB or more (more is always nice)
Hard disk space required for install: 50 GB
The following are steps and considerations as you setup VM “a” for going through the exercise in the book.
Unpack and run the VM image on a fast hard drive (7200 RPM or better). This drive will work better if it is different from the drive containing the operating system of the host machine. If you are installing the VM on a laptop, a second internal drive or external eSATA drive works best, although a USB 2.0 (make sure it’s 2.0, because 1.1 is too slow) or FireWire connection is acceptable. For the absolute best performance, use a second internal SSD drive.
You can use the following procedure to configure the VM host.
Install the Hyper-V role on your Windows Server 2008 R2 host.
Extract the VM image.
Copy the archive files for the VM to local disk.
Extract the VM image by running the self-extracting executable.
Set the extraction location on a separate drive as suggested in the previous section, Performance Considerations.
You must configure Hyper-V so that it runs in a protected virtual network. This is because the VM does not contain any antivirus software, and items such as MAC addresses, IP addresses, host names, and so on might conflict with other running instances of the VM or with potentially unrelated physical machines. The internal virtual network configuration that you create in the following procedure allows the host machine to access the VM by using Remote Desktop. We recommend that you do not use an external network for this VM.
If you choose to run the VM with external access, set up a second network card (NIC) on the physical machine and configure the Hyper-V to use that NIC. The primary NIC for the host is configured to use a static IP address—and changing this setting will produce server errors. Your external network configuration in Virtual Network Manager might resemble the following illustration.
Configure the Hyper-V Manager.
Start Hyper-V Manager from Control Panel -> Administrative Tools.
Confirm that the local host machine appears in the Hyper-V Manager list, and select it if it’s not already selected.
Under Actions, click Virtual Network Manager.
Confirm that you have created an internal virtual network named “Internal.” Internal networks limit connectivity to only VMs and the host. If no such network exists, create one now by performing the following steps:
Click Virtual Network Manager in the Actions pane.
Choose New Virtual Network in the Virtual Networks pane.
Choose Internal from the type list, and click Add.
Type Internal, and then click OK.
To learn more about the different types of virtual networks, see the blog post, “Hyper-V: What are the uses for different types of virtual networks?” at http://blogs.technet.com/b/jhoward/archive/2008/06/17/hyper-v-what-are-the-uses-for-different-types-of-virtual-networks.aspx .
Due to the activation and expiration models in Windows Server 2008 and R2, you should retain a copy of the VMs you downloaded and create a snapshot before you first run the VMs. For more information, see the Activation and Expiration section later in this appendix.
Under Actions, click Import Virtual Machine.
Click Browse to select the folder where you extracted the VM package. Keep the default settings.
Click Import, and wait for the import operation to complete—you can see the import status in the Operations column.
Select the newly imported VM, and then click Settings in the right pane of the Hyper-V Manager.
Confirm (and correct if necessary) that the Network Adapter “VM Bus Network Adapter” is connected to the “Internal” network from Step 5d of the preceding procedure (“To configure Hyper-V for the VM”). Please do not add a new Network Adapter (unless you must add the Internal Network).
Close the VM Settings dialog box. The new VM should appear in your Virtual Machines list.
Note
The machine we use has 12 GB of memory and an I7 Intel processor, which allows us to run four VMs at a time (the preconfigured VM, 2010-7a, and the two-machine setup we describe later in this appendix. The other machines, 2010-7b and MOSS-BI, are turned off to save on machine resources. Serious performance issues could occur if you have them all running at the same time.
Start the virtual image.
After the machine starts, log in as Administrator (press Ctrl+Alt+End). The password is pass@word1.
If you were unable to import the VM, we suggest that you use the following procedure to create a new VM and restore the 2010-7a.vhd that you extracted.
In Hyper-V Manager, under the Actions pane, click New and then click Virtual Machine to start the New Virtual Machine Wizard.
