How to use SharePoint 2013 AutoSPSourceBuilder

Here’s a quick guide on using AutoSPSourceBuilder (https://autospsourcebuilder.codeplex.com/) to automate a SharePoint 2013 installation.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with it, AutoSPSourceBuilder will download all the necessary pre-requisites, SharePoint cumulative updates, SharePoint service packs and SharePoint language packs for you into a neat “slipstreamed” package that you can use with AutoSPInstaller (http://autospinstaller.codeplex.com/).

1. Download the SharePoint Server 2013 ISO package from Microsoft.
2. Mount the ISO to a drive letter. In my case, I’m using an Oracle Virtualbox virtual machine although you can use Virtual CloneDrive (http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html).
3. Download the AutoSPInstaller PowerShell script from http://autospinstaller.codeplex.com/ and extract the contents to C:tempSP. This will provide the folder structure for AutoSPSourceBuilder to download the files into – this will become your ‘slipstreamed’ installation package.
4. Download the AutoSPSourceBuilder script from CodePlex http://autospsourcebuilder.codeplex.com/. Copy the contained scripts to C:\temp\SP\
5. If you are using a corporate proxy like I am, then you’ll need to modify the AutoSPSourceBuilder.ps1 script like so. Comment out the code at lines 150 and 152 in the DownloadPackage function. If you don’t, you may encounter the below error while running AutoSPSourceBuilder. In my case I also removed the ‘–ProxyList’ and ‘–ProxyUsage’ parameters because of a PowerShell version compatibility issue.
6. Open PowerShell with elevated privileges (i.e. admin rights)
7. Navigate to the script location ‘C:\temp\SP\’
8. Execute the below PowerShell command. If using a proxy, you’ll be prompted for your network credentials, this is required to download the required files from the Internet.

   ./AutoSPSourceBuilder.ps1 -Destination "C:/temp/SP" -GetPrerequisites $true

9. You’ll be prompted to enter the Cumulative Update to install. This corresponds to the list of updates AutoSPSourceBuilder.xml file. In my case I entered “November 2014”.
10. At this point, the script will start download the pre-requisites, SharePoint cumulative updates, SharePoint service packs and SharePoint language packs for you.
11. Once the script completes, your slipstreamed package (in C:\temp\SP\) is ready to be installed using AutoSPInstaller.

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Shane Bartholomeusz

G’day, I’m a technical solutions consultant based in Perth, Australia that specialises in the Microsoft technology stack, including .NET, Dynamics 365, Azure and general web development etc.

This blog is my place to share my thoughts, helpful solutions and just random nerdy stuff.

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