SharePoint 2003 Client Access Requirements
There are no requirements for specific client software to be installed to enable access to SharePoint 2003 sites. In other words, the user doesn't have to have Internet Explorer 6.0, or Office 2003, or Windows XP Professional. A wide variety of browsers work, different versions of Office provide access to SharePoint 2003 sites, and a number of desktop operating systems are supported. Taking it to the extreme, if Terminal Services or Citrix MetaFrame is in use, the user doesn't have to have anything except the thin client on his system!
This section provides recommendations on the optimal combination of desktop operating system, browser type, and version of Office.
The newest version of Internet Explorer provides the highest level of functionality and requires Windows XP, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows 2000, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6a or later. Additionally, Microsoft Office 2003 System applications provide the highest level of integration with SharePoint 2003. Chapter 9 delves into the levels of integration offered by the most recent versions of the Office products.
In terms of providing the highest level of integration with SharePoint 2003 technologies, the ideal client configuration would be Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000, with the latest service packs and critical updates applied, Internet Explorer 6.0, and applications from the Microsoft Office 2003 System. The specific applications to use will vary based on the needs of the organization, but the core applications of Word, Excel, and Outlook are recommended, and PowerPoint, Visio, Project, and OneNote offer the Shared Workspace task pane feature, which tightly integrates the application with SharePoint 2003.
Hardware Requirements and Recommendations
Hardware specifications as defined by Microsoft for use with Windows XP Professional are a PC with 300MHz or higher processor clock speed, 128MB RAM or higher, 1.5GB of available hard disk space, a CD-ROM or DVD drive, and a Super VGA or higher-resolution video adapter.
For Windows 2000 Professional, the requirements specified by Microsoft are a PC with 133MHz or faster Pentium-compatible processor, 128MB RAM (256MB recommended), 1GB available hard-disk space, a CD-ROM or DVD drive, and a VGA or higher-resolution monitor.
A number of other factors also affect the performance that the end-users experience besides the power and features of the desktop system being used. The speed and performance of the servers running Windows SharePoint Server or SharePoint Portal Server 2003 are important, as are the efficiency and speed of the LAN or WAN infrastructure that carries the data to the users. If the user is accessing the SharePoint 2003 sites through the Internet, her Internet connection and that of the organization affects the speed. Virus protection software can also affect the speed of file downloads because they may be scanned before downloading.
Additionally, the software that each user loads locally taxes the desktop or laptop's resources, so adequate RAM and processing speed should be planned for.
This being said, a basic configuration that provides the level of performance that most users are accustomed to is a PC with a Pentium III or Pentium 4 processor running at 1GHz or higher processor clock speed, 128–256MB of RAM, CD-ROM or DVD drive, Super VGA or higher-resolution video adapter with 8MB RAM. Hard drive requirements can vary greatly based on whether the user's data is stored locally or on network drives, and based on the number of applications that need to be loaded on the PC.
Display size is also important because a great deal of information can be contained on-screen when SharePoint 2003 pages are being displayed and when the browser toolbars are being used. 1024×768 should be considered the minimum resolution for more complex sites and for power users who use the enhanced toolbars and features of the browsers. Many users are accustomed to 1280×1024 resolution and may expect this to be provided and supported. For less complex sites (for example, those with fewer Web Parts per page) and for standard users who keep the toolbars to a minimum, 800×600 can be acceptable.
Comparing Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator Web browsers
When deciding which browsers to use and support, newer is definitely better in terms of features and compatibility with SharePoint 2003 sites, but older browsers can still be used with the limitations outlined in this section.
The Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Administrator's Guide defines three levels of support for web browsers with regards to Web Part support. Because Web Parts provide the functionality of SharePoint 2003 sites, this is an important point to consider when implementing SharePoint 2003 technologies.
Level 1— Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and later for Windows provides the highest level of visual and functional support. The rapid availability of service patches and security updates for the latest version of Internet Explorer encourages their support by many organizations.
Level 2— Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 SP3 for Windows and Netscape Navigator 6.2 and above for Windows. With these browsers, some visual features and functions are not available, and some other features behave differently, but the majority of features still are available to the user.
Level 3— Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2 for Macintosh and Netscape Navigator 6.2 for Macintosh and Unix. Although these browsers allow users to access the data they need, there will be minor differences across operating systems, and such differences are not always addressed with alternative support. As with Level 2 browsers, some visual features and functions are not available, and there will be some behavioral differences.
To access a SharePoint 2003 portal site, clients must have one of the following web browsers installed:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01, plus the latest service packs
Internet Explorer 5.5, plus the latest service packs
Internet Explorer 6.0, plus the latest service packs
Internet Explorer 5.2 for Mac OS X, plus the latest service packs
Netscape Navigator 6.2 for Mac
Netscape Navigator 6.2 for Unix
Table 7.1 compares the functionality offered by Internet Explorer 5.01 SP3, Internet Explorer 5.5, Internet Explorer 6.0, Netscape 6.2, and Netscape 7.2.
Although these differences may seem minimal, they can affect the user experience with the site, and may require that training and support be fine-tuned to the needs of the users of Navigator and older versions of Internet Explorer. As will be explored later in this chapter in the section “Using Netscape Navigator 7.2 to Access SharePoint 2003 Sites” there are inconsistencies in the presentation of SharePoint 2003 sites and the use of design tools that make Internet Explorer a better choice for most organizations.