Visual Studio Team Explorer 2005 forward compatibility update to support TFS 2010

This article describes an update that enables Microsoft Visual Studio Team System (also known as VSTS) 2005 clients to work together with Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2010 Team Foundation Server (TFS). You must install this update on a Visual Studio 2005 client that has Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed.

This update enables Visual Studio 2005 clients to support TFS 2010. After you install this update, you can use a TFS 2010 server in a team even when part of the team uses Visual Studio 2005 clients.

This update targets development and testing users. This update enables users to continue using legacy functionality on Visual Studio 2005 clients when users work against a TFS 2010 server. If you change the TFS 2005 server to a TFS 2010 server, you can continue to work after you install this update. However, you must have Visual Studio 2010 installed to use the new functionality in TFS 2010.

You cannot perform administrative tasks in a TFS 2010 environment by using Visual Studio 2005 clients. For example, you cannot create a team project by using a Visual Studio 2005 client. You must use a Visual Studio 2010 client to perform the administrative tasks.

Compatibility and functionality that the update enables

The following are the compatibility scenarios that are enabled and the functionalities that are improved after you install this update.

Work item tracking

• This update enables Visual Studio 2005 clients to connect to a TFS 2010 server. After you install this update, you can enter the full URL of a TFS 2010 server in the Team Foundation Server name text box that is in the Add Team Foundation Server dialog box. You can use the full URL to connect to the TFS 2010 server.
  
  The following are examples of full URLs:
  
  http://server:port/virtualdirectory/collection
  
  
  http://myserver:8080/tfs/collection1
• TFS 2010 gives you the flexibility to change the location of your project portal, of shared documents, and of process guidance. This update enables Visual Studio 2005 clients to retrieve new locations from the server so that the clients can continue to visit these new locations.
• Because the team project collection was added, the reporting server paths for the team project RDL reports were changed in TFS 2010. This update enables Visual Studio 2005 clients to visit the reports by using the new paths.
• This update enables you to determine the queries that must be run from a client that has a newer version of Visual Studio installed.

Version control

• This update enables you to use Visual Studio 2005 clients to correctly perform the following operations. These operations are related to Refresh scenarios.
  • View pending changes
  • Update items
  • Undo pending changes
  • Check in pending changes
• The update enables Visual Studio 2005 clients to correctly view committed changes in both the changeset details window and the source control explorer.
• After you install this update, the Visual Studio 2005 client displays accurate messages during conflict resolution.

Office integration, build management, and test management scenarios

Office integration, build management, and test management scenarios require a Visual Studio 2010 client to be installed together with a Visual Studio 2005 client.