Configuring an Alternate Access Mapping (AAM) in SharePoint 2010 to expose a web application to the Internet.

I know many people have been in trouble trying to do what it looks a simple exercise, expose a web application to the outside world.

I have to admit we will need few requirements to do this, and they are not easy to get:

• A DNS address: A URL will be pointing your server, in this case we are going to use a random one: http://svm15031.vps.tagadab.com
• An Installation of Sharepoint 2010 Enterprise or Foundation.
• II7
• Windows Server 2008
• a web application already created.

Let’s go to follow a simple step by step scenario so we know what we are doing.

Step 1
Go to Start->Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products->SharePoint 2010 Central Administration

Step 2
Go to Central Administration->Application Management->Manage Web applications.

Step 3
Click on web applications and select your “80” website, and on the top left click extend. In this way we are going to extend our site to port 81, so the users are comming from the outside world will use this port. Click on “Extend” and fill the following fields:

1. Port: 81
2. Host Header: svm15031.vps.tagadab.com
3. Zone: Select Internet

Step 4
To check the bindings go to Server Manager->Roles->Web Server (IIS)->Internet Information Server.
Click on the site we are dealing, in this case will be called . On the right side click on bindings and be sure you receive something similar.

Step 5
We are going to change the authentication of the extended site now. Go to Central Administration->Application Management->Manage Web applications select the “80” Web application and click on Authentication Providers. You will receive this dialog, click on Internet.

Step 6
On IIS Authentication Settings un tick Integrated Windows authentication and tick Basic authentication (password is sent in clear text).

Step 7
Everything is done now…but we have to be sure that our application can be seen in port 81 from the outside world, so let’s go to create a rule in the firewall to do that. Go to Server Manager->Configuration->Windows Firewall with…->Inbound Rules-> Right click –> New Rule. Select Port and click Next. On specific local ports type 81 and click on Next –>Allow connection –> Next –> Domain, Public and private tick it! –>Next –>Type teh name of the rule and finish. Do the same with Outbound Rules.

Step 8
In my web application I created a site collection with a site called “hello”, this is how I will call it from Internet:
http://svm15031.vps.tagadab.com:81/sites/hello/SitePages/Home.aspx . It will prompt for user and password!

And this will be the result:

Enjoy!

"Administration service is stopped. Start the Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Administration 2010 service in order for the operation to continue." On Sharepoint 2010

This is one of this messages you don't expect, specially when you are trying to restore a backup at 4:00AM in the morning after seeing that the whole farm needs to be rebuilt. The last thing you need at 4:00AM is more problems, just because in four hours the company will start running.

To prevent that I have placed this little post, I hope it will will help.

So why is the "Administration service is stopped. Start the Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Administration 2010 service in order for the operation to continue." is popping up?. Well there is Windows Service called WSSADMIN.exe is used by SharePoint to perform backup/restore operations.

As you probably guessing the service has not been started, so just go to Services in Windows, and find a service called "SharePoint 2010 Administration".

Click on start and voila!