Managing Farm Solutions

Deploying a solution package to a SharePoint server farm consists of two distinct operations: Add and Deploy. The Add operation uploads the solution file into SharePoint's configuration database where it can be accessed by each server in the farm. Deploying a solution refers to installing the files contained in the solution into various file system directories on each server in the farm.

Adding a Solution to the Farm Store

Adding a solution to the farm solution store can be done only by a farm administrator. There is no page in Central Administration that allows a package to be uploaded. This step must be accomplished using a command-line tool. Solutions can also be added programmatically using the SharePoint API.

To use the STSADM tool to add the package, use a command such as the following: