Release Notes for Community Management Suite

Release Notes for Community Management Suite

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WSSv3/MOSS SharePoint 2010 SharePoint 2013
No release notes for this SharePoint version. Release Notes Release Notes
Microsoft ended mainstream support for SharePoint 2007 in October 2012. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy.
At that time, Bamboo stopped enhancements to our SharePoint 2007 product line, but continues to provide support and bug fixes to customers with active support contracts until October 2017. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2017, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2007 products in October 2016 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.
Microsoft plans to end mainstream support for SharePoint 2010 in October 2015. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy. At that time, we will stop any enhancements for our SharePoint 2010 product line but will continue to provide support and bug fixes for our SharePoint 2010 products to customers with active support contracts until October 2020. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2020, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2010 products in October 2019 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.

Bamboo Solutions has also begun releasing Bamboo Apps to the SharePoint Store, for additional details, see the SharePoint Apps & Mobile products page where you can get the latest info about each of our Apps as they release to the Microsoft Store.

A separate installation package and license key is required for SharePoint 2013 deployment. For additional details, review the following knowledge base articles:

Understanding Bamboo Releases:

  • Bamboo offers Trial, Basic and Premium support.
    • Free Trial support expires after 30 days.
    • For more information about Basic and Premium support, please see the Support Plans page.
    • There may be a fee to upgrade from a major version to another.

See Also:

Overview of Suite or Pack Licensing

Overview of Suite or Pack Licensing

Overview of Licensing and and Product Activation

The bundled licensing in Suites and Packs allows multiple products to be licensed with a single key. This is a huge benefit over having to manage a license key for each product and each WFE server. Once the Suite or Pack is successfully licensed, each included product will show that it is running under the license for the Suite or Pack.

Take the Grants Management Solution Accelerator as an example. When installation is complete, the Grants Management Accelerator Pack appears in the Bamboo Web License Manager in the Suites and Packs area. If you click the plus sign next to the name, you will see all the products that are included in the pack.

WLM-GMSAcomponents.jpg

If you click on the Pack name or select Status from the associated menu, you will see the status of the Pack license. In the screen shot below, we can see it was activated on each WFE server with a valid license key. The current status of the license is Active.

WLM-GMSApack status.jpg

The Alert Plus Web Part is included in the Grants Management Accelerator Pack. If you click on the product name listed in the Individual Products section of the Web License Manager, you will see the status of the individual product license. In the screen shot below, we can see it is running under the Grants Management Accelerator Pack Licensing.

WLM-GMSAalertplusstatus.jpg

The Grants Management Accelerator Pack includes eight web parts. Rather than having to license 8 products on two WFE servers in my farm individually (16 different license keys), I use the pack license and am able to save a lot of time.

Sometimes a Suite includes another suite or a pack. The Project Management Suite includes several packs, including the SharePoint Project Management Central Pack. If the PM Suite is licensed, the license status of the SharePoint Project Management Central Pack will show that it is running under the Project Management Suite Licensing.

WLM-PMCPack status.jpg

On Bamboo’s Web License Manager page, my Suite/Toolkit status is active, but the pack license is active or expired. Is this an issue?

On Bamboo’s Web License Manager page, my Suite/Toolkit status is active, but the pack license is active or expired. Is this an issue?

Bundled licensing in Bamboo Suites and Toolkits allows multiple products to be licensed with a single key.

NOTE: A Suite or Library license key cannot be used to directly activate the license for any Individual Product, Toolkit or Pack.

To know what products are included in a Suite or Pack license, click the plus sign next to the Suite or Pack in the Suites and Packs area of the Bamboo Web License Manager. The included components will be listed. See the components included in the Project Management Suite below.
components in PM Suite.jpg

Once the Suite or Pack is licensed, each included product listed under Individual Products in Web License Manager will show that it is running under the Suite license. However, the Suite itself will report that it is Not Active. This is sometimes confusing, but it is not an issue.

PM Suite shows not active.jpg

The components of the Suite will be listed in the Individual Products section of the Bamboo Web License Manager. When you check their status, you will see that they are running under the Suite license. For example, see below that the Alert Plus Web Part is running under the license for the Project Management Suite

alert plus lic status.jpg

Highlights

Highlights

CommMgtSuite.pngWith its robust collection of components and tools, Community Management Suite provides a flexible, scalable, and affordable social solution for your SharePoint environment. In addition to the powerful forums, blogs, and social networking features available in applications such as Community Central and Discussion Board Plus, Bamboo Community Management Suite features a wealth of complementary, feature-rich tools that will revolutionize community within your enterprise.

Thanks to the additional components that come with every Community Management Suite , you’re able to extend Community Central as far as you’d like, by either adding new levels of integration with your existing SharePoint environment, or simply configuring the application to meet your specific business requirements.

Getting Support for Your Bamboo Suite and Suite Products

Getting Support for Your Bamboo Suite and Suite Products

If you have a question about your Bamboo Suite or the products included in the Suite, Bamboo has several online resources available to assist you:

  • Online Documentation: Information about individual Suite products is listed within the section for that product; click the name of the product listed below.

  • Knowledge Base: Our searchable Knowledge Base includes product release notes, helpful product information, and answers to frequently asked questions and problems.

  • Customer Support Website: The Bamboo Support Website includes links to our searchable Knowledge Base, Bamboo Nation community forums, support plan details, and more.

If you cannot find your answer in one of the online resources above, submit a support ticket in My Bamboo.

Downloading and Installing the Suite License Package

Downloading and Installing the Suite License Package

The Suite License package for your version of SharePoint is available in My Bamboo. To download and extract your license package:

  • Log in to My Bamboo using the information provided when you purchased your Bamboo Suite.

  • Click Toolkits, Suites and Libraries.

  • In the Product Licenses section, click the order that corresponds to the Bamboo Suite you want to install. This will load the files related to that order.

  • In the License Packages and Related Files section, click the Download link for your Suite License package and save the file to a folder on your SharePoint server.

  • Navigate to the folder where you saved the license package and double-click the self-extracting .EXE file. The contents of the file will be extracted to the same folder as the .EXE file and the Setup program will start. You can also manually start the Setup program by double-clicking the Setup.bat file in the extracted folder.

Once you have downloaded and extracted the license package, install the Suite License. The Suite License provides the ability to activate all products included in your Bamboo Suite with a single license key. You can install the Suite License before installing any Suite products. Use the Setup program provided with the Suite License package to install the Suite License.

Where to run the installer for this component:

The Bamboo Suite License installer must be run on one front-end Web server in the SharePoint farm where the SharePoint 2007 Windows SharePoint Services Web Application, the SharePoint 2010 Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application service, or the SharePoint 2013 Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Web Application service is running. Check SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration Topology and Services or SharePoint 2010 Central Administration System Settings for a list of servers running this service.

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Required permissions for the installation user account:

  • Must be a member of the local server’s Administrators group.
  • Must be a member of the SharePoint Farm Administrators group.

Installation instructions:

Step Action
1. In the Setup program, select the Suite License item in the Setup Components list and click Install.
2. Read the information in the first installation screen and click Next.
3. A system check is performed to determine if your server is ready for installation. Once all checks are successful, click Next. If a system check fails, click Abort, fix any problems, and then restart the installation.
4. Review and accept the End-User License Agreement and click Next.
5. The Suite License is installed. When installation is finished, click Next.
6. Setup displays an installation summary screen. Check that the solution was successfully deployed, and then click Close.

Once you have installed the Suite License, install the Bamboo Web License Manager.

De-Activating the Suite/Toolkit License

De-Activating the Suite/Toolkit License

Each Suite License key is valid on a single SharePoint Web front-end server. If you want to move a Suite License from one server to another, you must deactivate the key on one server and activate it on another.

NOTE: If your SharePoint environment is installed on a virtual machine and you revert to a previous version of the VM, you do NOT have to reactivate a license that was activated offline as long as you revert to a version where the same installation of SharePoint is present. You can simply re-enter the activation key you received during the offline activation process. If you reinstall SharePoint on your VM (or if you lost the original activation key), you must deactivate and reactive the license key. If your original SharePoint instance is no longer available to deactivate the license, or if your server does not have Internet access, follow the instructions in Step 5 below for deactivating your license offline.

Step Action Result
1. Open SharePoint Central Administration. Make sure you have the proper access rights to log in.
2. Depending on your platform, do the following:
SharePoint 2007: Click the Operations link. In the Bamboo Solutions Corporation section, click Bamboo Web License Manager.
Common_TSL_WLMCA2007.jpg
SharePoint 2010|2013: In the Bamboo Solutions section in Central Administration, click Manage My License Keys.
Common_TSL_WLMCA2010.jpg
SharePoint 2013: the Bamboo Solutions section in Central Administration, click Manage My License Keys.
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3. In the Bamboo Web License Manager page, expand the Suites and Packs item and click the link for the Suite you purchased.

Common_TSL_WLM_LicenseStatusStatus2.jpg

Click the Status link to display the Activation page for the server you want to deactivate.

4. You can deactivate your license online if your server has an Internet connection, or offline if it does not. Follow the instructions below for whichever applies to your server:
5. To deactivate your license online: In the Activation page, click the Deactivate button.
Common_TSL_WLM-DeactivateOnline.jpg
To deactivate your license offline:

Log in to My Bamboo and click Manage License. Enter the License Key in the Deactivate Your License tool and click the magnifying glass icon to verify your license. After verifying your license, click the Deactivate button. If you do not have your original key, you can find it in My Bamboo.

NOTE: Your Bamboo Suite license key was provided by your Bamboo Account Manager when you purchased the product. For your convenience, the license key is also available in My Bamboo. Log in to My Bamboo and click Toolkits, Suites and Libraries. The keys associated with your original Bamboo Suite order are listed in the Product Licenses section. Each key is valid for a single Web front-end server.

The Suite license has now been deactivated and can be activated on another server or SharePoint installation.

Complementary Products for Community Management Suite

Complementary Products for Community Management Suite

sharepointsolutions.pngYou will find many of our products complement each other quite nicely saving you the time and trouble to write custom code. With Bamboo at the heart of your SharePoint investment, you gain access to a huge catalog of enhancements, components, and accessories that add the critical functionality your business requires.

The same components can be easily used in future applications and they all come from a single, trusted vendor, ensuring an easy purchase process and support you can count on. That’s the Bamboo Way!