HP DL320 Upgrading to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 on Pro - Page 2

Abstract This integration note provides system engineers and network administrators with tested information to upgrade successfully from Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 and Microsoft® Windows® 2000 to Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 with Microsoft Service Pack 1 (SP1) applied on HP ProLiant servers. This document includes information on planning, preparing, and upgrading their existing operating system to Windows Server 2003 with SP1 applied. The focus of this document does not include installing new installations of Windows Server 2003 SP1. For information of this nature, refer to the integration note titled "Implementing Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 on ProLiant servers." This document and others pertaining to Windows Server 2003 can be found on the HP Windows Server 2003 website at http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/8193-0-0-0-121.aspx. Planning the upgrade Microsoft Windows Server 2003 is a Windows operating system that takes the best of Windows Server 2000 technology and makes it easier for you to deploy, manage, and use. In 2005, Microsoft delivered Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to enhance security, increase reliability, and simplify administration of Windows Server 2003. Windows Server 2003 SP1 provides refinements and supplies cumulative system patches to Windows Server 2003. Additional reasons to upgrade to Windows Server 2003 SP1 can be found at the following location: www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/downloads/servicepacks/sp1/top10reasons.mspx. To effectively plan for the change, you need to understand the differences between your current configuration and your Windows Server 2003 SP1 configuration. Moving from Windows NT 4.0, DNS becomes the primary method of name resolution and your network administration becomes much more granular and localized. It might seem extremely complex at first, but good planning eliminates much of the difficulty. To effectively plan for these changes, find and update your network map to determine how and why your network looks as it does. What domains do you have and why? Does the structure work internally? What changes could make network use easier? Will certain changes make your network administrators more efficient? What are your security needs? What are your bandwidth needs? How do you use or plan to use the Internet within your organization? Look at the entire network infrastructure to establish what improvements should be made before the upgrade begins. Look at your current applications and determine if they will operate in a Windows Server 2003 SP1 environment or if you need an upgrade or replacement. How are the applications used? Which groups use them? Will this make a difference in your network structure? Are there similar applications in use elsewhere in your organization that are more likely to be compatible with Windows Server 2003 SP1? Take time to investigate Windows Server 2003 SP1, your hardware, and your applications. NOTE: Microsoft developed the Application Compatibility Toolkit to help users determine which applications in their environments support Windows Server 2003 SP1. You can obtain the associated white paper and download the utility from the Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/compatible/appcompat. mspx. 2