{"id":488,"date":"2026-10-14T18:10:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2016\/08\/20\/how-to-install-team-foundation-server-2015\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T18:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:10:55","slug":"how-to-install-team-foundation-server-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/how-to-install-team-foundation-server-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Team Foundation Server 2015 Installation Guide (SQL Express + Update 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally published on 2016-08-20; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide walks through a practical installation path for <strong>Team Foundation Server (TFS) 2015<\/strong> using the same components referenced in the original post: SQL Server Express 2016, TFS 2015 installer media, and TFS 2015 Update 3. It is most useful for teams maintaining legacy on-premises TFS environments and needing a clear, repeatable install flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/how-to-install-team-foundat.png\" alt=\"Team Foundation Server 2015 installation\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Original download sources referenced by this guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original article points to the following Microsoft pages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>SQL Server 2016 Express: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/download\/details.aspx?id=52679\">https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/download\/details.aspx?id=52679<\/a><\/li><li>TFS 2015 installer media: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/download\/details.aspx?id=48260\">https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/download\/details.aspx?id=48260<\/a><\/li><li>TFS 2015 Update 3 page referenced in the original post: <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.visualstudio.com\/downloads\/\">https:\/\/beta.visualstudio.com\/downloads\/<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note:<\/em> legacy Microsoft download URLs can change over time. Validate each link and artifact name before production use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Choose the right TFS 2015 media option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The source describes two installation media paths: web installer (.exe) and ISO image. Choose based on connectivity and repeatability needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Option<\/th><th>How it works<\/th><th>Best for<\/th><th>Internet needed during install<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>.exe &#8211; Run now<\/td><td>Download and execute immediately<\/td><td>One-off install on a connected machine<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>.exe &#8211; Save and run later<\/td><td>Download installer now, run later<\/td><td>Deferred install on same or another connected machine<\/td><td>Yes (as described in source)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>.exe with <code>\/layout<\/code><\/td><td>Create local offline package from the web installer<\/td><td>Offline-capable installs and repeatable lab setups<\/td><td>Needed to build layout; later installs can use local files<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>.iso image<\/td><td>Download DVD5 ISO media<\/td><td>Air-gapped or media-based installation workflows<\/td><td>Not required once ISO is downloaded<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Installation workflow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"mermaid\">\nflowchart TD\n    A[Prepare host and admin access] --> B[Download SQL Server Express 2016]\n    B --> C[Install SQL Server Express]\n    C --> D[Download TFS 2015 media]\n    D --> E{Install method}\n    E -->|Web installer| F[Run EXE]\n    E -->|Offline layout| G[Run EXE with layout switch]\n    E -->|ISO| H[Mount or burn ISO]\n    F --> I[Install TFS 2015]\n    G --> I\n    H --> I\n    I --> J[Install TFS 2015 Update 3]\n    J --> K[Validate TFS services and access]\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step-by-step installation sequence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1) Install SQL Server Express 2016<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Download and run the SQL Server 2016 Express installer from the Microsoft link above. Complete the installation first so a SQL instance is available before TFS setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2) Install Team Foundation Server 2015<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use one of the methods listed in the original source:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Install over the Internet:<\/strong> choose the <code>.exe<\/code>, then either Run now or Save for later execution.<\/li><li><strong>Create local offline installer:<\/strong> save the <code>.exe<\/code>, open a command prompt in that folder, and run with <code>\/layout<\/code>.<\/li><li><strong>Use ISO media:<\/strong> choose the <code>.iso<\/code> option and install from the downloaded image.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3) Apply Team Foundation Server 2015 Update 3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After base TFS 2015 installation, install <strong>TFS 2015 Update 3<\/strong> from the Microsoft download channel referenced by the original post. This keeps the server aligned with the update level explicitly called out in the source material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Command example: create offline layout from the web installer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The original instructions mention running the installer with <code>\/layout<\/code>. Example:<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-1\" data-shcb-language-name=\"JavaScript\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"javascript\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-javascript language-bash\">cd \/d <span class=\"hljs-string\">\"%USERPROFILE%\\Downloads\"<\/span>\nTFS2015Installer.exe \/layout<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-1\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">JavaScript<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">javascript<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Replace <code>TFS2015Installer.exe<\/code> with the actual downloaded file name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Post-install validation checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Confirm SQL Server Express services are running.<\/li><li>Confirm TFS services start successfully after installation\/update.<\/li><li>Open the TFS web access URL from a browser on the server or a client machine.<\/li><li>Create a test team project or connect from Visual Studio to verify end-to-end connectivity.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common pitfalls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Using outdated or moved download links without validating artifact integrity.<\/li><li>Skipping Update 3 after base TFS 2015 installation.<\/li><li>Assuming offline install is possible without first creating layout files or downloading ISO media.<\/li><li>Proceeding without checking Microsoft compatibility guidance for your exact OS and SQL combination.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Install Team Foundation Server 2015 using the original Microsoft download paths, with clear guidance for online, offline, and ISO-based setup. This revised guide also includes an installation workflow, command example, and practical pitfalls to avoid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[545,237,799,800,803,801,804,802],"class_list":["post-488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-how","tag-install","tag-team-foundation-server","tag-team-foundation-server-2015","tag-team-foundation-server-2015-installation-process","tag-tfs-2015","tag-tfs-2015-installation-process","tag-tfs-installation-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79370,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488\/revisions\/79370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}