Login at Project required before using SharePoint?

P

Paul Graf

Hi, first post, I hope I can still make myself clear. Also I have to
translate error messages freely from german to english, that could sound
weird sometimes ;)
I installed SQL Server, SharePoint Portal Server and WSS on one Computer and
the ProjectServer on another. Both are set up on SSL with no official online
certificate, but my own. It all works fine.
Except when I go directly to the SharePoint Team Website with
https://sharepointserver/sites/projectserver_PID and try to delete document
libaries or change risks or other content that can be viewed in Web Access. I
then get a long error message saying that:

SharePoint can not conect to the Project Server data and possible causes
could be
1. domain crossing data access is deactivated in the internet explorer's
security settings
2. domain crossing declined for the recent promt
[I know that this is really not microsoft english, but I hope you see through]
It is recommended that you put the SharePoint-URL and the Project-URL into
your trusted site zone or accept domain crossing data access if you're
promted.

After I click on OK there is no recognizable drawback through this error. He
still creates, changes or deletes the entry/content and he (I call the server
he, it is a german grammar thing) still updates WebAccess properly. It is
just hard to explain to any customer that microsoft created such an error
message to tell me basically nothing.

I do not have any service packs for project installed, but all available for
sharepoint . Now I am guessing that microsoft expects me to go to WebAccess
first and log myself in there and then go to the sharepoint website
corresponding to the project i am interessted in.
Or is there anything I have to change in my IIS or SQL or some settings?
I've got "ignore client certificates" and the last settings where
"integrated windows authentication" "digest authentication" and "standard
authentication" activated - all doesn't help.

Sorry for the long message, I hope anybody has time to read through and tell
me some ideas.

Thanks!!!

Paul
 
P

Paul Graf

Forgot to mention that of course I checked for this cross-domain access and
it is allowed in my security settings.

Cheers!
 
R

Rolly Perreaux

Welcome Paul !

First you do not need to apologize for the long message. It actually makes
it easier for us to review your problem. :)

Second, I see from your 2nd last paragraph from your original message you
say "...and the last settings where "integrated windows authentication"
"digest authentication" and "standard authentication" activated - all doesn't
help."

Only enable the Integrated Windows authentication and disable (clear check
box) all others, including Anonymous Access.

Try it out and let us know what happens

Tschüss
 
P

Paul Graf

Thanks for the warm and quick welcome ; )

I ran through some test with the authetication. Anonymous has always been
and will always be disabled in my settings.
I tried activating integrated authentication only and standard athentication
only. The error still comes up every time, digest does not work at all.
Anyhow, the error still comes up on both (standard and integrated) ; the only
difference is that I have to input the domain name for integrated and I do
not need that for standard. So thank you for the idea, but unfortunately it
did not solve the problem...

"Bis später" ;-)

Paul
 
R

Rolly Perreaux

Thanks for the warm and quick welcome ; )

I ran through some test with the authetication. Anonymous has always been
and will always be disabled in my settings.
I tried activating integrated authentication only and standard athentication
only. The error still comes up every time, digest does not work at all.
Anyhow, the error still comes up on both (standard and integrated) ; the only
difference is that I have to input the domain name for integrated and I do
not need that for standard. So thank you for the idea, but unfortunately it
did not solve the problem...

"Bis später" ;-)

Paul
Click to expand...

I just thought of something Paul

Do you have Integrated Windows authentication on both IIS servers?
(Project Server and WSS)

Also are both server's URL added in trusted sites in Internet Explorer?

And last but not least...
Are both IIS servers in the same Active Directory domain?

Let us know

--
Rolly Perreaux, PMP
Project Server Trainer/Consultant

IT Summit Series
Advanced Microsoft Technology Training
http://www.itsummitseries.com
 
P

Paul Graf

Good ideas, but yes to all...
So both servers are on Integrated Windows authentication only, the URLs are
added to the trusted sites (like suggested in the error message) and I set up
an extra Active Diretory for the to server (WSS and SQL Server is the
AD-Controller and Project-Server is Client).

I am really interested in your opinion if it should be possible without
logging in the Project - Server or if that could be a programmed thing which
can not be changed...

Let me know any thoughts of yours!

Paul
 
P

Paul Graf

I have another idea and I hope it is not too late for you to read it...
The corresponding sharepoint sites were not created automatically by project
web access. I created them with an earlier installation of PWA in the past
but kept them in the database because they are very important and hard to
recreate. So after I published the corresponding projects in the new PWA
installation I linked the sites to the projects manually. Is that of any
importance? Do I have to pay attention to some tricky thing there?

Thanks for the help!

Paul
 
R

Rolly Perreaux

I have another idea and I hope it is not too late for you to read it...
The corresponding sharepoint sites were not created automatically by project
web access. I created them with an earlier installation of PWA in the past
but kept them in the database because they are very important and hard to
recreate. So after I published the corresponding projects in the new PWA
installation I linked the sites to the projects manually. Is that of any
importance? Do I have to pay attention to some tricky thing there?

Thanks for the help!

Paul
Click to expand...

Hi Paul,

Let me get your procedure clear...

1. You originally installed and configured PWA (PWA1).
2. You then created a new installation of PWA (PWA2), but kept the
original database from PWA1 and used it in your installation of PWA2.
Which also has the original Project Sites and links to WSS that you
manually created.
3. You re-published the projects in PWA2

Is this correct?

I have an idea, but can you answer the following question?

And are there Risks, Issues and documents already entered into the
Project site (WSS)?

Let us know

--
Rolly Perreaux, PMP
Project Server Trainer/Consultant

IT Summit Series
Advanced Microsoft Technology Training
http://www.itsummitseries.com
 
P

Paul Graf

Good evening!

