After today there is no mainstream support for windows 2003. So get your servers ready for windows 2008 R2 .There is still the extended Support. But the OS is 7 years old, almost every product that is older than 7 years need a replacement. think about your home desktop,TV,dishwasher etc the Extended support end at 14-07-2015
Sure you can wait till the NEXT version of windows in 201x. But can you wait ?, can you ? ,are you sure ? What about the security and all the benefits of windows 2008R2 you want to skip this? maybe now but I’m sure by the end of this year you need windows 2008R2 if you want to keep up with the market.
Do you still use IE6 ? no you are running the latest version because the security is better. And what about the migration/adoption time in your organization ? .
Think Proactive ! if you have software assurance you are already paying for the windows 2008R2 release so why not upgrading. Our company always waits for the service pack , well there is a service/feature pack it is still in beta but it brings new stuff for windows 2008R2 play with it and get ready and avoid a forced migration because you need some app that is only running on windows 2008R2.
Below are several links to the Windows 2008R2 resources.
Windows 2000 End-of-Support Solution Center
Support for Windows 2003 ends on July 13, 2010!
The Windows 2000 End-of-Support Solution Center is a starting point for planning your migration strategy from Windows 2000 to Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
For more information please see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy.
Planning and AssessingMigrating Server RolesMigrating SQL ServerNetworking Server RolesSmall Business ServerClient MigrationApplication CompatibilityAsk the CommunityAssisted Support
Planning and Assessing
Planning and Assessing a Migration or Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2
A direct upgrade from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2008 R2 is not supported. The resources below provide information about migration paths.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Product Home Page
Visit the Windows Server Home Page for product information, trial software, purchasing options, technical resources, case studies and more.
Windows Server 2008 R2 System Requirements
Before upgrading your system from Windows 2000 to Windows 2008 R2, be sure your hardware meets the Windows Server 2008 R2 system requirements. Assuming your hardware meets the requirements for Windows Server 2008 R2, upgrading is a two-step process. You must first upgrade your system to Windows Server 2003 SP2 (or later) and then upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Paths
This document outlines supported and unsupported upgrade paths for editions of the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system.
Assessment and Planning Toolkit for Windows Server 2008 R2
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit is a powerful inventory, assessment, and reporting tool that can securely assess IT environments for various platform migrations and virtualization without the use of any software agents. NOTE: The oldest operating system supported by this tool is Windows Server 2003 SP2.
Windows Server Migration Tools
Administrators can use Windows Server Migration Tools to migrate server roles, features, operating system settings, and other data and shares to computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2. NOTE: The oldest operating system supported by this tool is Windows Server 2003 SP2.
Windows Server 2008 R2 Deprecated Features
This document provides is a list of deprecated features and functionalities in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and is intended for IT professionals who are updating operating systems in a commercial environment.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 (MDT 2010) provides a common console with the comprehensive tools and guidance needed to efficiently manage deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Planning and Assessing a Migration or Upgrade to Windows 7
SP1 Beta Overview
The Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Betas are concurrent releases that we’ve packaged together in a single download for a more streamlined and cost effective deployment. Businesses can begin realizing the advancements of the Windows Server platform for virtualization through two key features: Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX.
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Read the Windows Server 2008 R2 Technical Whitepaperfor a technical overview of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta release features and benefits.
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Download the Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta Reviewer’s Guide to evaluate the core features of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta release in your environment.
Dynamic Memory Overview
“We found that we could increase the number of virtual machines per Hyper-V server by 25 to 50 percent with Dynamic Memory. For some Hyper-V servers, we even went from 4 to 7 virtual machines—a 75 percent increase!”
– David Feng, IT Director, Sporton International
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V introduces a new feature, called Dynamic Memory, in the Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta releases. It allows customers to achieve increased density when they’re consolidating physical servers into a virtual realm, providing them with predictable performance and linear scalability. With Dynamic Memory, IT administrators are able to pool available memory on a physical host and then dynamically dole that memory out to virtual machines running on the host, based on current workload needs.
For a technical overview of the new Dynamic Memory feature, download the Dynamic Memory Technical Overview whitepaper.
RemoteFX Overview
“We save 70 to 80 hours each month by delivering classes remotely using RemoteFX in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. At our billing rate of $250 an hour, that’s more than $200,000 a year.”
– Rand Morimoto, President, Convergent Computing
RemoteFX, a key feature of Remote Desktop Services (RDS) lets IT administrators deliver a rich graphics experience to end-users through virtualized desktops. Using new protocol enhancements between Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7, end users can now access virtual machines on a wide variety of target devices and still get a rich graphics experience with server-side graphics processing.
Learn more about RemoteFX and download the Remote Desktop Services Datasheet.