Click Next. On the Specify Name And Location page, shown in the following illustration, determine where you want to store the new virtual machine, and then click Next.
In the Assign Memory dialog box, assign 4000 MB, and then click Next.
In the Configure Networking dialog box, select Internal if you have already configured it in Network Manager in the Hyper-V Manager. If not, you can change it later in the VM’s Settings dialog box in Hyper-V Manager.
On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, shown in the following illustration, select Use An Existing Virtual Hard Disk. Click Browse to locate the extracted 2010-7a VM, and then click Next.
In the Installations Options dialog box, click Next. The 2010-7a VM appears in your Hyper-V Manager under Virtual Machines, as shown in the following illustration. However, notice that it is now shut off.
Double-click the new VM, and then click the green button to turn on the VM. When it turns on, you should see it starting, as shown in the following illustration.
After you log in as Administrator (password: pass@word1), the installation requires about 10 to 15 minutes to finish the configuration, because it must detect the host hardware and install the appropriate drivers. Then you must reboot the machine. After the machine reboots, use the following procedure to configure the network adapter in the VM (not in the host).
Open the Network and Sharing Center in Control Panel.
Click Change Adapter Settings.
Right-click the adapter and click Properties.
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and click Properties.
Select Use The Following IP Address, and then type the following values:
IP Address: 192.168.150.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: (leave blank)
Preferred DNS Server: 192.168.150.1
Your Network and Sharing Center should resemble the following illustration.
Your Internet Protocol (TCP/IPv4) Properties should resemble the following illustration.
Now the VM is ready to use. Enjoy!
Hyper-V introduces the concept of “snapshots,” which you can use to revert a VM to a previous configuration state.
Open or return to the Hyper-V Manager.
Select the VM, and under Actions, click Snapshot.
Wait for the snapshot captures to complete.
(Optional) Select each VM, and rename the snapshots you have just created.
Before each VM session, use the following procedure to set up the environment.
Return to or start the Hyper-V Manager.
Select the VM.
Click Start.
Click Connect. When the Virtual Machine Connection window appears, wait for the VM to boot up and reach the login screen.
Important
The VM Connection uses Ctrl-Alt-Home instead of the normal Ctrl-Alt-Del sequence for login.
Log in to the image using the Virtual Machine Console as the following user:
User: administrator
Password: pass@word1
Domain: CONTOSO
The VMs contained in this package are inactivated 180-day evaluations. These evaluation copies require activation, or rearming, after a 10-day period; otherwise, they shut down after 2 hours of continuous operation. It is optional to activate the operating system in the VM.
Important
Avoid performing the following procedure, unless your initial 10-day evaluation period has expired.
You can perform the “rearm” procedure only a limited number of times—generally four, but even fewer in some cases. The authors highly recommend that you use one of the options described earlier in this chapter, in the section Configure Hyper-V for the VM, to avoid being left without a functioning VM.
Start up and login to the VM.
Open an elevated (Run as Administrator) command prompt.
Run “slmgr –rearm” (no quotes) in the command prompt.
Wait for the pop-up confirmation that the configuration changes are complete.
Reboot the VM.
Repeat for each Windows Server 2008 R2 VM in the set.
To activate the VM, you need an Internet connection. For that, you must add a second NIC to the VM by using the Hyper-V Management Console, and then connect it to an external network connection that has Internet access. You can then activate Windows from within the VM. Windows still expires after 180 days but does not prompt for activation or shut down after 2 hours.
This section provides procedures you can perform for the host machine that can help you get best performance.
Go to the download Link to see instructions at the bottom of the page: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=868662dc-187a-4a85-b611-b7df7dc909fc .
The Contoso_Retail.abf and Contoso_RetailDW.bak are located on the VM demo2010a C: drive.
Open Windows Explorer, right-click the C: drive icon, and click Properties.
On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now.
Confirm that the C: drive is the selected volume, and then click Defragment.
