Work Item Web Access
As you know if you have attended any kind of session on Team Foundation Server (or attended any of my webcasts), there are numerous components that make up TFS. One of these is the work item tracking system, which gives you a centralized, customizable repository for tracking all the "stuff" that needs to get done on your project.
Back in the old days, when Team Foundation Server 2005 was first released, you had to use Team Explorer to access TFS and the Work Item Tracking system. There was a third-party product called TeamPlain which gave you access to your TFS through a web browser. Microsoft bought the product, and re-released it for free as the Team System Web Access power tool. When Team Foundation Server 2008 came out, the Team System Web Access power tool was also updated and released.
Team System Web Access (TSWA) is nice. It gives you access to everything in your Team Foundation Server, but through a web-based interface. This means you do not have to install Team Explorer on a person's desktop to allow them to access the Team Foundation Server. In fact, I believe one of the only things you can't do with TSWA is check items in/out of version control. To use Team System Web Access, you must have a Team Foundation Server Client Access License (CAL). This means, even if all you wanted to do was access work items using TSWA, you have to buy a CAL.
There was a lot of grumping and griping about this. On one hand, Microsoft has a great product with Team Foundation Server, and they can't just give it away (as much as some people would like them to). On the other hand, it can get pretty expensive to buy a CAL for each team member, when that team member only needs to access the work item tracking system. And then if you want to open up your TFS so that users can submit bugs directly to the TFS so you can track them, then you are REALLY upping your costs.
Well, Microsoft heard the griping, and they have made some changes to the licensing options of Team Foundation Server 2008. And while these changes may not please everyone (I know of people who both like and dislike the changes), it does show that the Team System Team is listening to us, and trying to help. For more information on Team System Licensing, you should go download and read the Visual Studio Team System 2008 Licensing White Paper.
Effective with Team Foundation Server 2008, you no longer need a CAL to create new work items and view/update work items created by you in Team Foundation Server 2008 using Team System Web Access. This allows you to do things such as let your users submit bugs directly into your Team Foundation Server. They can then watch the progress of the bug, to see when it gets fixed.
So, how is Microsoft going to enforce this, you might ask. The honor system? Lock down the Team System Web Access tool? Actually, the answer is somewhere in between.
Enter the Team System Web Access Service Pack 1 power tool. First off, don't let the name fool you. This is not a typical service pack that you apply to your current installation of Team System Web Access. If you already have Team System Web Access installed, uninstall it, and then install this version. But you do not have to install TSWA, and then this. This will install the latest version of TSWA for you.
There is now a new tool, part of Team System Web Access called Work Item Web Access (WIWA). It installed automatically as part of the Team System Web Access install. WIWA is what allows the above scenario to happen, basically allowing unlicensed users to create and track work items in the Work Item Tracking System.
To access WIWA, you simply go to a specialized URL:
http://<TSWAServer>:####/wiwa
where <TSWAServer> is the name of the server where you have installed Team System Web Access and #### is the port number (by default 8090).
Once you hit the site, you see a list of all the work items that you have created. You can view the work items and make changes to them. You can create new work items, and search for a specific work item. Remember, though, this is only going to show you work items that you have created. If someone else creates a work item and assigns it to you, it will not show up on this list. To see that work item, you'll need the full functionality of Team System Web Access and a CAL.