Compact presentation on pitfalls and best practices for deploying the user profile service in SharePoint Server 2010.

1. 1 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

2. Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service
Pitfalls & best practices
Andries den Haan
August 2012

3. SharePoint is the center of the universe
SharePoint is the center of the universe
3 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

4. The User Profile Service provides a full set of
social features for SharePoint Server 2010
• Social tagging and commenting
• extensible activity feed SITES
• maintains current user information
COMPOSITES COMMUNITIES
• multiple sources
• sets user context:
• organization Browser
INSIGHTS CONTENT
• status
• recent activity SEARCH
• common relationships
• expertise, ask me about.
4 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

5. But deploying the User Profile Service can be a
bit cumbersome to say the least
• The User Profile Service (UPA) is a complex part of SharePoint with
many subcomponents and (internal) references and dependencies
• the amount of deployment pitfalls may drive you crazy
• customers want it really bad, because it’s the “Social” component
• so there’s no way to run or hide!
5 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

6. Let’s take a deep dive and explore the UPA step
Let’s take a deep dive and
by step UPA step by step
explore the
6 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

7. Agenda
Architecture & components
Some interesting anomalies
Common deployment pitfalls
Putting it all into practice
A final word of advice
Some practical references
7 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

8. The architecture for the UPA is a bit different
from other SharePoint Server 2010 components
SharePoint Content Related Service Applications
Application Pool DOMAINSPContentAppPool
Search
http://portal (Web application) Managed Metadata
User Profile Service Application Proxy
SharePoint Web Services Default User Profile Synchronisation Service
Application Pool DOMAINSPWebServicesAppPool SharePoint Service Instance
User Profile Service Windows Services
User Profile DOMAINSPFarmAccount
SharePoint Service Instance
ServiceApplication
Forefront Identity Manager
.Net Assemblies
Forefront Identity Manager
Synchronisation
Directory
Service
Social DB Profile DB Sync DB
8 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

9. Some interesting anomalies might indicate that
the UPA suffered from release pressure
Naming just a few to get you all warmed up:
• Some parts of the UP have direct Profile database access
• FIM is only required for writing back to AD
(issue for import-only scenarios solved in “15)
• SharePoint Server 2010 RTM was bundled with a FIM version
lower then Release Candidate 1 (fixed in CU June 2011)
• database schema bugs during service application creation
• alternate service account permissions during provisioning
• re-provisioning of the UPA after deploying updates
• after a server restart, the UPS service instance is stopped.
9 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

10. Some common deployment pitfalls:
It’s SharePoint! What could go wrong?
With incorrect settings, provisioning will still start
(up to 15 times), but will always fail:
• the service account (Farm account) needs Local Administrator
permissions, but only during provisioning
• the Active Directory synchronization account requires “Replicate
directory Changes” permissions in the domain in order to
successfully import user profile data
• database bugs when using PowerShell: the default schema for the
Farm Account in the Synchronization database is set incorrectly
• import performance is slow (fixed in CU June 2011)
• co-existence with .Net Framework 4.0 (manual fixes).
10 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

11. Putting it all into practice to successfully
perform the User Profile Service deployment
We’ll take a step-by-step approach:
• setting the correct permissions upfront
• using Windows PowerShell magic to create the Service Application
and sync connections
• monitoring UPA provisioning using the ULS viewer and checking
that FIM services are properly configured and started
• reviewing active directory import activities through the FIM client.
11 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

12. Een beheersingsplan voorziet in de juiste
A final word of advice:
spelregels en richtlijnen Never use the Farm Configuration Wizard!
12 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

13. Some practical references that will help you on
the road to success and infinite glory
Configure profile synchronization (SharePoint Server 2010)
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee721049.aspx
ULS Viewer
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=21101
Spencer Harbar’s rational Guide
http://www.harbar.net/articles/sp2010ups.aspx
“Stuck on Starting”
http://www.harbar.net/articles/sp2010ups2.aspx
13 Deploying the SharePoint User Profile Service internal

14. Connect | Share | Discover
Would you like to know more?
andries.denhaan@kpn.com