Wait for the defragmentation to complete. This can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours, depending on the size of the drive and how fragmented it is. You might need to run this multiple times for full effect.
Repeat for all other host hard drives.
Right-click the desktop, select Properties, and then select Settings.
Confirm that the resolution is at least 1024 × 768 (the minimum recommended resolution is 1280 × 1024) and that the color depth is at least 16-bit.
Open the Control Panel and select Date And Time.
Confirm that the date and time are accurate; if they’re not, correct them.
Follow the procedures for your antivirus software to disable any “real-time” scanning of the Hyper-V processes and the folder where you unpacked the VM files. For more details, see the support information at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961804 .
If you have sufficient drive space, consider performing this conversion procedure. The fixed VHD is considerably larger—135 GB—but provides better performance.
Open the Hyper-V Manager on the host. Select the VM in the Virtual Machines pane.
Click Settings in the Actions pane.
Choose the Hard Drive under IDE Controller 0 in the Hardware pane.
Directly below the path of the VHD file, click Edit.
Choose the Convert option, and then click Next.
Supply a file path and name for the new fixed disk.
Click Finish, and wait for the edit operation to complete.
Click Browse to navigate to the VHD file, and choose the fixed VHD you just created.
Click OK to apply the change, and then close the settings window.
Defragment the host drive containing the new fixed VHD.
Rather than install Windows 2008 R2, provision it for Hyper-V, and create a machine to import the 2010-7a VM, you have another option. This section describes that second option, which is to create an environment from scratch so that you can perform the exercises in this book. Because it would be all too easy to write another entire book about installing and configuring all of the software you need, this section provides only an overview of how to set up a particular architecture and configuration so that you can apply the BI tools introduced in the chapters in this book.
The following illustration shows what software is installed on what machines for the configuration the authors used while writing this book. To ensure that our configuration could be duplicated by readers, we used 180-day trial versions for all software.
The numbered items in the following list correspond to the circled areas in the image:
Host machine: . Your host machine is the machine on which you need to install Windows Server 2008 R2, either by using a physical DVD or installing and learning to use ISO image software.
VM (or guest machine), MOSS-DC.contoso: Contains your Active Directory domain structure, in which you need to create user accounts for your SharePoint, SQL Server roles, and client roles, such as the Unattended Service account and SharePoint Admin account. This machine becomes your domain, and it will probably need a physical IP address. You will join the other VMs to the domain.
Second VM (or guest machine), SP2010-BI: Includes Windows Server 2008 R2 + SQL Server 2008 R2 + SharePoint 2010, in that order. Note that the databases for your SharePoint Server are different from those used as data sources in the exercises. Some people separate the two by creating a separate instance for their data sources. Another option is to use a different VM or a separate machine, as described in item 5 of this list. See the section Install Software on Your VMs, later in this appendix, for installation files.
(Optional) Third VM: . To truly test the user accounts and security of your configuration, it is a good idea to create a VM that can play the role of the client in test environment. On this VM, install Windows 7 and Office 2010.
Note
If you want to get serious about testing security configurations such as Kerberos or NTLM, you should consider taking installation and configuration to the next level by creating another VM to host the data sources, SQL Server and 2008 R2 Analysis Services. Because memory resources are typically scarce after running three VMs on a physical host machine, you might consider adding another physical computer to your configuration that you can allocate to Analysis Services data sources. The configuration options available depend on the resources you have, such as memory and processor speed.
The computer you choose as the host matters, because it must have a Hyper-V capable processor. In addition, you need enough processing power and memory to run the VMs. You might also need to enable Hyper-V for your processor in the system BIOS to make virtualization possible.
The first step is to locate the right processor. If you already have a computer, check to see whether the processor is listed in the Hardware section of the Windows Server catalog at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111228 . To see the list of servers that have been tested to run Hyper-V, in the Hardware section of the Windows Server catalog, under Product category, click Servers, and then under Additional Qualifications, click Hyper-V.
