Sean Wallbridge
Thanks to some recon from Robert (and his lab ;), I’ve got some answers to some questions that folks may have up front about SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SBS 2011 so I figured I’d provide it in a quick FAQ format:
Question: Does SBS 2011, without the Premium full SQL Server add-on install using SQL Server 2008 Express or SQL Server 2008 Express R2?
Answer: Great Question Sean, you hunk of burning love! While SharePoint Foundation 2010 installed SQL Server 2008 Express (4gb limit) when you performed a standalone install (gasp, I hope nobody is doing that BTW… Farms for everybody!), it was only because when RTM came around, SQL Server 2008 R2 Express (10gb limit) was not yet ready for testing. However, SBS 2011 shipped much later (about 8 months or so) and because of that, they were able to use the SQL Server 2008 R2 Express code baked right into the product.
Question: If I buy the SQL Server Premium Add-On, how do I get my SharePoint databases from the Express R2 install to the full installation?
Answer: Man, you sure are good lookin’. The answer to that question is here: Move all SharePoint Foundation 2010 databases for Windows SBS 2011 Standard to another server
Question: Should I buy the SBS Server Premium Add-On (Full SQL Server)? Reference: http://oem.microsoft.com/public/worldwide/sbs_2011/SBS2011_PremiumAddon_DataSheet.pdf
Answer: Are kittens cute? Hells ya! If you love your SharePoint Server, you should provide it with a full SQL Server install so that you can take advantage of:
- Database Maintenance Plans: backups, tuning, etc.
- More memory/CPU support and tools
- No 4GB or 10GB limits. You should still be shooting for a maximum of 200GB per database and 100GB for a site collection (to keep the DB’s manageable for SLA’s, etc.)
Note: if all of your users are going to be using SharePoint with full SQL providing the databases for content, you’ll need the Premium CAL for each user