Nothing! (Except for an updated browser)

SharePoint is an Internet technology that is accessed from any updated browser including Internet Explorer 7 & 8, FireFox 3.5, Google Chrome and Safari. No special software is required to use SharePoint. Microsoft Web Apps also allow you to open Microsoft documents like Word, Excel and Powerpoint on the server, all within the browser. To get the full feature set in these documents, however, Microsoft Office does need to be installed on the client machine.

While SharePoint can be used within the most common browsers, some features of SharePoint may function correctly only within Internet Explorer 8 or higher. For this reason we recommend you use Internet Explorer for most SharePoint uses. For a full list of supported controls and browsers, please visit the Microsoft SharePoint 2010 planned browser support page.

To get the full feature set and integration between SharePoint and Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint, you should be using Office 2007 or higher. Microsoft web apps on our SharePoint server will allow you to open and edit these documents within the browser without having MS Office installed, but with limited capabilities.

All policies for SharePoint can be found within the SharePoint Governance Plan. This plan includes file size limits, server infrastructure diagrams, server administration plans and much more. Note: The SharePoint Governance Plan is still in DRAFT form, so policies may change frequently until a final draft is agreed upon.

Most SharePoint sites will require logging in with your AU username and password. The format for the username field is username@auburn.edu or auburn\username. If you are on campus and are using Windows Vista or 7, you do not need to include @auburn.edu or auburn\. If you have not added SharePoint to your trusted sites in Internet Explorer and have not enabled auto login, you will be required to enter your user name and password multiple times. This is for security reasons, but can be changed. To more information about adding SharePoint to your trusted sites and enabling auto login, please visit "How to Add SharePoint to your trusted sites" and "How to automatically login".

Example of logging into SharePoint in Windows 7 using Internet Explorer:

Example of logging into SharePoint in Mac OS X using Google Chrome:

Some browsers such as Internet Explorer may not let you download files from sites that are not trusted, including the SharePoint site. Certain functionality may also be disabled if SharePoint is not in the trusted sites list. Follow the steps below to add SharePoint to Internet Explorer's trusted sites list.

1. Click tools, then Internet Options.
   
2. Click the Security Tab, then click the Trusted sites icon.
   
   
3. Click on the Sites button, then enter the address of the site to be trusted ( sites.auburn.edu ), then Click Add
   
   
4. Uncheck the box labeled 'Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone.' (see above)
5. Click Close, then OK.

If you are logged into a computer on campus using your own credentials, it is possible to login to SharePoint without having to enter your AU username and password each time. These instructions are for Internet Explorer 8only, but instructions for other browsers are widely available with a quick Google search. NOTE: DO NOT use this if you are logged into your personal computer at home, as it may not be the same as your AU user name and password.

1. Add SharePoint to your trusted sites list (See "How to add SharePoint as a trusted site")
2. Click tools, then Internet Options
   
   
3. Click the Security tab, then select Trusted Sites
   
   
4. Click the Custom level... button.
   
5. Scroll to the bottom, then select Automatic logon with current user name and password under User Authentication->Logon option.
   
   
6. Click OK. When IE asks if you want to change the settings for this zone, click yes.
7. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialogue.

If you try to access a SharePoint site and do not see what you expected to see, there may be multiple reasons. Please review the items below and then contact your Site Collection Administrator or Site Owner if you still cannot access the content.

Are you logged in?

Most SharePoint sites require logging in with your AU user name and password. If you have entered the wrong format for the user name or the wrong password, you may not be able to access protected content. Please follow the instructions for "How to login".

You don't have permissions

Permissions should have been setup by your Site Owner and Site Collection administrator. If you receive an access denied message, it may be because your user name is not included in those permissions. If you can access the site, but not all the content you may be able to request access if access requests are enabled. To request access:

1. Click the drop down on your name after logging in, then click "Request Access".
   
   
2. Complete the information about your request, including the site or content you want access too, then click Send Request.
   
   
   
   The request will be emailed to the site administrator. If you know who your site administrator is, you may want to follow up the request with a phone call.

Compatibility issues - Browser or Microsoft Office

SharePoint can be accessed from most up to date browsers, but some functionality is limited to Internet Explorer. To ensure you are getting the best browsing experience, first upgrade your browser to the latest version. If you are still having problems with certain SharePoint features, try accessing them from Internet Explorer 8 if you are able.

If you do not have Microsoft Office 2007 or higher installed on your Windows machine, you may be able to open up documents within the browser only. To open MS documents on the client machine with all SharePoint features enabled, you must have MS Office 2007 or higher installed