Does anyone has experience building a test Netcommunity server? I want to build one and I want to know what are the steps involves? Do we will need also need a RE7 test server to test the import and plugin? I have never build a Netcommunity server before, our original installation was done by Blackbaud.

We have separate RE and BBNC test servers but this isn't required. You can run them on the same box with out any problem. I wouldn't advise pointing your BBNC test server to your production instance of RE. Thats a bit scary As far as setting it up it's pretty straight forward. You'll need a clean box with IIS and SQL installed. Then just install the latest instance of BBNC and RE. Support will probably be able to help a little bit here and there with some of your config but don't quote me on that. good luck! Garrett Keating Web Developer United States Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation www.usna.com

Yes, we have a test box (VMware virtual server) that has RE and BBNC loaded onto it. I second Garrett's comment that you shouldn't point your test BBNC version to your live RE version. So, you just need to grab the RE and BBNC install files and, most definitely, the installation documentation, which are all in the Downloads section of the Blackbaud website. Then just follow the instructions. There will be some snags that you hit (wish I could tell you what they are, but I don't remember at this point), but support was helpful with me in solving them. Just explain that you are creating a test environment and you ran into this particular problem, and they will work with you to get it resolved.

Do I install Raiser's Edge on server as a standalone or network version? In terms of the BBNC database, do I just create a new blank database on sql server?

As far as RE is concerned, you could do either one, standalone or networked version. However, to keep things simple, you might want to just do a standalone version and do all of your work on that machine. (This is what I have done.) But it should work either way. As for the BBNC database, when you use the install file for BBNC, it will create the database for you. You just point it at the database server which you want to use, which I would assume is the same machine RE and BBNC will be on. This is all laid out in the documentation available when you go to the download page for BBNC on Blackbaud's website (http://www.blackbaud.com/support/downloads/downloads.aspx ). There are a few steps that it outlines in the documentation that you need to do before you install BBNC, so you should make sure you have done those first.

BBNC and RE can be on the same test server and everything should be duplicated exactly the way it is on your production servers as possible.