TFS: During the VSTS Objective Domain Session and TechEd Chalk/Talks we had interesting discussions about "issues" ...
Planning and Sizing
The guidelines for planning and sizing are currently scattered across a number of blogs and we have therefore created a quick reference poster with our suggestions. The PDF poster “0202 Microsoft Team System Project Capacity Planning” can be located on http://www.drp.co.za/Media/Posters/PostersPDF/tabid/62/Default.aspx and the high-quality JPG on the same site, whereby you need to register to gain access to the high-quality poster.
Backup of TFS
TFS, with all its supporting services, requires great care and planning. Neither the restore of a Reporting Services, nor SharePoint site is a trivial task and TFS includes both of these and more. What we suggest that you include in your TFS backup strategy are the following artifacts:
§ TFS Backup & Restore Procedure
(http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms253070.aspx)
o TFS Databases TFS Configuration Files, i.e. the web service web.config files.
o RSS Key (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms400729.aspx)
o SharePoint Databases (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/office/office2003/maintain/bureswss.mspx)
o SharePoint TFS Portal Sites customisations using STSAdm.exe (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/office/office2003/maintain/bureswss.mspx#EZQAE)
o To move a TFS implementation to another server refer to http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms404869.aspx, a reference that also proves invaluable during a restore. By the way, remember to prepare a huge cup of Chamomile tea or coffee before you attempt a restore and cancel all your commitments for the next few hours … the exercise is not trivial.
Offline Workspaces
Taking work home can introduce a non-exciting challenge, if the project files you are going to work on are not currently checked out. A server connection is necessary to check files in or out and files hat are not checked out are "read-only"! If, however, you have to work on a file you failed/forgot to checkout before flying half-way around the world, you can check out the file with the PowerToy TF checkout command before commencing with the editing. You can run the command line utility TFPT PowerToy with offline and online arguments to reconciliate. See http://blogs.msdn.com/buckh/archive/2005/11/16/493401.aspx for further information on this 'cool' tool.
Team Proxy Server
Be careful when integrating remote teams to your TFS server, especially when large files are exchanged (for example gaming solution teams). Check-in, Check-out or project administration can often timeout on slow or unreliable links. Welcome TFS Proxy Server, the timeout and excessive network calls buster ... Checkout http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/office/office2003/maintain/bureswss.mspx#EZQAE for info on this topic.
Build
If you are into Team Build, monitor MAZOCAR blog for some exciting forthcoming posts and also take a peek at http://geekswithblogs.net/etiennetremblay/archive/2006/10/04/93213.aspx.
Being a TFS Admin, but not Server Admin?
Have a look at http://geekswithblogs.net/etiennetremblay/archive/2006/09/27/92507.aspx and also remember the TFSAdmin widget.
Great BLOGs
Please visit the following blogs by the authors of those post and especially look at http://blogs.sarkhouston.com/mazocar/archive/2006/10/21/3551.aspx, showing some mugshots to put faces to names:
§ http://blogs.sarkhouston.com/mazocar
§ http://teamsystemrocks.com/blogs/mickey_gousset/default.aspx
§ http://www.geekswithblogs.net/etiennetremblay
§ http://blog.accentient.com/
One of the next attractions will be a quick reference poster of the build process, which Mike and I are working on.