Administering Team Foundation Server 2013 Training

This course, instructor-led training class provides students with the knowledge and skills to deploy, configure, and manage Microsoft Team Foundation Server 2013 and related software components.

This course is intended for experienced administrators with a background in either software development or system administration. Team leaders, lead developers, and other accidental Team Foundation Server administrators are also encouraged to take this course. This course will also help a student prepare for the relevant Microsoft certification exam.

• Understanding of TFS editions and components
• Understanding of supported topologies and environments
• Understanding of must-have TFS administration tools
• Understanding of hardware and software requirements
• Understanding of required service accounts and permissions
• Ability to install Team Foundation Server
• Ability to configure Team Foundation Server
• Install and use Team Explorer
• Install and use TFS Power Tools
• Team project collections and team projects
• Use and customize process templates
• Manage relevant SQL Server components
• Manage relevant SharePoint components
• Use the TFS Administration Tool (CodePlex)
• Run Best Practice Analyzer
• Understand TFS licensing and Client Access Licenses (CAL)
• Connect and use Microsoft Excel & Project
• Integrate TFS and SharePoint
• Use Team Web Access

Introduction to Team Foundation Server

This module introduces Team Foundation Server, its architecture, components, configurations, and usage.

Lessons

• Introduction to TFS
• Editions, components, configurations
• Visual Studio Online
• Application Lifecycle Management
• TFS' support of ALM
• Administrator responsibilities & tasks
• 'Must-have' tools to manage TFS

Hands-On

• Configure Windows and SQL Server
• Create security groups
• Create users and service accounts
• Review relevant guidance and documentation

Planning and Deploying

This module assists an administrator in planning a Team Foundation Server deployment.

Lessons

• Planning the deployment
• System requirements
• Prerequisite software and accounts
• Installing and configuring TFS
• Installing Team Explorer
• Installing TFS Power Tools
• Troubleshooting

Hands-On

• Create service accounts
• Install Team Foundation Server
• Configure Team Foundation Server
• Install Team Explorer
• Install TFS Power Tools

Configuring

This module introduces the TFS Administration Console and how to use it and other tools to configure TFS.

Lessons

• Administrator roles and tools
• Managing team project collections
• Managing team projects
• Managing process templates
• Managing security permissions
• Securing SharePoint and SQL Server
• Using the TFS Admin Tool (CodePlex)
• Deleting a team project

Hands-On

• Create a TFS Administrator account
• Create a team project collection
• Create a team project
• Secure a team project, SharePoint portal, and SQL Server reports
• Use TFS Administration Tool (optional)
• Run Best Practices Analyzer (optional)

Client Applications

This module introduces the various client applications that can communicate and interact with Team Foundation Server.

Lessons

• Overview of TFS licensing (i.e. CALs)
• Team Explorer
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Project
• Team Web Access
• SharePoint project portal
• Command-line and 3rd party tools

Hands-On

• Overview of TFS licensing (i.e. CALs)
• Team Explorer
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Project
• Team Web Access
• SharePoint project portal
• Command-line and 3rd party tools

Version Control

This module focuses on administering Team Foundation Version Control and related components.

Lessons

• Overview of TFS Version Control
• Integration with Visual Studio
• Creating and managing workspaces
• Basic and advanced workflows
• Get, check-out, check-in
• Check-in policies
• Locking, unlocking, and conflicts
• Shelving, unshelving, and labeling
• Branching, merging, and patterns
• Configuring a team project for Git
• Controlling access to version control
• TF and TFPT command-line tools
• TFS Proxy and MSSCCI Provider
• TFS Sidekicks (Attrice)

Hands-On

• Create and manage workspaces
• Add folders and files to version control
• Create and use labels
• Get, check-out, and check-in
• Shelve and unshelve code
• View history and rollback changes
• Branch, merge, and track a changeset
• Configure and use Git with a team project
• Install and use the MSSCCI Provider (optional)
• Install and use TFS Sidekicks (optional)

Team Foundation Build

This module focuses on Team Foundation Build, including a technical look into its architecture, execution, and customization.

Lessons

• Team Foundation Build architecture
• Controllers and agents
• Securing the build process
• Defining and running a build
• Using TFSBuild.exe
• Automating Team Foundation Build
• Gated check-ins and private builds
• Using build process templates
• Customizing a build process template
• Team Foundation Build community

Hands-On

• Configure Team Foundation Build
• Configure a build controller and agent
• Create a build definition
• Queue a build in various ways
• Override a build's default behavior
• Add an additional build agent
• Request an agent by name and tag
• Configure a gated check-in build
• Manage builds

Upgrading, Migrating, Integrating

This module discusses the various approaches and strategies for upgrading, migrating-to, or integrating-with Team Foundation Server.

Lessons

• Team Foundation Server upgrade
• Standard vs. advanced upgrades
• Post upgrade tasks
• Migrating work items
• Migrating version controlled items
• Integrating with TFS
• TFS Integration Tools (Microsoft)
• TFS Integration Platform (CodePlex)
• Custom and 3rd party solutions

Hands-On

• Migrate work items using Microsoft Excel
• Migrate work items using TFPT.exe
• Migrate test cases using Test Case Migrator Plus' (CodePlex)
• Use Team Foundation Server Integration Tools

Advanced Administration

This module dives into the more advanced Team Foundation Server administration topics.

Lessons

• Monitoring the health of TFS
• Options for scalability
• Options for high availability
• Disaster recovery, backup, restore
• Moving Team Foundation Server
• Managing the data warehouse
• Setup automated report delivery
• Using PowerShell to manage TFS

Hands-On

• Enable web-based TFS diagnostics
• Analyze TFS diagnostic data in Excel
• Backup TFS using SQL Server
• Backup TFS using the admin console
• Refresh the data warehouse
• Refresh the Analysis Services cube
• Rebuild the data warehouse
• Use PowerShell to manage TFS (optional)

Customising and Extending

This module discusses the various customization and extensibility points found in Team Foundation Server.

Lessons

• Customizing vs. extending
• Customizing a process template
• Customizing a work item type
• Creating and using a global list
• Using Witadmin.exe
• Using the TFPT Process Editor
• Using work item templates
• Creating a custom report
• Creating a custom check-in policy

Hands-On

• Explore and manage process templates
• Customize a process template
• Customize an existing work item type
• Create and use a global list
• Use work item templates (optional)
• Customize Team Web Access (optional)
• Create a custom report (optional)
• Create a custom check-in policy (optional)