Client configuration

C

Chuck Gould

I have found that in Project Server 2003 and Project Server 2007 there are a
multitude of configuration changes that need to be made in Internet Explorer
settings to make things work correctly from a clients perspective for both
Project Web Access and Project Professional Access.

Does anyone have a fairly solid client configuration guideline they follow
for Project Server 2007 that they would be willing to share?
 
D

Dale Howard [MVP]

Chuck --

Whoa! What makes you think there are "a multitude of configuration changes"
that need to be made to set up a client's use of Project Server 2003 or
2007? We recommend that you leave all of the default settings in place
UNLESS the client has unique usage requirements for the system. Some
typical exceptions in Project Server 2007 are:

1. Timesheet Periods
2. Administrative Time categories
3. Default method of tracking progress
4. Company holidays on the Standard calendar
5. Default fields needed for reporting
6. Custom PWA views needed for reporting
7. Custom Data Analysis views for reporting

Regarding security, we also recommend that you use the default Groups and
Categories as much as is possible, but you can certainly change these
settings or use custom Groups and Categories if your client has unique
security needs. For example, a typical security scenario requires all PM's
to be able to open their own projects, but open everyone else's projects
Read-Only.

If anyone has other ideas for you, I'd love for them to share. Hope this
helps.
 
A

Astro Boy

Chuck --

Whoa!  What makes you think there are "a multitude of configuration changes"
that need to be made to set up a client's use of Project Server 2003 or
2007?  We recommend that you leave all of the default settings in place
UNLESS the client has unique usage requirements for the system.  Some
typical exceptions in Project Server 2007 are:

1.  Timesheet Periods
2.  Administrative Time categories
3.  Default method of tracking progress
4.  Company holidays on the Standard calendar
5.  Default fields needed for reporting
6.  Custom PWA views needed for reporting
7.  Custom Data Analysis views for reporting

Regarding security, we also recommend that you use the default Groups and
Categories as much as is possible, but you can certainly change these
settings or use custom Groups and Categories if your client has unique
security needs.  For example, a typical security scenario requires all PM's
to be able to open their own projects, but open everyone else's projects
Read-Only.

If anyone has other ideas for you, I'd love for them to share.  Hope this
helps.









- Show quoted text -
Click to expand...

Chuck, my experience is that, as long as you make the Project Server a
Trusted Site, and you ensure that security for Trusted Sites is set to
Low, you shouldn't have to do much to IE itself. There are exceptions,
of course, and you'll run across those exceptions if you're
troubleshooting specific issues (like OLAP problems or ActiveX
issues), but those are fairly rare.

I'd do the Trusted Sites thing, then go from there. If you have
specific issues, this board is a great source for one-off suggestions.

My two cents...

AB
 
C

Chuck Gould

My apologies. I probably was not clear. I agree that the default
configuration of the server is best left that way unless there are reasons to
change it. That is the practice I follow and what I learned from the
MSProjectExpert books.

What I was referencing is I am looking for a definitive guide to
configuration of the workstation for connection to Project Server.

This is something you have described somewhat in your Project Server 2003
book, but was not contained in your Project Server 2007 book, nor does
Microsoft address it fully, nor any other book or resource I have been able
to find.

It seems like most of the documentation seems to assume everything is in
Active Directory and Active Directory will resolve connection issues under
the covers.

There are serveral configuration changes I have found necessary, in part
because I do not have the luxury of having all the client work stations part
of the Active Directory domain and in part because of the piecemeal nature of
the configuration information.

An example is the problem noted with Exporting data to Excel of which there
are a couple of threads on-going about.

What I was hoping for was a checklist of Internet Explorer and/or Project
Professional settings that are a recommended default configuration for a
client's workstation to connect to Project Server.

I have yet to find this for Project Server 2007 and as mentioned your book
on Project Server 2003 was about the only resource I could find for that
version.

I suspect there are others out there that are having issues as well and it
would be nice to have a starting point to reference.

Sorry about the confusion. I totally support the concept of minimal change
to the server, I am just looking for a template on workstation configuration.
 
D

Dale Howard [MVP]

Chuck --

Duh! Now I get it... Yes, after your Configuring and Administering class,
we discussed adding a new section of content about the configuration of
desktop applications such as the Internet Explorer. Thanks for sharing! :)
 
C

Chuck Gould

Thanks to all who have replied - hopefully someone will have a checklist they
can share.

I know about the trusted sites, and the setting of the security to LOW for
the trusted sites, but was thinking a checklist would be beneficial to others
for troubleshooting purposes.

It seems like IE is manipulated every other day for one program or another
and it would be nice to have documentation as to what the settings should be
and WHY so when we trouble shoot someone's problems we have a reference.

There appear (to me anyway) to be several optional settings that one might
want to consider (such as downloading and running unsigned ActiveX controls
to facilitate Exporting to Excel) and things like File Downloads being
Enabled and Access data sources across domains being Enabled.

Yes if you set security to LOW you get most of these and others are specific
to an installation, but there doesn't seem to be a one stop shop for
collecting configuration solutions and documenting why X is set to Y.

As an example I am chasing a configuration problem right now with problems
with Project Professional closing the Enterprise Resource Pool. I can get
one work station to work with it, but all others fail to save and close the
Enterprise Resource Pool. As I can get one physical work station to work
correctly and 2 other physical environments and multiple virtual environments
fail, I am left comparing what works, to what doesn't work. Have a reference
point might help direct troubleshooting efforts to another area. Much like
taking a lie detector test indicates a direction, a checklist would help
indicate direct troubleshooting.

Sorry for the long diatribe, I have been banging my head on this one for a
while.

thanks again for all the input.
 
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