How to Configure SharePoint 2013 My Sites

This article describes how to configure My Sites in a SharePoint Server 2013 and how to configure all required settings and features related to it.

1. Create a new Web application
2. Create a My Site site collection
3. Add a wildcard inclusion managed path to the web application
4. Enable self-service site creation for the web application
5. Configure My Site settings for the User Profile service application
6. Enable the User Profile Service Application - Activity Feed Job

Create a new Web application

For optimal performance and security, we can create the My Site site collection in a dedicated web application. You have an option to configure it in any existing web application.

To create a new web application:

1. Log on to APP1 with the Service account.
2. On the Start menu, click All Programs, click Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Products, and then click SharePoint 2013 Central Administration.
3. On the Central Administration Home page, click Application Management.
4. On the Application Management page, in the Web Applications section, click Manage web applications.
5. In the Contribute group of the ribbon, click New.
6. On the Create New Web Application page, in the IIS Web site section, click Create a new IIS web site, and then type MySitesWebApp in the Name box.
7. In the Port box, type any desired port
8. In the Public URL section, type: http://servser name:<port>.
9. In the Application Pool section, click Create a new application pool, and then type MySitesWebAppPool.
10. In the Application Pool section, Click Configurable and confirm that the service account displays.
11. In the Database Name and Authentication section, in the Database Server box, type: SQL2008R2.
12. In the Customer Experience Improvement Program section, click No.
13. Leave all other settings and selections default and then click OK to create the new web application.

Create a My Site site collection

The My Site Host site collection is a site collection that uses the Enterprise site template named My Site Host.

To create a My Site site collection:

1. In Central Administration, click Application Management, and then click Create site collections.
2. On the Create Site Collection page, in the Web Application section, next to Select a web application. The web application http://Server Name :<port> is shown for Web Application.
3. In the Title section, type MySitesCollection.
4. In the Template Selection section, in the Select experience version list, select 2013.
5. In the Select a Template section, on the Enterprise tab, click My Site Host.
6. In the Primary Site Collection Administrator section, type corp\user1.
7. Click OK.
8. The MySitesCollection site collection is created and you can now navigate to the new top level site.

Add a wildcard inclusion managed path to the web application

The wildcard inclusion managed path is the path under which separate site collections are created for My Site. Creation of the site collection occurs the first time that a user views the user's My Site. This functionality is available only when self-service site creation is also enabled. Enabling self-service site creation is discussed later in this article.

To add a wildcard inclusion managed path to the web application:

1. In Central Administration, click Application Management, and then click Manage Web applications.
2. On the Web Applications Management page, select MySitesWebApp.
3. On the Web Applications tab, in the Manage group, click Managed Paths.
4. In the Define Managed Paths dialog box, in the Add a New Path section, in the Path box, type: /tlg and then click Add Path.
5. Click OK.

Enable self-service site creation for the web application

Self-service site creation enables the automatic creation of a separate site collection for users when they first view their My Site.

To enable self-service site creation for the web application:

1. In Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage Web applications.
2. On the Web Applications page, MySitesWebApp.
3. On the Web Applications tab, in the Security group, click Self-Service Site Creation.
4. In the Self-Service Site Creation Management dialog box, in Site Collections, select On.
5. In Start a Site, select: Prompt users to create a team site under: and then type: /tlg in the URL box.
6. Leave all other settings as their default, and then click OK.

Configure My Site settings for the User Profile service application

After you have a My Site Host site collection and wildcard inclusion managed path configured for My Sites, you can update the My Sites settings in the User Profile service application. Most of these settings are configured during initial deployment and only change infrequently during maintenance operations afterward.

To configure My Site settings for the User Profile service application:

1. In Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage service applications.
2. In the Name column, click: User Profile service application.
3. On the Manage Profile Service page, in the My Site Settings section, click Setup My Sites.
4. In the My Site Host section, type http://Server Name:<Port>
5. In the Personal Site Location section, type the wildcard inclusion managed path: /tlg to replace the Personal path shown by default.
6. Leave all other settings default, and then click OK.

Enable the User Profile Service Application - Activity Feed Job

The User Profile Service Application - Activity Feed Job creates system generated posts in the feeds for the following events:

• Following a tag
• Tagging an item
• Birthday celebration
• Job title change
• Updates to Ask Me About
• Posting on a note board

You can add any more fields that is relevant for your organization.

To enable the User Profile Service Application - Activity Feed Job:

1. In Central Administration, click Monitoring, and then click Review job definitions.
2. On the Job Definitions page, in the View list, select Service. The Service list appears. If the Service list does not display User Profile Service:
   a) In the Service list, click No selection.
   b) Click Change Service.
   c) On the Select Service page, use the arrows in the upper-right corner to locate User Profile Service, and then click it. The Job Definitions page updates with the User Profile service jobs.
3. Click the activity feed job for User Profile Service Application - Activity Feed Job.
4. On the Edit Timer Job page, in the Recurring Schedule section, select Minutes, and then type 30 in the Every minute(s) box.
5. Click Enable and then OK.

Configure Following settings for My Sites

Use this procedure to configure the following settings for My Sites.

To configure the following settings for My Sites,

use the following procedure to configure the following for My Sites:

1. In Central Administration, in the Application Management section, in the Service Applications group, click Manage service applications.
2. In the list of service applications, select the User Profile service application.
3. In the My Site Settings group, click Manage Following.
4. On the Manage Following page, in the Maximum number of followed people box, type 500.
5. In the Maximum number of followed documents box, 250.
6. In the Maximum number of followed sites box, type 250
7. Click OK.