Verifying System Requirements

   

Before upgrading to Windows Server 2003, you will want to make sure that the computer you will be upgrading meets the recommended system requirements and that all hardware components are compatible with the operating system. If you have consistently upgraded your hardware for your Windows NT 4.0 Server systems, this might not be an issue. But if your current servers are running on older computers, you might want to consider installing Windows Server 2003 on new computers.

System Requirements

The most significant area of change is recommended processor speed. While Windows 2000 required a 133-MHz or faster processor, Microsoft recommends a 550-MHz or faster processor for the Web Edition and the Standard Edition, and a 733-MHz or faster processor for the Enterprise Edition and the Datacenter Edition. Memory and disk space requirements are much the same. Chapter 1 , "Product Family," describes the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for each edition of Windows Server 2003.

Disk Space Considerations

Disk space, and disk partitions, provide another decision point on whether to upgrade or perform a clean installation on a new system. For example, if your servers currently use the file allocation table (FAT) file system, which limits you to 2-gigabyte (GB) hard disk partitions, you can't upgrade to Windows Server 2003 because more than 2 GB of space are required for the upgrading process.

If your servers currently use the NT file system (NTFS), which has a limit of 32 GB per partition, you can upgrade to Windows Server 2003. But if you want to avoid the 32-GB limit, you need to do a clean installation.

Hardware Compatibility

One of the most important steps to take before running Setup on a server is to confirm that your hardware is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family. You can do this by running a preinstallation compatibility check from the Setup CD or by checking the hardware compatibility information available on the Microsoft Web site. Also, as part of confirming hardware compatibility, verify that you have obtained updated hardware device drivers and an updated system BIOS (or, for an Itanium-based computer, an updated Extensible Firmware Interface).

If you have a mass storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for your hard disk, confirm that it's compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family by clicking the appropriate link in Support resources.

If your controller is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family, but you are aware that the manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file for use with your operating system, obtain the file (on a floppy disk) before you begin Setup. During the early part of Setup, a line at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to press F6. Further prompts will guide you in supplying the driver file to Setup so that it can gain access to the mass storage controller.

If you are not sure whether you must obtain a separate driver file from the manufacturer of your mass storage controller, you can try running Setup. If the controller is not supported by the driver files on the Setup CD and therefore requires a driver file supplied by the hardware manufacturer, Setup stops and displays a message saying that no disk devices can be found, or it displays an incomplete list of controllers. After you obtain the necessary driver file, restart Setup, and press F6 when prompted.

Regardless of whether you run a preinstallation compatibility check, Setup checks hardware and software compatibility at the beginning of an upgrade or new installation and displays a report if there are incompatibilities.

Service Pack 5 or Later

Windows NT 4.0 must be running Service Pack 5 or later before you can upgrade to Windows Server 2003. Once Service Pack 5 or later has been installed, you can upgrade directly to Windows Server 2003 without having to install Windows 2000. If you are doing a clean installation, there is no need to install the service pack.

Compatibility Resources

For a comprehensive list of hardware and software supported by Windows operating systems, see the Windows Catalog at the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/).


   
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Introducing Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Introducing Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003
ISBN: 0735615705
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 153

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