If you are using
Fab 40 practically ProjectTrackingWorkspace on SharePoint Project Server 2010, you
might be already aware of the issues like custom
Commands tab is missing when you open or try and add a new item, such as an
issue or risk. You will also notice that the Links field is missing from the form, and in List Settings you will
not see the Links column, which should be present and of type Project Link. We
worked with Brian
Smith from Microsoft project
server team and identified the fix as he published in Microsoft blog.
Now after three
years and we are upgrading to SharePoint and Project Server 2013, we try to
upgrade the Fab 40 sites to 2013 by deploying the Fab 40 solution with 14 hive compatible
mode as described in previous blog. Now, we are experience the same
issue again on Project Server 2013! Even worse, some application pages cannot
be opened with the following error message.
Failed to
find the XML file at location '15\Template\Features\PWSCTypes\feature.xml'
After digging
into the issue, we confirmed that this is the same issue we were facing on
SharePoint and Project Server 2010. The issue is ProjectTrackingWorkspace site definition
solution deployed the following seven features that overwrite those from Project
Server 2013 features. It’s interesting that the seven features from Project
Server 2013 are with capital letters but the ones from Fab 40 ProjectTrackingWorkspace
are lower letters as in the following screenshots. The top one is for Project
Server 2013 feature folders and the bottom one is for Fab 40 ProjectTrackingWorkspace feature folders.
In addition, Fab 40 ProjectTrackingWorkspace solution will also overwrite the following resource files that will impact Project Server 2013 functions.
- pws.de-de.resx
- pws.es-es.resx
- pws.fr-fr.resx
- pws.he-il.resx
- pws.it-it.resx
- pws.ja-jp.resx
- pws.ko-kr.resx
- pws.pt-br.resx
- pws.resx
- pws.zh-cn.resx
- pws.zh-tw.resx
1. First and preferred option is to delete all Fab 40 sites or migrated them to support site templates like team site. You could use either server API or third party tool like Metalogix. This is recommended by Microsoft.
2. Second option is to create
custom dummy ProjectTrackingWorkspace site definition without the seven features, resource files, or list any list definitions. Deploy this dummy definition to SharePoint and Project Server 2013. Migrate ProjectTrackingWorkspace site and then retract dummy solution after upgrade.
This is a workaround that all ProjectTrackingWorkspace sites could be migrated and upgraded to 2013 version. These sites will continue working since the Project Server 2013 have the same features deployed. However, there are certain lists from ProjectTrackingWorkspace site definition will not functioning since the list definition has not been deployed to 2013. The long term is to migrate these ProjectTrackingWorkspace sites to support site template.
3. The third option is to deploy
Fab 40 as compatible mode to 2013 as described in previous blog, retract Fab 40, and then fix the issue published by Brian
Smith for SharePoint 2010. This is same process and we have a shorter way to fix the sisues as described below.
- Retract the current ProjectTrackingWorkspace solution
- Uninstall-SPUserSolution -Identity ProjectTrackingWorkspace.wsp -Confirm:$false
- Delete the current ProjectTrackingWorkspace solution
- Remove-SPSolution -Identity ProjectTrackingWorkspace.wsp -Confirm:$false
- Run Project Server Web Front Server Installation pjsrvwfe.msi on each WFE to repair MPS
- Reinstall all the Project site features for 2013
- Install-SPFeature -path PWS -Force
- Install-SPFeature -path PWSCommitments -Force
- Install-SPFeature -path PWSCtypes -Force
- Install-SPFeature -path PWSDocLibs -Force
- Install-SPFeature -path PWSFields -Force
- Install-SPFeature -path PWSIssues -Force
- Install-SPFeature -path PWSRisks -Force
-
IISRESET on all WFEs
Although both option #2 and #3 could resolve the Fab 40 ProjectTrackingWorkspacesite migration to SharePoint and Project Server 2013, we believe the long term solution is to remove all Fab 40 sites or migrate the to supported site templates.