You can also review the more comprehensive documentation for Hyper-V by reading the TechNet topic “Hyper-V Getting Started Guide,” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732470(WS.10).aspx .
This section simply points you to useful links containing instructions for installing Windows 2008 R2 and configuring your server for Hyper-V.
For detailed information about this process, see the TechNet topic “Installing Windows Server 2008 R2,” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd379511(WS.10).aspx .
Following are the basic steps to perform as you navigate through the Hyper-V documentation on TechNet (at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc730764.aspx ) or as you view instructions from a blog or video:
Create VMs. We created two for our configuration.
Create VHDs. We used fixed VHDs.
Configure Hyper-V:
Configure memory and processors.
Configure networking.
Configure disks and storage.
Install a guest operating system.
Connect to a VM.
It’s also helpful to view the document titled “Checklist: Configure Virtual Machines for Development and Test,” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754062.aspx .
After installing updates, we switched our external network to a private network to protect it from security attacks and to simplify security between machines.
The TechNet article “Manage Virtual Networks” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732197.aspx , is particularly helpful.
Additionally, the blog post “Hyper-V: What are the uses for different types of virtual networks?”, at http://blogs.technet.com/b/jhoward/archive/2008/06/17/hyper-v-what-are-the-uses-for-different-types-of-virtual-networks.aspx , provides a visual explanation of the purpose of the optional virtual network configuration.
You should plan to install the following software on your VMs.
|
Server software |
Download link |
|---|---|
|
Windows 2008 R2 You can also download the VHD Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise and Server Core evaluation images, configured for Hyper-V (64-bit only). |
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/trial-software.aspx |
|
SQL Server 2008 R2 You can download 64-bit versions for AMD or Intel. |
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/R2Downloads.aspx Server Software: Microsoft Contoso BI Demo Dataset for Retail Industry Download Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=868662dc-187a-4a85-b611-b7df7dc909fc |
|
SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise | |
|
Microsoft Office Professional 2010 | |
|
Microsoft Visio 2010 (Premium) |
The authors recommend that you purchase and install mounting software so that you can mount ISO images from which to install when you connect and start your newly created VMs. You cannot access installation files easily from the host machine unless you install the mounting software.
For detailed information about this process, see the MSDN topic “How to Install SQL Server 2008 R2,” at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143219.aspx .
For detailed information about this process, see the topic “How to Install SharePoint Server 2010 on a Small Farm,” on the ES2010 site at http://www.endusersharepoint.com/EUSP2010/2010/06/09/how-to-install-sharepoint-2010-on-small-farm-part-1-full-installation-on-small-farm-up-to-managing-service-applications/ .
You must install SharePoint Server 2010. For helpful information about how to do this, visit the video library at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=187074 . The author of this video guide, Asif Rehmani, is a SharePoint MVP, MCT, and is president of SharePoint-Videos.com. Also view the TechNet SharePoint Server deployment topic “Deployment for SharePoint Server 2010,” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262957.aspx .
After installing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, you must perform an initial configuration. We encourage you to run the Configuration Wizard to complete the exercises in this book. You must perform some additional security configurations to connect to external data sources. These additional requirements are discussed in the next section, Security for the Services Dedicated to BI.
The following is a list of the necessary service applications that are started for you when you run the SharePoint Configuration Wizard and accept all the defaults:
PerformancePoint Services
Visio Services service application and proxy
Secure Store Service application and proxy (previously known as Single Store Sign on)
Excel Services (if you want to connect Visio diagrams to Excel workbooks)
It doesn’t hurt to check to ensure that these required service applications are started. Central Administration provides a web-based user interface that enables you to configure all the service settings for Visio Services.
Note
You can use Windows PowerShell to accomplish all the following tasks if you prefer a scripting environment.
In Central Administration, under Application Management, select Manage Service Applications.
On the Service Applications tab, click Manage to view and configure the following:
Global Settings . Use to manage settings for performance, security, and refreshing data connections.
