PowerShell Script: SharePoint Farm Scan Report

In this post, we’ll introduce a SharePoint Farm Scan Report PowerShell script that would help you to scan farm objects to monitor the SharePoint farm limits by getting real statistics that would help you to administrate your farm effectively and efficiently.

Additionally, we’ll explore the following:

Web Application Vs Content Database Vs Site Collection Vs SubSite

Before we getting started, let’s first explain the relation between Web Application, Content Database, and Site Collection and their limits in SharePoint 2019.

What’s the SharePoint Web Application?

Simply, It’s an IIS web site with one or multiple content databases that represent the entry point for site collections.

You can create a new web application via central administration as well as via PowerShell.

Creating a new web application requires to specify the following:

• IIS Web Site Name and Port.
• Security configuration:
  • Allow Anonymous.
  • Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
• Claims Authentication Types:
  • Windows Authentication.
  • Forms Based Authentication (FBA).
  • Trusted Identity provider.
• Application Pool.
• Database Name and Authentication.
• Service Application Connections.

You may also like to read Extend a Web Application in SharePoint 2016

SharePoint Web Applications Limits and Recommendations

• The supported limit for the SharePoint web application per farm is 20 web applications.
• SharePoint Zone limit per web application is 5 zones.
• SharePoint Application Pool Limits for Web Server on the Farm is 10 Application Pools (This limit depends mainly on the Server Hardware specifications).
• It’s recommended to create host-named site collections instead of creating multiple web applications.

What’s the SharePoint Content Database?

It’s a database that stores content for one or multiple site collections for a web application.

SharePoint Content Database Limits and Recommendations

• The supported limit for SharePoint Content Databases per farm is 500 content databases.
• SharePoint 2019 supports 100TB of data for all content databases per farm.
• It’s strongly recommended to use Windows Authentication when you create a new content database.
• Keep content databases below 200 GB for general usage.
• If the content database holds more than one site collection, the site collection should not exceed 100 GB.
• To avoid large content database size, you should deploy multiple content databases per web application.
• It’s very difficult and time-consuming to operate (backup – restore -upgrade) a large content database size.

You may also like to read SharePoint 2019: SQL Server Recommendations

What’s the SharePoint Site Collection?

It’s the entire structure of the top-level site and all its subsites that have the same owner and share administrative settings.

The top-level site is automatically created when you create a site collection. You can then create one or more subsites below the top-level site.

SharePoint Site Collection Limits and Recommendations

• The maximum recommended number of site collections per farm is 750,000 site collections (500,000 Personal Sites plus 250,000 for all other site templates).
• The supported limit for SharePoint Site Collections per Content Database is 10,000 site collections. (2500 for non-personal site collections and 7500 for personal site collections.)
• Although the supported site collections are 10,000, it’s strongly recommended to limit the number of site collections per content database to 5000.
• The recommended site collection size should not exceed 100 GB.
• Larger site collections per content database lead to slowness and longer downtime during operation tasks like backup, restore and upgrade.

What’s the SharePoint SubSite?

It’s a web site (a group of related web pages) that you can create under the site collection.

Each new subsite can have its independent language and template.

Additionally, you can give permission to access your new site to the same users who have access to this parent site, or you can give permission to a unique set of users.

Furthermore, you can also create additional subsites under a subsite.

SubSite Limits and Recommendations

• The supported limit for subsites per farm is 250,000 subsites.
• The supported limit for subsites per site collection is 250,000 and it’s the same number of subsites per farm.
• The recommended subsites per site collection are 2000.
• It’s recommended to deploy multiple site collections If you are planning to create more than 2000 web sites per site collection. In this case, the max site collections number that you can create per farm is 125 site collections. (125 site collection * 2000 web site) = 250,000 subsites and this the supported number of subsites per farm.

Relation between Web Application, Content Database, Site Collection, and SubSites

Let’s now summarize the relation between Web Application, Content Database, Site Collection, and SubSites in SharePoint farm:

• Each web application can hold multiple Content Databases.
• Each web application can hold multiple Site Collections.
• Each Content Database can hold multiple Site Collections.
• Site Collection can be only stored in one Content Database.
• You can’t create a site collection without having a web application with a content database.
• Each Site Collection can hold multiple SubSites.
• Each SubSite can also hold additional SubSites.
• You can’t create a subsite without having a site collection.

You may also like to read SharePoint 2019 Limitations.

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SharePoint Farm Scan Report

SharePoint Farm Scan Report PowerShell Script includes:

1. List of SharePoint web applications per farm.
2. The number of SharePoint web applications per farm.
3. List of SharePoint Application Pools.
4. The number of SharePoint application pools.
5. List of running SharePoint service applications per farm.
6. The number of running SharePoint service applications per farm.
7. List of SharePoint content databases per farm.
8. The number of SharePoint content databases per farm.
9. List of SharePoint content databases per web application.
10. The number of SharePoint content databases per web application.
11. What’s the current content database size?
12. List of SharePoint site collections per farm
13. The number of SharePoint site collections per farm.
14. List of SharePoint site collections per web application
15. The number of SharePoint site collections per web application.
16. List of SharePoint site collections per content database.
17. The number of site collections per content database.
18. Which content database stores the site collection?
19. What’s the Site collection size?
20. List of SharePoint SubSites Per farm.
21. The number of SharePoint SubSites per farm.
22. List of SharePoint SubSites per site collection.
23. Total number of SubSites per site collection.
24. Farm Report Summary.

