# Wiki engines that run on Windows + IIS + SQL Server? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2007, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575 "2007-10-13T12:17:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575/1 "2007-10-13T12:17:03Z")
I have been asked to set up a quick and dirty Wiki server, in a pure Windows environment. If I were doing this properly I would probably go with something like MediaWiki, which is what Wikipedia runs on. But MediaWiki and other popular Wiki engines seem to be aimed at LAMP/WAMP environments (Linux/Windows + Apache + MySQL + PHP), and I want to use the in-place alternatives Windows + IIS + SQL Server + a server-side scripting language of your choice (WISP?). Any recommendations for Windows-based wiki engines? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575/2 "2007-10-13T12:32:36Z")
> **[Comparison of wiki software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_software)** > > The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of wiki software packages. > Systems listed on a light purple background are no longer in active development. I don’t have any personal recommendations, though I’d probably try something like [WikiServer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiServer) first so that I could just install and ignore all the IIS stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575/3 "2007-10-13T13:00:34Z")
I don’t have any recommendations, but I googled “asp wiki” and lots of results came up. I tell you this not as a “dude, just google it” but so you’d know that ASP or [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) is the code base you’ll need for running a wiki in IIS. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575/4 "2007-10-13T13:17:02Z")
Thanks, I appreciate it. The problem with Googling for answers is that there are too many answers. I’m looking for quick and easy solutions that people have actually used successfully, which is hard to Google for. It doesn’t have to be ASP-based. It could be PHP running within IIS. Or entirely self-contained, as in **Sage Rat** ’s link, which I’m looking at with interest. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575/5 "2007-10-13T13:21:52Z")
Microsoft SharePoint 2007 is free and has a wiki capability out of the box. It’s aimed more at the internal-use business market, not the public 1 million anonymous users market, but it can do that too with a little configuration. And, naturally, it’s a pure Windows solution that uses SQL Server as the data store. It also comes with SQL Server 2005 Express included so you don’t even need a SQL server license. Did I mention it’s free? If you aren’t familiar with it, MSFT has made a bit of a hash of the naming & marketing message for two related products, one free, one not. It decodes like this: The free product is called “Windows SharePoint Services” or “WSS”. The current version is 3.0 or “2007”. See here for marketing-type info [http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/FX100503841033.aspx](http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/FX100503841033.aspx), here for IT technical info [SharePoint and OneDrive documentation | Microsoft Learn](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/sharepoint/default.aspx), and here to download it [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D51730B5-48FC-4CA2-B454-8DC2CAF93951&displaylang=en](http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=D51730B5-48FC-4CA2-B454-8DC2CAF93951&displaylang=en). They also have a value-added product called “Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007” or “MOSS 2007”, which runs on top of the WSS 3.0 platform. MOSS costs money, starting at a few thousand bucks for a basic installation. The marketing page for MOSS is [http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/FX100492001033.aspx](http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointserver/FX100492001033.aspx) and the tech page is [SharePoint and OneDrive documentation | Microsoft Learn](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/sharepointserver/default.aspx) MOSS has many features & capabilites that WSS does not, but their wiki capability is identical. See [http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/d/c/1dc632e8-71e1-466f-8a2f-c940f1438e0a/SharePointProductsComparison.xls](http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/d/c/1dc632e8-71e1-466f-8a2f-c940f1438e0a/SharePointProductsComparison.xls) for a detailed feature comparison. No, I don’t work for MSFT. But I do run a software company whose products are based on WSS/MOSS. WSS is really the best thing out there for quick functional intranet websites ot all sorts, wiki’s included. If you’re already a Windows / IIS / SQL Server shop this is a no-brainer. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575/6 "2007-10-13T13:29:08Z")
Just a quick add … WSS is free, but it is NOT a time-limited trial or a crippled version. It’s the full up capability for unlimited scale, scope, & duration. It just fits under your existing Windows server license arrangement, whatever that may be. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wiki-engines-that-run-on-windows-iis-sql-server/422575/7 "2007-10-15T13:57:18Z")
[QUOTE=LSLGuy] No, I don’t work for MSFT. But I do run a software company whose products are based on WSS/MOSS. WSS is really the best thing out there for quick functional intranet websites ot all sorts, wiki’s included. If you’re already a Windows / IIS / SQL Server shop this is a no-brainer. [/QUOTE] Thanks **LSLGuy**. While it pains me slightly to be such a slave to the Microsoft Way, this is indeed for a Windows shop so I am downloading WSS right now.