There are a number of ways to configure a SharePoint development environment. Most SharePoint developers use a local SharePoint installation. This allows them to build, test, and debug their work without affecting the work of anyone else on the team. The local environment can be installed on either the developer's host workstation or on a virtual computer that runs on either Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 or Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2. The following procedure is an overview of the steps that are required to create a typical SharePoint development environment. It does not contain step-by-step instructions for installing each component. For that information, see the documentation that accompanies each product.

To create a SharePoint development environment

1. Install either Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 32-bit or Windows Server 2008:
   • For Windows Server 2003, enable the Application Server components and the associated ASP.NET features. Disable the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration component.
   • For Windows Server 2008, enable the Web Server (IIS) role and the associated role services for ASP.NET. Disable the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration in the Server Manager.
2. Install Microsoft Visual Studio.
3. Install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP2 or later.
4. Install Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS) SP1 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 SP1:
   • To install Windows SharePoint Services, see Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 on a stand-alone computer on TechNet.
     1. In the Choose the installation you want dialog box, click Advanced installation instead of Basic installation.
     2. In the Server Type dialog box, select Web Front End. This allows you to use the local instance of SQL Server instead of Windows Internal Database, which is installed if you select Basic installation option.
     3. Click Install Now.
   • To install Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, see Install Office SharePoint Server 2007 on a stand-alone computer on TechNet:
     1. In the Choose the installation you want dialog box, click Advanced installation instead of Basic Installation.
     2. In the Server Type dialog box, select either Complete or Stand-alone. Either option installs all the components on a single server. Selecting Complete allows you to specify which SQL Server instance to use for this installation. Selecting Stand-alone installs SQL Server Express.
     3. Click Install Now.
5. Configure either Windows SharePoint Services or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server:
   1. Start the SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard.
   2. Select No, I want to create a new server farm.
   3. Use the local administrator account to access the database.
   4. After the configuration wizard finishes, the Windows SharePoint Services Central Administration is launched in a Web browser.
6. Configure the Web application in Central Administration:
   1. Click the Application Management tab.
   2. Click Create or Extend Web Application.
   3. Click Create a new Web application.
7. Create site collection in Central Administration:
   1. When a new Web application is created, there will be a link to create a site collection; if there is not a link, click the Application Management tab, and then click Create site collection.
   2. Fill in Create Site Collection form, and then select a template for root site.

Development Tools and Applications

The following are the recommended SharePoint development tools and applications that you should install:

• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Tools: Visual Studio Extensions, Version 1.2.
• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Software Development Kit (SDK).

For more information about configuring a SharePoint development environment, see Setting Up Development Environments for the 2007 Microsoft Office System on MSDN.