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Web Applications Per Farm

SharePoint Farm Scan Report provides you to get

• The list of SharePoint web applications per farm.
• A number of SharePoint web applications per farm.
• Alert if the supported limit exceeded.

The supported limit for SharePoint Web Application per farm is 20 Web Applications.

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Application Pools Per Web Server Within the Farm

SharePoint Farm Scan Report provides you to get

• List of SharePoint Application Pools.
• The number of SharePoint application pools.
• List of running SharePoint service applications per farm.
• The number of running SharePoint service applications per farm.
• Alert if the supported limit exceeded.

Get SharePoint Application Pools

In this step, you will get the list of SharePoint web application pools and the list of SharePoint service application pools.

You can also get how many application pools you have, and an alert if the number of application pools exceded the supported limit.

It’s strongly recommended to minimize the number of application pools per web server as far as possible.

Get the running SharePoint service applications per farm

In this step, you will get the number of running SharePoint service applications per farm and the full list as shown below:

You may also like to read Get All Web Applications Per Farm.

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Content Databases Per Farm

SharePoint Farm Scan Report provides you to get

• List of SharePoint content databases per farm.
• The number of SharePoint content databases per farm.
• The associated Web Application for the content database.
• The current content database size.
• Alert if the content database supported limit exceeded.
• Alert if the content database size is more than 200 GB.

The supported limit for SharePoint Content Databases per farm is 500 content databases.

Content Databases Per Web Application

SharePoint Farm Scan Report provides you to get

• List of SharePoint content databases per web application.
• The number of SharePoint content databases per web application.
• The current content database size.
• Alert if the content database size is more than 200 GB.

You may also like to read Get All Content Databases Per Farm

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Site Collections Per Farm

SharePoint Farm Scan Report provides you to get

• List of SharePoint site collections per farm
• The number of SharePoint site collections per farm.
• The associated web application for a site collection.
• Which content database stores the site collection.
• Alert if the site collection size is more than 100 GB.

The supported limit for SharePoint Site Collections per farm is 750,000 site collections. The maximum recommended number of site collections per farm is 500,000 Personal Sites plus 250,000 for all other site templates.

Site Collections Per Web Application

• List of SharePoint site collections per web application
• The number of SharePoint site collections per web application.
• Which content database stores the site collection.
• The current site collection size.
• Alert if the site collection size is more than 100 GB.

To avoid large content database size, you should deploy multiple content databases per web application.

Site Collections Per Content Database

• List of SharePoint site collections per content database.
• The number of site collections per content database.
• The current site collection size.
• Alert if the site collection size is more than 100 GB.

In SharePoint2019, the supported limit for SharePoint Site Collections per Content Database is 10,000 site collections. (2500 for non-personal site collections and 7500 for personal site collections.)

Although the supported site collections are 10,000, it’s strongly recommended to limit the number of site collections per content database to 5000.

You may also like to read SharePoint 2019: SQL Server Recommendations

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SubSites Per Farm

• List of SharePoint SubSites Per farm.
• The number of SharePoint SubSites per farm.
• Alert if the supported limit exceeded.

The supported limit for subsites per farm is 250,000 subsites, and it’s the same supported number per site collection.

SubSites Per Site Collection

• List of SharePoint SubSites per site collection.
• Total number of SubSites per site collection.

The recommended subsites per site collection are 2000.

It’s recommended to deploy multiple site collections If you are planning to create more than 2000 web sites per site collection. In this case, the max site collections number that you can create per farm is 125 site collections. (125 site collection * 2000 web site) = 250,000 subsites and this the supported number of subsites per farm.

You may also like to read Get All Site Collections and SubSites Per Farm

SharePoint Farm Scan Report Summary

In summary, you will get a summarize farm statistics for the following:

• Total Number of SharePoint Web Application Per Farm.
• Total Number of SharePoint Application Pool Per Farm.
• Total Number of SharePoint Service Application Per Farm.
• Total Number of SharePoint Content Database Per Farm.
• Total Number of SharePoint Site Collection Per Farm.
• Total Number of SharePoint SubSites Per Farm.

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Applies to

• SharePoint 2019.
• SharePoint 2016.
• SharePoint 2013 / SharePoint 2010.

Download

• SharePoint Farm Scan Report.
• Web applications and application pools per SharePoint farm
• Content databases per farm.
• Site Collections and SubSites per SharePoint farm

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have explored the SharePoint Farm Scan Report PowerShell Script.

You may also like to read

• Get All Web Applications Per Farm.
• Get All Content Databases Per Farm.
• Get All Site Collections and SubSites Per Farm.
• SharePoint 2019: Service Accounts Recommendations.
• SharePoint 2019: SQL Server Recommendations.
• SharePoint 2019 Limitations.

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