My Procedures:
1. I installed SharePointPortal Server 2003 with WSS
2. Installed PWA1 (Project Server 2003), uploaded the project, let PWA1
automatically create the page and built up the page with content.
3. Installed Project Server 2003 Service Pack 2, PC crashed while
installation and PWA1 was dead.
4. Uninstalled PWA1 and Reinstalled --> PWA2
5. Uploaded Project
AND then I allready tried 2 different things.
a. Uploaded Project so it has the corresponding Proj_ID to the Site-Name
PWA2 would automatically create, let PWA2 create the page automatically and
what PWA2 does, is just connect it to the page already in the database. (I
deleted that Project though - because it did give me exactly the same mistake
and now I did -)
b. Uploaded the Project again and linked it manually to the WSS Page still
in the Database.

I did delete the PWA Database from PWA1 (But I think I still have a backup
if that was the misstake) and created a new one for PWA2 but I kept the WSS
DB with the page in it.

And yes, there were documents uploaded prior to PWA2, but no risks.

I just wonder, because If I go log in at PWA first everything works fine,
that is the weird thing... So acutally all the old WSS-Site fails to do, is
ask for logging in at project before changing risks or uploading projects or
deleting document libaries e.t.c.

So long!

Thanks for your time - again!

Paul
 
P

Patrick Summe

That's pretty strange, Paul. Particularly since the WSS site
independently controls its own security access for its users.

Is there something strange with the SPS portal user access (or
audience) conflicting with the Project WSS site user access?

Viel Glueck!

Patrick
 
P

Paul Graf

Hi Patrick,
welcome to my strange world ;)

We don't use the Portal Server yet and I think it will be some time before
we do, so I don't know if there is anything strange in the user access there.
Could you tell me what you meant by that, or what I could check to find out?
The usually way of user access is either go to the PWA site, Windows
authentication (enter domain\user and password), click on workspace for the
desired project and the WSS sites opens and asks for the second Windows
authentication (because PWA and WSS are in one domain it is the same
domain/user and the same password, but he still asks you) your on the
WSS-site now and there are NO errors.
But like i stated before, as soon as you go directly to the WSS-site, you're
asked for Windows authentivation once and that is it. I think the only thing
missing is WSS requesting PWA authentication when I want to change risks or
upload documents etc.
I think it somehow wants to update the Project DB so you can link documents
and risks to procces from the project and therefore needs to log in at PWA.
Strange though, because the database is on the server where the WSS-Site is
too.

I am always thankfull for any ideas!

And thanks for the "good luck" ; )

Paul
 
R

Rolly Perreaux

Hi Patrick,
welcome to my strange world ;)

We don't use the Portal Server yet and I think it will be some time before
we do, so I don't know if there is anything strange in the user access there.
Could you tell me what you meant by that, or what I could check to find out?
The usually way of user access is either go to the PWA site, Windows
authentication (enter domain\user and password), click on workspace for the
desired project and the WSS sites opens and asks for the second Windows
authentication (because PWA and WSS are in one domain it is the same
domain/user and the same password, but he still asks you) your on the
WSS-site now and there are NO errors.
But like i stated before, as soon as you go directly to the WSS-site, you're
asked for Windows authentivation once and that is it. I think the only thing
missing is WSS requesting PWA authentication when I want to change risks or
upload documents etc.
I think it somehow wants to update the Project DB so you can link documents
and risks to procces from the project and therefore needs to log in at PWA.
Strange though, because the database is on the server where the WSS-Site is
too.

I am always thankfull for any ideas!

And thanks for the "good luck" ; )

Paul
Click to expand...

Hi Paul,

Do me a favour and check the IE security settings for Trusted Sites. Go
to the bottom of the settings list under User Authentication. Is your
setting set to Automatic logon with current username and password?

Let us know

Cheers,

--
Rolly Perreaux, PMP
Project Server Trainer/Consultant

IT Summit Series
Advanced Microsoft Technology Training
http://www.itsummitseries.com
 
P

Paul Graf

Good morning!

So I am back at work after a week being sick of this strange problem and
being sick at all ;)
I checked your security settings (Automatic logon with current username and
password) and it was allready set this way on the client-pcs as well as on
the servers.
Was there anything wrong in the set up I wrote about how I created the Sites
and how I installed Project in your opinion?
Could it be some network security setting? Because we are sitting in a
branch of a research instutute and we do not administer the uppest network
layer (basically "the way out"). We have to send requests for every port to
be unblocked. I did this for the SQL Ports and i could not imagine how this
would interfere with the authentication.
So my guess it is either this or I might have done it by mixing the
databases and creating and linking the sites in the way I descibed above.

Still thankfull for any ideas and still interested in finding a sollution,
not having to reinstall the whole system.

Paul
 
P

Paul Graf

Hello my helping hands!

I figured it out! Afterwards it all seems so clear... like most of the
stupid mistakes I make... Like I wrote in my first post
<"I installed SQL Server, SharePoint Portal Server and WSS on one Computer and
the ProjectServer on another. Both are set up on SSL with no official online
certificate, but my own. It all works fine.">
It all works fine inside the created Domain, where WSS and PWA are
installed. The error only comes up from outside the domain. And because
Microsoft Products seem to not accept non-offical certificates the
communication between PWA and WSS does not work properly. I do not want to
rant at microsoft, but I do think it is their fault to not mention this point
properly. For example, when I tried to connect to PWA with MS Project Pro, it
showed me my certificate and asked me if I want to continue or not, but even
when I clicked yes it did not work and gave me some error. Ok, whatever, I
thank you for your time and hope maybe somebody with a similar problem reads
this and can solve his problem more quickly now!

Have a nice weekend!

Paul
 
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