• Article

Test SharePoint Workspace connections

 

Applies to: Office 2010

Topic Last Modified: 2012-01-27

Banner stating end of support date for Office 2010 with link to more info

Test connections to and synchronization with SharePoint Server 2010 and SharePoint Workspace 2010 clients before you deploy SharePoint Workspace.

If you test connections and synchronization, you will help assure a smooth deployment process. This article provides guidance about how to test your setup.

To watch a video that shows the test process as the final step of a deployment SharePoint Workspace 2010, see Video - How to support offline use of SharePoint sites (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=212596).

In this article:

  • Before you begin

  • Test SharePoint Workspace synchronization with SharePoint Server

  • Test Groove workspace synchronization among peer clients

Before you begin

Before you start testing, address the following prerequisites:

  • Choose a SharePoint Workspace 2010 deployment topology and plan accordingly, as described in Plan for SharePoint Workspace 2010.

  • For a SharePoint Server 2010-based topology, prepare SharePoint Server 2010, as described in Configure and customize SharePoint Workspace 2010.

  • Customize SharePoint Server 2010 deployment, as described in Configure and customize SharePoint Workspace 2010.

  • Follow the organization’s standard client software deployment processes to install Office 2010 or SharePoint Workspace 2010 on target user desktops.

  • Identify two SharePoint Server 2010 sites to synchronize with a test SharePoint Workspace 2010 client. Make sure that you are a member of these sites to that you can create and edit site content.

  • Identify test SharePoint Workspace 2010 clients inside and outside the local firewalls.

Test SharePoint Workspace synchronization with SharePoint Server

The following procedure provides guidance for validating connections and content synchronization between SharePoint Workspace 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010, in support of SharePoint workspaces.

To test SharePoint Workspace connections and synchronization

  1. Create a SharePoint workspace from a SharePoint site as follows:

    1. Start SharePoint Workspace 2010 on a test client.

    2. Browse to a SharePoint Server 2010 Central Administration Web site from a test SharePoint Workspace 2010 client.

    3. From the SharePoint Server site, click the Site Actions drop-down menu and then click Sync to SharePoint Workspace.

    4. To download all the Document libraries and List content on the site to the local test client, click OK from the Sync to Computer dialog box that appears. To download selected content, click Configure in the dialog box, select the document libraries and lists that you want to download, and then click OK. Within a few moments, a new SharePoint workspace will be downloaded to your computer. The new workspace contains a copy of the requested SharePoint lists and libraries which you can edit while your online or offline.

    5. Experiment with editing a document or list from the SharePoint workspace while you are online, and then save your changes. These edits and updates will be synchronized automatically with the document and list content on the SharePoint site.

    6. Disconnect from the Internet and experiment with updating the content from an offline state, and then save your changes. When you return online, these edits and updates will be synchronized automatically with the document and list content on the SharePoint site.

  2. Verify that the client updates are visible on the SharePoint site as follows:

    1. Reconnect to the Internet and browse to the SharePoint site. Or, for quick browsing from the SharePoint workspace that contains the SharePoint site content, open the SharePoint workspace and then click the site link next to the Contents pane in the SharePoint workspace.

    2. Select View all content from the Site Actions drop-down menu and navigate to the document or list that you changed from the SharePoint workspace.

    3. Wait several moments or refresh the screen to see the updates that you made from the client.

  3. To verify that SharePoint site updates are visible in the SharePoint workspace, follow these steps:

    1. Browse to the SharePoint site and update a document or list that you have synchronized with content in the test SharePoint workspace.

    2. Open the SharePoint workspace that you created on the test client.

    3. Wait a few moments for the site content to appear in the workspace. Or, click the Sync tab in the ribbon, click the Sync drop-down menu, and then select either, Sync Tool to synchronize with the current document library or list, or Sync Workspace to synchronize with all the documents and libraries on the site.

  4. You can test a similar procedure, initiated from a SharePoint Workspace test client, as follows:

    1. Start SharePoint Workspace 2010 on a test client.

    2. From the SharePoint Workspace Launchbar, on the Home tab, click the New drop-down menu, and then select SharePoint Workspace.

    3. Enter the URL to a SharePoint site in the Location text box.

    4. Click Configure to access the site and select the content that you want to download, and then click OK. Within a few moments, a new SharePoint workspace will be downloaded to your computer. The new workspace contains a copy of the requested SharePoint lists and libraries which you can edit while your online or offline.

    5. Experiment with editing document or lists as described previously in this procedure.

    For more information about how to create SharePoint workspaces and how to use SharePoint Workspace 2010, see the SharePoint Workspace 2010 product information at Microsoft Office Online (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=162269).

  5. If a test step fails, see Troubleshoot SharePoint Workspace 2010, resolve the problem, and run the test again.

Test Groove workspace synchronization among peer clients

SharePoint Workspace supports peer connections for Groove workspace and Shared Folder workspace types. The following procedures explain how to validate Groove workspace and Shared Folder workspace connections and peer synchronization.

To test Groove workspace synchronization

  1. From SharePoint Workspace client 1, start SharePoint Workspace 2010. Then create a Groove workspace in SharePoint Workspace by clicking the New drop-down menu on the Home tab on the Launch bar and then clicking Groove workspace. Accept the default tools and configuration. Then invite SharePoint Workspace client 2 to the workspace.

    For more information about how to use SharePoint Workspace 2010 and how to create Groove workspaces, see the product information at Microsoft Office Online (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=162269).

  2. From SharePoint Workspace client 2, accept the invitation. When the accepted invitation download is complete, open the new Groove workspace, click the New Documents option on the Home tab, and then add a document that contains some test content.

  3. From client 1, click the Documents item in the Contents pane, check for the new content that you added in the previous step, and then edit the document. Client 2 appears in the workspace Members list.

  4. From client 2, look for the client 1 update in the test document.

  5. Repeat these steps to test connections and synchronization between clients inside and outside the corporate LAN and for clients who have made offline contributions.

  6. If a test step fails, see Troubleshoot SharePoint Workspace 2010, resolve this problem, and run the test again.

To test Shared Folder synchronization

  1. From SharePoint Workspace client 1, start SharePoint Workspace 2010, and then create a test folder in the Windows file system. Then create a shared folder in SharePoint Workspace by clicking the New drop-down menu on the Home tab on the Launch bar, clicking Shared Folder, and specifying the test folder. Now invite SharePoint Workspace client 2 to the workspace.

    For more information about how to create shared folders and how to use SharePoint Workspace 2010, see the SharePoint Workspace 2010 product information at Microsoft Office Online (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=162269).

  2. From SharePoint Workspace client 2, accept the invitation. When the folder download is complete, the new folder in the Windows file system on client 2 and client 2 will appear in the workspace Members list. Now add a document that contains some test content to the folder.

  3. From client 1, check for new content in the folder and client 2 in the workspace Members list. Then edit the document.

  4. From client 2, look for the client 1 update in the test document.

  5. Repeat these steps to test connections and synchronization between clients inside and outside the corporate LAN and for clients who have made offline contributions.

  6. If a test step fails, see Troubleshoot SharePoint Workspace 2010, resolve this problem, and run the test again.

SharePoint Workspace peer connections are often supported in a managed environment where Microsoft Groove Server is deployed onsite. For more information about how to deploy these workspace types in a managed environment, see Deploy SharePoint Workspace 2010.

See Also

Other Resources

Deploy SharePoint Workspace 2010