Install SharePoint 2013 - Step by Step

/ Andreas Glaser

How to successfully install SharePoint 2013 step by step as an administrator or developer.

Scenario

We will install SharePoint 2013 based on the following scenario:

SharePoint 2013 installation scenario

It's a

  • SharePoint 2013 single-server installation, including
  • basic installation accounts, and
  • SQL Server and Windows Server setup.

PowerShell automation is not shown.

Back to top

Hardware and Software Requirements

Please make sure you meet all SharePoint 2013 hardware and software requirements.

In order to successfully install SharePoint 2013 you need to meet specific hardware, software, domain and account requirements. If you meet them before you start your installation you'll minimize waiting time and mistakes.

Back to top

Administrative and Service Accounts

You need the following accounts [1] in order to install SharePoint 2013.

Basic Installation Accounts

The following domain 3 basic accounts must be domain accounts and are required for every SharePoint 2013 installation:

Basic Installation Accounts
Required Account Example
SQL Server Service Account sqlSvcAcc
SharePoint Setup Administrator spAdmin
SharePoint Farm Account spFarmAcc

Service Accounts

Service accounts aren't needed for a successful SharePoint 2013 installation. You'll need the later to configure SharePoint after the installation has finished.

Assign Permission

The SharePoint 2013 setup administrator is the only account where you need to assign permission by yourself.

SQL Server Service Account

  • Permission are assigned automatically during installation of SQL Server 2012.
  • The SQL Server service account should be a domain account and is used to run SQL Server.
  • If you have an existing SQL Server instance provided by your SQL Server team you don't need this account.

SharePoint Setup Administrator

  • You need to manually assign permissions.
  • The setup administrator is used to install SharePoint 2013.
  • The SharePoint 2013 setup administrator has to be a member of the administrators group on every server SharePoint should be installed.
    Add the SharePoint 2016 setup administrator to the administrators group on every server SharePoint should be installed
  • This account also needs the securityadmin and dbcreator role in SQL Server.
    The SharePoint 2016 administrator needs the securityadmin and dbcreator roles in SQL Server.
  • "If you run Windows PowerShell cmdlets that affect a database, this account must be a member of the db_owner fixed database role for the database." [1]
  • If I create a development environment I also assign the sysadmin role during the setup of SQL Server 2012 so I have only one account I need to administrate Windows Server, SQL Server and SharePoint.

SharePoint 2013 Farm Account

Permissions are automatically assigned if you use the SharePoint 2013 setup administrator during installation.

The farm account is used for the following things [1]:

  • Configure and manage the server farm.
  • Act as the application pool identity for the SharePoint Central Administration website.
  • Run the Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Workflow Timer Service.

Back to top

SQL Server 2012 Configuration

This guide shows you how to install and configure SQL Server 2012. The configuration includes assigning permissions and configuring networking.

SQL Server 2012 Installation

The following steps apply if you don’t have a SQL server yet. If you have a SQL Server 2012 instance you can skip to the step below: "SQL Server 2012 configuration".

Start the setup and choose a New SQL Server stand-alone installation.

Choose the SQL Server Feature Installation after you have accept the license agreement and entered the license key.

Select a new SQL Server stand-alone installation and wait until the install rules have been checked.
Select the SQL Server Feature Installation.

Please select at least the following minimum features:

  • Database Engine Services
  • Management Tools - Basic

Select the Database Engine Services.
Select the basic Management Tools

Keep the default instance.

Add the SQL Server service account (in my case: sqlSvcAcc) plus password and keep the collation settings.

Keep the default instance.
Enter the SQL Server service account plus password and keep the collation settings.

If you create a development environment add the current administrator and SharePoint 2013 setup administrator as SQL Server administrators.

Add the current administrator and SharePoint 2016 setup administrator as SQL Server administrators for a development environment.

Start the SQL Server 2012 installation.

SQL Server 2012 Configuration

Open SQL Server 2012 Management Studio and give the following permissions.

Assign the dbcreator and securityadmin server role to the SharePoint 2013 setup administrator which is in my case spAdmin.

Assign the dbcreator and securityadmin server role to the SharePoint 2016 setup administrator.

Back to top

Windows Server 2012 Configuration

Usually I like to know which Windows Server 2012 role services and features are enabled: If you run the SharePoint 2013 prerequisites installer you won't see the exact configuration steps. Anyway it's sufficient for this scenario.

SharePoint 2013 Prerequisites Installer

The prerequisites installer installs and configures all SharePoint 2013 requirements but it doesn't show you in detail what it does.

Start the SharePoint 2013 prerequisites installer.
Make sure everything installed successfully and restart your server if required.

Make sure everything installed successfully and restart your server if required.

The prerequisites installer also downloads required patches and hotfixes for Windows Server 2012. In case you want to download them manually please read: SharePoint 2013 hardware and software requirements.

Back to top

SharePoint 2013 Installation

SharePoint 2016 now comes with the new MinRole feature which configures a server for a specific role in a SharePoint topology like a Web Server or Application Server.

SharePoint 2013 Installation

Start the installation of SharePoint Server 2013 and enter the product key.

Enter the product key to start the SharePoint 2013 installation.

Install a complete SharePoint farm and keep the file location.

Keep the file location.

Run the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard.

Run the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard.

SharePoint 2013 Configuration Wizard

Create a new server farm and enter your SQL Server [SERVERNAME] and specify the SharePoint 2013 farm account.

I installed SQL Server and SharePoint 2013 in the same machine so I used localhost as the SQL Server name.

Create a new SharePoint 2013 server farm.
Enter your SQL Server instance name and specify the SharePoint 2016 farm account.

Enter a farm passphrase in case you want to add more SharePoint servers later.

Select the Single Server farm for our testing purposes.

Specify a port number and start the configuration.

Specify a port number and start the configuration.

Once the installation has finished you can open SharePoint 2013 Central Administration.

Wait until the SharePoint 2013 installation has finished.

Once you see the SharePoint 2013 Central Administration you're done with the installation:

SharePoint 2013 Central Administration.

Back to top

78af8efc58595daee947a75eaf3af2309670f281bf3b82f93a9f27af90cd2b67