Installing the SharePoint 2010 Binaries

The following steps are used to install the SharePoint 2010 binaries after the prerequisite checks have been run and all necessary software components have been installed:

1. While logged in as the Install account, run Setup.exe, and from the splash screen, click Install SharePoint Server.
2. Enter a valid SharePoint 2010 License Key. Note that the Standard and Enterprise edition license keys are separate, and installing a Standard license key only turns on Standard edition services.
3. Accept the license terms and click Continue.
4. From the Installation type dialog box, as shown in Figure 3.9, choose Server Farm as the type of installation. DO NOT SELECT Standalone, unless the server is only used as a demo box. The Standalone version installs a copy of SQL Server Express and should not be used in production.

   Figure 3.9. Installing SharePoint 2010 using the Server Farm option.

   

5. From the Server Type dialog box, choose Complete. DO NOT SELECT Standalone because this has the same effect as selecting Standalone in the previous dialog box—it will install a single server with SQL Express Edition. Always select Complete.
6. Select the File location tab and specify a location for index files, as shown in Figure 3.10. Ideally, these files will be stored on a separate drive than the OS and SharePoint binaries. If you choose this option now, you won’t have to go through the complex process of moving the index later. Click Install Now to start the installation process.

   Figure 3.10. Specifying the location of the index files during a SharePoint 2010 install.

   

7. After the installation has completed, you can choose to run the Configuration Wizard now or later. It is recommended to not run the Configuration Wizard immediately but to first exit the application and check for any updates or patches before proceeding.

Patch SharePoint 2010 with any necessary patches, bearing in mind that there may be cumulative updates that are not reflected in Microsoft Update. It is important to install any service packs and cumulative updates first before continuing with the SharePoint installation, because it is much easier to patch now rather than when farm components are already configured.