How to install Application Templates on WSS3.0

Instructions

Note: To install or remove a server admin template, you must have Administrator rights to both the Windows SharePoint Services site and to the root of the server on which it is to be installed or removed. Installation and removal are done via the Stsadm.exe command-line utility located at the following path: %PROGRAMFILES%\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\bin.

Installing a template:

1. Before installing a server admin template, you must first install the Application Template Core solution, ApplicationTemplateCore.wsp. (Click here to download). If you have already installed this solution, proceed to Step 2.
   1. Pull the core file, ApplicationTemplateCore.wsp, from the extracted distribution. The core solution file will be added to the solution store, a table in the Windows SharePoint Services configuration store that holds solution files.
   2. Via command line, run stsadm -o addsolution -filename <file_path>\ApplicationTemplateCore.wsp
   3. Next, run stsadm -o deploysolution -name ApplicationTemplateCore.wsp -allowgacdeployment
      (Additional attributes may be required based on your Windows SharePoint Services configuration. For example:
      Single Server: [ -local | -time <time to deploy at> ]
      Farm: [ -immediate | -time <time to deploy at> ]
      To see the list of attributes, run stsadm -help deploysolution)
   4. Finally, run stsadm -o copyappbincontent
2. Pull the solution file, <template_name>.wsp, from the extracted distribution. The solution file will also be added to the solution store.
3. Via command line, run stsadm -o addsolution -filename <file_path>\<template_name>.wsp
4. Next, run stsadm -o deploysolution -name <template_name>.wsp -allowgacdeployment
   (Additional attributes may be required based on your Windows SharePoint Services configuration. For example:
   Single Server: [ -local | -time <time to deploy at> ]
   Farm: [ -immediate | -time <time to deploy at> ]
   To see the list of attributes, run stsadm -help deploysolution)
5. To check the deployment status, browse to the WSS Central Administration site. Click the Operations tab, and then click Solution management under global configuration.
6. After all the solutions are marked Globally Deployed, run iisreset from the command line.

Creating a site:

1. Log into the SharePoint site as the site administrator.
2. From the Site Actions drop-down menu in the top right, select Site Settings.
3. Under the Site Administration section, select Sites and Workspaces.
4. Select Create to create a new site using a site template.
5. Complete the new SharePoint site information. In the Template Selection section, select the Application Templates tab. Any server admin templates that have been deployed will be listed here.
6. Select the template to use for this site and click Create.

A site has now been created using the application template.

Removing a template:

This process will not remove any sites that were already created using the template. It will only prevent users from creating new sites based on the template. The Application Template Core solution must remain installed and deployed for other server admin templates to be installed.

1. As administrator, access the server. Removal is done via the command line utility stsadm.
2. To retract a solution from being available to SharePoint sites, run stsadm -o retractsolution -name <template_name>.wsp (To see a list of optional attributes that can be added to this command, run stsadm -help retractsolution)
3. To remove a solution from the server, run stsadm -o deletesolution -name <template_name>.wsp (To see a list of optional attributes that can be added to this command, run stsadm -help deletesolution)

The application template is now unavailable to SharePoint sites and the solution has been removed from the solution store.