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Updated: Sharepoint 2007 Version Numbers

With Microsoft’s recent releases of the June 2009 Cumulative Updates for the Office SharePoint 2007 servers, (in July!) I thought I should readers have asked me to revise this table.  Again, if you ever need to confirm which update/revision of SharePoint you are running, without accessing the binary files themselves, these version numbers correspond to the version numbers reported in SharePoint Central Administration.  You can find this by going into the Operations tab, and under Topology and Services, select Servers in Farm.

SharePoint 2007 Version/Release	Microsoft Support KB Reference	Version Number from Central Admin	Release Date
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 April 2009 Cumulative Update	KB971537/KB971538	12.0.6510.5000	20 July 2009
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 April 2009 Cumulative Update	KB968851/KB968850	12.0.0.6504	30 April 2009
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 SP2	KB953334/KB953338	12.0.0.6421	28 April 2009
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Cumulative update	KB956056/KB956057	12.0.0.6327	16 September 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Infrastructure Update	KB951695/KB951297	12.0.0.6318	15 July 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 post-SP1 hotfix	KB948945	12.0.0.6303	21 February 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 post-SP1 hotfix	KB941274	12.0.0.6301	31 January 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 post-SP1 hotfix	KB941422	12.0.0.6300	26 February 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 SP1	KB936984/KB936988	12.0.0.6219	8 December 2007
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Security Bulletin MS07-059	KB942017	12.0.0.6039	9 Octoer 2007
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 August 24, 2007 hotfix package	KB941422 (updated)	12.0.0.6036	24 August 2007
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 RTM [Released To Manufacturing]	N/A	12.0.0.4518	16 November 2006
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Beta 2 TR	N/A	12.0.0.4407	2006
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Beta 2	N/A	12.0.0.4017	2006

SharePoint 2010 Sneak Peek

Microsoft has just opened up their "Sneak Peek" site for Sharepoint 2010 -- http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/2010/Sneak_Peek/Pages/default.aspx.  The site has screen shots and videos of some new features.  Early observations:

• The default Sharepoint UI gets the Office 2007-style "ribbon" interface

• Integration with the new FAST search servers

• LINQ additions for querying SharePoint objects directly in code

• Reworked Central Administration interface with integrated Best Practices Analyzer

• Extensive additions and support for SharePoint development and deployment in Visual Studio 2010

• Direct, on-page web editing of content

These are by no means the only features, nor has Microsoft suggested that other features under discussion (e.g. multiuser document edit, bidirectional BDC, relational data modeling for lists) have been dropped.  Microsoft is targeting a release in the first half of 2010.  More to come at the Sharepoint Conference 2009!

Seven on Seven - First Impressions of Windows 7

It’s July, and NFL training camps are set to open by the end of the month, thankfully.  That means that veterans players and rookies can soon expect two-a-day full contact sessions, full pads in the summer heat, and my favorite, the seven-on-seven drill.

Windows 7 is also almost here.  Its official release date is October 22, 2009, in time for the holiday season.  I've been running the Windows 7 release candidate for several weeks now, in a variety of virtual and non virtual configurations.  I’ve also attended Microsoft's MSDN Northeast Roadshow 2009, which was focused on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.  So here are seven quick first impressions about “Seven” - my own seven-on-seven, if you will.

1. Problem steps recorder (PSR.EXE).  This is a neat utility that automatically captures a user’s actions, clicks and screen shots into a nicely formatted compressed file for emailing.  It uses a VCR-like record/stop control, and is perfect for remote troubleshooting.  Microsoft’s team calls this the “father-in-law” feature. 
2. Native VHD Support.  You can now attach Virtual Hard Disk VHD files as native disk volumes.  MOUNTING a VHD is a great way to drop off install files or pull out a copy of a file on a virtual system without mounting the whole system.  I used this to build an install VHD of our Office 2007 server install packages that we could then use with our virtual servers without ISO support or adding the images directly to the primary VHD.
3. Federated search.  Just like Search Server 2008 and SharePoint, windows 7 desktop search can pass your search off to other search engines, and results are integrated and grouped.  Works with external services like Bing or Google, as well as internal search engines (SharePoint).
4. Application Compatibility Toolkits.  Windows 7 is coming with a broad range of tool kits to evaluate existing apps and installers running on Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8.  Writing something new in .NET?  No problem - Microsoft has an API in the SDK that lets use .NET to call COMsystem functions that used to require C++ or lower level languages.
5. Windows XP Mode.   Got an older app that only runs on Windows XP?  Again, no worries.   Windows XP mode uses virtualization to run your app directly inside its own XP virtual machine, running seamlessly in a window alongside your other applications.
6.  The power sander.  Not that Microsoft calls it that, but the Vista interface is smoother.  Cleaner.  Faster.  Fewer security popups.  Better organization and previews of applications on your toolbar.  Support for multitouch interfaces (a la Surface).   There are simple techniques, like Aero Peek, which lets you preview your windows in place while task switching among them.   Finally, Windows 7 supports auto rotation of the desktop background wallpaper.  Admittedly, third party UI tools have been offering this for a while.  The desktop has lots of neat widgets, and manually switching the wall paper periodically is a lot of fun means I have too much time on my hands.  Now Windows catches up, with a background as dynamic as the rest of the UI.
7. Libraries.  Vista introduced the basic concept as part of Windows Photo Gallery, and application that guided you through all your pictures and videos regardless of where they live on your PC.  Libraries extend this idea throughout all file access in Windows 7.  Libraries can now become your principal interface to working with documents, pictures, etc., without needing to remember to browse for all the places where you’ve stashed Excel files, for example. 

One other thing --  some of the user interface advances (e.g. Aero Peek) are unavailable if you run Windows 7 in a virtual PC session.  Be brave - if you can try Windows 7 as the primary OS on a real system, take the plunge.

SharePoint 2007 Version Numbers

With the recent releases of Microsoft’s Service Pack 2 for the Office SharePoint 2007 servers, I thought it was a good idea to refresh this table.  If you ever need to confirm which update/revision of SharePoint you are running, without accessing the binary files themselves, these version numbers correspond to the version numbers reported in SharePoint Central Administration.  You can find this by going into the Operations tab, and under Topology and Services, select Servers in Farm.

SharePoint 2007 Version/Release	Microsoft Support KB Reference	Version Number from Central Admin	Release Date
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 April 2009 Cumulative Update	KB968851/KB968850	12.0.0.6504	30 April  2009
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 SP2	KB953334/KB953338	12.0.0.6421	28 April 2009
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Cumulative update	KB956056/KB956057	12.0.0.6327	16 September 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Infrastructure Update	KB951695/KB951297	12.0.0.6318	15 July 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 post-SP1 hotfix	KB948945	12.0.0.6303	21 February 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 post-SP1 hotfix	KB941274	12.0.0.6301	31 January 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 post-SP1 hotfix	KB941422	12.0.0.6300	26 February 2008
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 SP1	KB936984/KB936988	12.0.0.6219	8 December 2007
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Security Bulletin MS07-059	KB942017	12.0.0.6039	9 Octoer 2007
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 August 24, 2007 hotfix package	KB941422 (updated)	12.0.0.6036	24 August 2007
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 RTM [Released To Manufacturing]	N/A	12.0.0.4518	16 November 2006
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Beta 2 TR	N/A	12.0.0.4407	2006
MOSS 2007 or WSS 3.0 Beta 2	N/A	12.0.0.4017	2006