How to set up TFS 2015 in a dual server configuration

We're wrapping up work on a new install guide for TFS 2015. Here's what we have for a dual server configuration. If you use it and run in to trouble or just want to comment on it, post a comment here.

Thanks,

Allen

You can scale TFS up for more users and heavier usage by deploying the application and data tiers on separate servers. For small teams it's not necessary, but as you get closer to 500 users a dual server configuration makes sense. If you enable reporting features, a dual server configuration is a good idea even for small teams.

Data tier

1. Prepare your data tier server to meet the hardware and  operating system requirements for TFS in a dual server configuration.

2. Set up an appropriate version of SQL Server on the data tier. When you set up SQL Server up for TFS, install the database engine and the full text search services.

   A Team Foundation Server Standard license comes with a license to SQL Server Standard for use with TFS. The TFS licensing whitepaper explains the details. If you use the license that's included with TFS, you can only use if for the TFS databases.

3. Configure your firewall to allow access to the SQL Server database engine so that TFS can get through the firewall to connect to the SQL Server database engine from the application tier server.

Reporting

If you're going to enable reporting, prepare the data tier for that.

1. Install SQL Server Analysis Services and install and configure SQL Server Reporting Service.

2. Configure your firewall to allow access to Reporting Services and to allow access to Analysis Services.

SharePoint

If you're going to enable SharePoint integration, prepare the data tier for that.

1. Install an appropriate version of SharePoint.

   If you already have SharePoint deployed, you can use that deployment instead of installing it again on the data tier.

2. Using the TFS Configuration Center, install the Team Foundation Server Extensions for SharePoint Products on your SharePoint server.

3. Add the application tier's identity - {domain}\{app-tier-server}$ - to the Farm Administrators group in SharePoint.

Application tier

1. If you're going to enable reporting, install SQL Server Client Tools Connectivity on the application tier server.

2. Download and install TFS and run the full configuration wizard.

3. On the database page, point to the SQL Server instance on the data tier and test the connection.

4. Set the service account and authentication method.

   By default, TFS services will run as a network service in a domain or as local system in a workgroup. On a domain, you can use a domain account and grant it only the permissions that the TFS service account needs.

Build service

1. If you're planning to use the build service, check the box to turn it on.

Reporting

1. If you want to enable reporting, turn it on here.

2. Set the reporting service instance to your data tier and populate the reporting URLs.

3. Set the account that will be assigned the Reports Reader role in the Analysis Services instance and test that the account and password can be authenticated. Reports use this account when they access the Analysis Services database.

SharePoint

1. Point to your SharePoint instance and TFS will configure the site in SharePoint and hook it up to TFS.

   If you don't know the administration URL, go to the start menu and run the SharePoint administration application. That will open the adminstration web page and you can get the port from the URL in your browser.