Overview

There are many compelling reasons for introducing Windows Server 2003 into your organization. Perhaps you’ve heard about great new file and print service features such as Automated System Recovery (ASR), which allows for easier file backup and system recovery, or the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), that allows users to quickly recover lost files without intervention by IT personnel. Perhaps you’d like to take advantage of new features in Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 such as Worker Process Isolation Mode. Or, perhaps you’d like to deploy newer versions of applications such as Exchange Server 2003 or Office SharePoint Services that require Windows Server 2003 as the operating system. Whatever the reason, introducing Windows Server 2003 need not be a risky, time-consuming endeavor that results in downtime for your users.

Choose the right version

There are four versions of Windows Server 2003: Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Datacenter Edition, and Web Edition. Most small organizations will choose Standard Edition, which provides all the new file and print sharing, application deployment, and web services features of Windows Server 2003 at a reduced total cost of ownership (TCO). Larger corporations will choose Enterprise Edition or Datacenter edition. These editions are designed for mission-critical systems, high-end online transaction processing (OLTP) systems, and other systems requiring higher levels of scalability and reliability. Both of these versions are available for 32-bit and 64-bit hardware. Web Edition is designed primarily for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as a solution for hosting multiple websites.

Upgrade or clean install?

Depending on your particular situation, it may be preferable to either upgrade an existing server, or perform a clean install on an existing server and then migrate any data over to the new server. For example, if you are introducing Office SharePoint Services into your organization, you’ll want to procure new hardware as your SharePoint server(s) and perform a clean install of Windows Server 2003 on the new hardware. You can then make the new server a member server in your domain without having to immediately upgrade your Domain Controller(s) to Windows Server 2003. When you do wish to upgrade your domain to a Windows Server 2003 domain, you may not find it necessary to procure new hardware as your domain controllers but will prefer to do an upgrade instead. This allows you to keep all your users, groups, policy settings, etc. without the need for new hardware. You can then upgrade your domain controllers individually in a controlled manner, keeping your domain in Windows Server 2003 / Windows 2000 mixed mode, until all your servers have been upgraded. This greatly reduces downtime. If you wish to introduce Exchange Server 2003, however, you’ll need to upgrade at least one of your domain controllers.

System requirements and compatibility

Regardless of whether you’re doing an upgrade or a clean install, you’ll want to check the Windows Server 2003 system requirements, hardware compatibility, and application compatibility before proceeding. If you are planning on deploying Standard Edition, you’ll need at least a 550 Mhz processor, 256 MB of RAM, and 1.5GB of disk space for the installation. These are the minimum requirements prescribed by Microsoft; we recommend at least 512 MB of RAM and a disk partition of at least 8GB. You’ll also want to check your hardware for compatibility, especially if you are using high-end disk controllers such as SCSI, SATA, or RAID controllers. Be sure that either Microsoft or your hardware manufacturer provides drivers compatible with Windows Server 2003. Finally, make sure the applications running on your network are compatible with Windows Server 2003 by using the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) that Microsoft provides.

If you are upgrading an existing operating system, make sure a supported upgrade path exists from your operating system to the appropriate version of Windows Server 2003. For example, if you are upgrading to Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, you need to have either Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or higher, or Windows 2000 Standard Edition with Service Pack 2. Note that upgrades from the Standard Edition of Windows 2000 to the Enterprise or Datacenter Editions of Windows Server 2003 are not possible and any upgrades to Windows Server 2003 Web Edition are not possible.

Our Recommendations

Once you’ve verified that your hardware is adequate, you have all the required Windows Server 2003 drivers for your hardware, and your applications are compatible, we recommend the following steps:

• Introduce Office SharePoint Services into your environment by procuring a new server, installing Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, and joining it to your domain. Install Office SharePoint Services on this server, and begin to develop your portals. All this can occur without any user downtime on your existing domain.
• Upgrade your existing web and application servers individually. This allows you to take advantage of the latest IIS 6.0 features. Be sure to configure IIS 6.0 to work in Worker Process Isolation Mode; by default this will not be enabled after an upgrade from IIS 5.0.
• Upgrade domain controllers to Windows Server 2003 individually. This allows your current domain to function normally without downtime.
• When all domain controllers have been upgraded to Windows Server 2003, raise the functional level of your domain from Windows 2000 mixed mode to Windows 2003. This allows you to take advantage of many new Active Directory features such as the ability to rename a domain controller and the ability to migrate account SIDs from one domain to another.
• Upgrade your Exchange environment from Exchange 2000 to Exchange Server 2003.
• Upgrade any remaining servers to Windows Server 2003.

Summary