Trusted Data Providers . Use this feature to add or remove data providers for refreshing data connections. The list is extensive and includes providers for Oracle, IBM DB2, SQL Server, and more.
You must be able to connect to external data sources. The following sections include helpful links and some instructions to make sure you can successfully walk through the exercises provided in this book.
You configure security for Excel, Visio, and PerformancePoint Services differently for each product. The language used for authentication methods may be specific to each service application. Refer to the TechNet article “Configure a SharePoint Server 2010 farm for business intelligence by using NTLM,” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg266385.aspx .
The following videos can help you configure your SQL Server account, which will be used as the Unattended Service Account while you use the Secure Store Service (SSS) application. They will also help you configure Excel Services and Visio Services security using the SSS. To download a copy of the video file, right-click the link and then click Save Target As.
To configure a Secure Store target application: Watch the video at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=207410 .
Note
The preceding video also has a valuable piece in the beginning that shows you how you must first create an identity in SQL Server 2008 R2.
To configure a target application for the Unattended Service Account: Watch the video at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=207411 .
To configure Excel Services: Watch the video at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=207412 .
To configure Visio Services: Watch the video at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=207413 .
For more information, see the following TechNet topics:
“Configure Excel and Excel Services with SQL Server Analysis Services (SharePoint Server 2010)” ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff729457.aspx )
“Use Secure Store with SQL Server Authentication (SharePoint Server 2010)” ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg298949.aspx )
When you have a local .odc file on your computer and you want to publish a Visio 2010 or Excel 2010 file to SharePoint 2010, you must upload the .odc file to the SharePoint Server. You can do this by modifying the file.
For this example, the following procedure was performed using Excel 2010.
Note
Although you can create a reusable .odc file in Visio 2010 by using the data connection wizard, it is a common practice to create and modify the file in Excel 2010, to make it available to both Excel and Visio in SharePoint.
Open the Excel file connected to the data source that you want to publish to SharePoint. Click Data, and then select Refresh All.
Select Connection Properties to open the Connection Properties dialog box.
In the Connection Properties dialog box, on the Definition tab, click Export Connection File. If you have enabled the Desktop Experience Feature, you can copy and paste the URL where your Data Connections Web Part resides, or you can enter the location of your trusted data connection library. After you paste the URL, you should see the URL in the connection name at the top of your Connections Properties dialog box.
Click Export again.
Your .odc file is now located on the SharePoint Server, so users can click to connect to external data from any browser where permissions are granted.
To learn more about .odc files and external data connections, see the TechNet topic “Plan External Data Connections for Excel Services,” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262899(office.12).aspx .
Create and configure a Secure Store Service application and proxy. This is required for storing the Unattended Service Account password for a PerformancePoint Services service application.
To initialize the Secure Store Service application, refer to the following sections of the TechNet topic “Configure the Secure Store Service (SharePoint Server 2010),” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee806866.aspx :
“Initialize an instance of a Secure Store Service application”
“Refresh the encryption key”
Finally, see the TechNet topic “Configure the Unattended Service Account for PerformancePoint Services,” at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee836145.aspx .
Resources that you might find useful when configuring security include:
“Configure a SharePoint Server 2010 farm for business intelligence by using NTLM” ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg266385.aspx )
“Configuring Kerberos Authentication for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products” ( http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/confirmation.aspx?FamilyID=1a794fb5-77d0-475c-8738-ea04d3de1147&displaylang=en )
The Kerberos authentication topic is a comprehensive guide that walks you through the process of setting up Kerberos for the BI tools discussed in this book—and more—providing scenarios, configuration, and server setup guidance.
The information in this appendix should help you get started with the demos in each chapter. The options are personal preference. Some of the authors have always started from the ground up to install all of the software in a new VM. Other authors have benefited from the pre-configured VM and saved valuable time. In this appendix, we cover both for your benefit so that you can choose the method you prefer. We encourage you to try both and see which is most useful.