Choosing a Location and Template | SharePoint Tutorial pdf

Choosing a Location and Template

Sites are organized hierarchically within SharePoint sort of like the folders in a conventional file system, only instead of drives, folders and sub-folders, SharePoint uses web applications, site collections, and sub-sites:
Web application
A web site that has been extended using the SharePoint administration tools. Each web application has a unique address – usually a sub-domain of your organization’s web address such as http://intranet.something.com.
Site collection
A group of sites that all exist under a top-level site. Web applications usually have several top-level sites: one at the root and others under the /sites and /personal paths.
Sub-site
A site beneath the top-level site in a site collection.
Figure illustrates a typical configuration with public, internal, and partner web.
Figure: How SharePoint organizes sites

 When choosing a location for a site, consider these factors:
=> Who needs access? Top-level sites have the widest audience, sub-sites are typically more restricted.
=> How will users find the site? It’s easiest to create navigation links that follow the physical structure, so put the most widely used sites just under the root.
=> Is it a department site? It’s generally best to create a site collection for each department under the /sites path.