Hi, and some quick start information
Who am I?
I'm Dave Scruggs, and people who meet me through Microsoft know me as a Developer Technical Specialist (or "Dev-TS"). That means I help people understand what Team System is, what it's supposed to do for them, how it fits into the way they work, and why they would want to use it.
Fortunately, Microsoft and partners have created a massive amount of content on these subjects. However, even with good search engines and guides, people still have the a lot of the same questions: how do I get a copy, how do I roll out Team System, and how do I learn more about it?
With that in mind, here are a few places to get started:
Getting a evaluation copy of VSTS or TFS
Here are links that provide evaluation copies-use them to get a time-limited, but fully functional, version of Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite and Team Foundation Server.
- Download 180-day Trial
- Download Team Foundation Server Trial
- Other Evaluation Options
- Order a trial via mail (select Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite Win32 English 180 Day DVD Trial): https://www.tryvs2005.com/profile.aspx.
Getting ready for VSTS and TFS
- Read the planning guide to determine how you'd like to roll out TFS: <msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms400691.aspx> (main guide) and msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/teamsystem/team/quickstarts/tfs_plan/default.aspx (brief).
- Installation guides and instructions: www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E54BF6FF-026B-43A4-ADE4-A690388F310E&displaylang=en (main reference), with more options here: msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/teamsystem/team/quickstarts/install/default.aspx.
- Administration guide: go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52459.
Before a deployment-even before choosing hardware--I'd start by reading the planning guide, then by reading the installation guide. Sizing information and deployment principles are contained in both guides.
Learning about VSTS and TFS
If there are people who need to learn about VSTS, there are some good sites:
- The "Expand" website: msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/teamsystem/expand/
- Buck Hodge's Blog: blogs.msdn.com/buckh/.
- Brian Harry's Blog: blogs.msdn.com/bharry/.
- Visual Studio Team System User Education Blog: blogs.msdn.com/vstsue/
- Team System Educational Videos (Walkthroughs): <msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms181244.aspx>
- Try Team System in a hosted/virtual environment: msdn.microsoft.com/virtuallabs/teamsystem/default.aspx.
- MSDN VSTS Portal: msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/teamsystem/.
- The VSTSRocks website: www.VSTSRocks.com/Tutorials