Using Servers Already Configured in Your Deployment
You can choose to use servers that are already configured with Team Foundation Server dependencies as part of your Team Foundation Server deployment. For example, if you already have a SQL Server 2005 cluster installed and configured, you can choose to use that cluster as part of the logical Team Foundation data tier. However, before you decide which servers might be useful as part of an Team Foundation Server deployment, be sure those servers meet the requirements for Team Foundation Server. Also, be sure your own operational security needs will not preclude the required ports and services for Team Foundation Server.
Using a Previously Installed SQL Server Cluster as Part of Your Team Foundation Server Deployment
SQL Server is a prerequisite for the Team Foundation data tier. You can use a SQL Server cluster for the Team Foundation databases that are part of Team Foundation Server. To do so, you must install and configure a SQL Server cluster before you install Team Foundation Server. Team Foundation Server cannot be configured to use a SQL Server cluster after Team Foundation Server installation. If you already have a SQL Server cluster in your organization, you can choose to use that cluster during Team Foundation Server installation. However, that cluster must also run the services required by Team Foundation Server. For more information about the services required by Team Foundation Server on servers running the logical components of the Team Foundation data tier, see Team Foundation Server Security Concepts. For more information about the ports and protocols required by the logical Team Foundation data tier, see Team Foundation Server Security Architecture. For more information about installing Team Foundation Server using a SQL Server cluster, see the topic "Configuring Servers for Team Foundation Cluster Installation" in the Team Foundation Installation Guide. You can download the latest version of the Team Foundation Installation Guide from the Microsoft Download Center (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=79226).
Using a Named Instance of SQL Server as Part of Your Team Foundation Server Deployment
You can choose to use the default instance of SQL Server when you install Team Foundation Server, or you can choose to use a named instance. If you use a named instance, you must create the named instance before you start the Team Foundation Server installation process. You can then specify that named instance during the Team Foundation Server installation process. For more information, see the Team Foundation Installation Guide.
Using a Previously Installed Windows SharePoint Services Web Farm as Part of Your Team Foundation Server Deployment
Windows SharePoint Services is a dependency for the Team Foundation application tier. You can either choose to install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 as part of the Team Foundation Server installation process or use a server that already has Windows SharePoint Services installed and running as part of your Team Foundation Server deployment.
Using Windows SharePoint Services 2.0
You can use a server running Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 as the prerequisite for the logical Team Foundation application tier. If the server that is running Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 is not the same physical server on which you will install Team Foundation Server, you must install specific Windows SharePoint Services extensions and templates on the server running Windows SharePoint Services after you complete basic Team Foundation Server installation. These templates are included as part of the Team Foundation Server installation media. You can install them by choosing the Windows SharePoint Services Extensions option in the installation wizard. For more information, see the topic "How to: Install Team Foundation Server Components for Windows SharePoint Services" in the Team Foundation Installation Guide.
Using Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
You can use a server running Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 as the prerequisite for the logical Team Foundation application tier. Just as with a pre-existing Windows SharePoint Server 2.0 installation, if the server that is running Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is not the same physical server on which you will install Team Foundation Server, you must install the Windows SharePoint Services Extensions on that server after you complete basic Team Foundation Server installation. For more information, see the topic "How to: Install Team Foundation Server Components for Windows SharePoint Services" in the Team Foundation Installation Guide.
However, you will have an additional consideration. Any Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server version of Team Explorer might experience multiple problems when it tries to connect to your Team Foundation Server. For more information, see Version Compatibility for Team Explorer and Version Compatibility for Team Foundation Server.
See Also
Concepts
Team Foundation Server Planning Roadmap