SharePoint FAQ

Q1. What is SharePoint?

A1. SharePoint is a Microsoft Web collaboration product that is used by OPC Foundation working groups to share files, meetings, minutes etc. Most of the SharePoint sites are for OPC Foundation Members only and you will be prompted to log in to gain access.

Q2. What is the URL for the OPC Members SharePoint site?

A2. http://lists.opcfoundation.org/sites/Members

Q3. When I go to a SharePoint page on opcfoundation.org I am prompted to log in. What is my user name and password?

A3. For OPC Foundation Members, your SharePoint login is created and synchronized with your OPC Web site login.  Your OPC Web site username is always your corporate email address.  Your SharePoint username is derived from this, but is not identical.  Here are the rules for deriving your SharePoint username from your Web site username.

1. Replace the '@' in your username with '#'.

2. If your username is more than 20 characters, enter only the first 20 characters.

3. If the last (20th) character is a period (dot) then enter only the first 19 characters.

Your SharePoint password is identical to your Web site password and will change whenever your Web site password is changed.

Here are some examples:

Web site username	SharePoint username
short@name.com	short#name.com
mediumlength@us.somedomain.com	mediumlength#us.some
VeryLongNameThatEliminatesTheAt@domain.com	VeryLongNameThatElim

Q4. I entered my SharePoint derived username and password, but I still get access denied.  What could be wrong?

A4. Try this:

1. Make sure you can log into your Web site account here using your Web site username and password.

2. Make sure when you are logged in under "My Account" your Membership Status is 'Member':

3. Reset your password and try the SharePoint login again.

Q5. I never get prompted to enter my username and password.  I just get access denied.  What could be wrong?

A5. The SharePoint site uses the NTLM Authentication protocol to pass login credentials.  Some HTTP proxy servers used by corporate networks either don't support this or are configured not to accept this protocol. In particular we know that the older versions of the Squid Cache don't support it but newer versions do, but by default it is disabled.

A good way to prove this is your issue is to try to connect when you are outside your corporate network (e.g. from home). If it works from home but not on your corporate LAN, then ask your IT department to enable NTLM Authentication in the HTTP proxy server.

Q6. How do I set the time zone so the events in the calendar are correct for my location?

A6. The default time zone is US Central Time.  To customize this for your location:

1. Log into the SharePoint site and click your name (in the upper right corner).

2. Choose "My Settings".

3. Choose the "My Regional Settings" tab.

4. Uncheck the "Always follow web settings" check box, then customize the rest of the settings as you wish.

Q7. How can I get notified when something new is added or changed on the SharePoint site?

A7. You can get email notifications whenever content is added/modified/deleted from the site following these steps:

1. Log into the SharePoint site and click your name (in the upper right corner).

2. Choose "My Settings".

3. Choose the "Edit Item" tab and enter your correct email address.  While you are there, edit your name and add any other details you would like others to see in your profile.

Follow these steps for each site you wish to receive alerts:

4. Click the tab for the site you wish to subscribe to email alerts (e.g UA, CMP ...).

5. Click your name (in the upper right corner).

6. Choose "My Settings".

7. Choose the "My Alerts" tab.

Repeat the following for each list or document library you wish to receive alerts for:

8. Click "Add Alert".

9. Choose the desired list or library and click "Next".

10. Edit the alert settings to your liking.

Q8. Is there a way to synchronize the SharePoint content to my computer for offline access (like Groove does)?

A8. SharePoint does not offer this feature directly, but several 3rd party tools do.  For example you can download and use the free Colligo Reader for this purpose, or purchase their Colligo Contributor for read/write sync.

Q9. Is there an easier way to access the SharePoint Shared Document folders and files without using the (clunky) web browser interface?

A9. You can map a "WebFolder" (WebDAV) using Windows file explorer (My Network Places).  Use the internet address:
http://lists.opcfoundation.org/sites/Members.