Virtualize SharePoint and SharePoint Virtualization

Where I can download Remote Blob Storage installation files for SharePoint 2010?
You can download rbs_x64.msi file from : http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=165839&clcid=0×409

How do I install and configure RBS for SharePoint?

1. Download Remote Blob Storage from above link
2. Before you install Remote Blob storage, make sure SQL server 2008 enabled FILESTREAM. To enable FILESTREAM

Start | All Program | Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 | Configuration Tools | Configuration Manager
Click on SQL Server Services | SQL Server | Properties

3.  Enable following services

Enable File stream for Transact-SQL Access
Enable File stream for file I/O streaming access
Allow remote clients to have streaming access to Filestream data

4. Open SQL Management Studio and performing following task

use WSS_Content If not exists
(select * from sys.symmetric_keys where name = N‘##MS_DatabaseMasterKey##’)
create master key encryption by password = N‘Pa$$word’

5. Next we need to enable FileStreamProvider

use WSS_Content if not exists

(select groupname from sysfilegroups where groupname=N‘RBSFilestreamProvider’)

alter database WSS_Content add filegroup RBSFilestreamProvider contains filestream

If you get error message saying “ FILESTREAM Feature is Disabled” run the following query

6.  Next run the following query.  This will create a folder in E called Blobdata. This can be different in your case

use WSS_content alter database WSS_Content add file

(name = RBSFilestreamFile, filename = ‘E:\blobdata’)

to filegroup RBSFilestreamProvider

8. Now let’s go and install RBS. Best practice would be to install using command prompt  but it won’t give you any steps about what’s going on.
I had problem using Command and I installed using the GUI.  If you want to install using command here are the steps

(open command prompt as administrator).
I placed RBS installation file at C:\RBS folder Navigate to RBS folder using your Command Prompt

9.  Enter the following code

msiexec /qn /lvx* rbs_install_log.txt /i RBS.msi TRUSTSERVERCERTIFICATE=true
FILEGROUP=PRIMARY DBNAME=”WSS_Content” DBINSTANCE=”YourServer”
FILESTREAMFILEGROUP=RBSFilestreamProviderFILESTREAMSTORENAME=FilestreamProvider_1

10. It won’t give you any indication about the installation. To see if its successfully installed Blob storage, just go to the folder and look for the log file

11. Installing RBS using GUI.  Double click on RB_X64.msi

12.  Welcome to the installation wizard for Remote Blob Storage wizard pops up. Setup helps you install, modify or remote remote Blob storage.

To continue, click Next

12. Install SQL Remote Blob storage : Licence Agreement

13. Install SQL Remote Blob Storage: Registration Information, the following information will personalize your blob installation

14.  Install SQL Remote Blob Storage : Feature Selection

Select the program features you would like to install and select the installation path where you want to install the program

15. Blob Storage Database Connection. You can test your connection against the database
which your setting blob storage by hitting test connection.

16. SQL Remote Blob Storage: Database Configuration

Enter information to configure RBS database settings

17. Filestream Blob Store: Enter Filestream blob store configuration Information

18. Maintainer Task. Enter information to optionally schedule the maintainer task

During installation, the windows task scheduler window will apper. Use this to set scheduled task properties.

19. Remote Blob Storage Client Configuration

20.  Install Remote Blob Storage.  The program features you selected are being installed.

Please wait while the installation wizard installs remote blob storage. This may take several minutes.

21.To ensure that the installation was successful, open up the Content DB | tables

22. Now open your SharePoint 2010 Management Shell and enter the following scripts
$cdb = Get-SPContentDatabase –WebApplication http://vsp2010be
$rbss = $cdb.RemoteBlobStorageSettings
$rbss.Installed() – This should result in True. Else the next command will fail.
$rbss.Enable()
$rbss.SetActiveProviderName($rbss.GetProviderNames()[0])
$rbss

23. Now set the minimum threshold so that only files larger than a 1 MB will be placed in our blobdata fodler

$rbss.MinimumBlobStorageSize=1048576

24. Go head and upload a document which is larger than 1 MB.  This document should end up in the blobdata folder

I uploaded 8 GB of PDF file and it end up in the blobdata folder

How to optimize SQL Server 2008 to get best performance for SharePoint 2010 farm?

Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh292622.aspx

1. Use a dedicated server for SQL Server 2008
2. Configure specific SQL Server 2008 settings before you deploy SharePoint Server 2010

- Do not enable auto-create statistics on a SQL Server that is supporting SharePoint Server

- Set max degree of parallelism (MAXDOP) to 1 for SQL Server instances that host SharePoint Server 2010 databases to ensure that each request is served by a single SQL Server process.

Reference: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181007.aspx

3. Harden the database server before you deploy SharePoint Server 2010
4. Configure database servers for performance and availability
5. Design storage for optimal throughput and manageability
6. Proactively manage the growth of data and log files
7. Continuously monitor SQL Server storage and performance
8. Use backup compression to speed up backups and reduce file sizes

Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh292622.aspx