Upgrades Compared to New Installations

System Requirements and Hardware Compatibility

Important Files to Review

This topic can help you plan for an upgrade to Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003, Datacenter Edition, in a network with one to five servers and 100 or fewer clients. The information in Getting Started is designed to help with the upgrade or installation of such a network. For help with planning the upgrade or installation of a larger number of servers, see the Windows Deployment and Resource Kits on the Web at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=29883

For technical information and resources to help you evaluate, deploy, and administer the Windows server operating systems, see the Windows Server TechCenter on the Web at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=28944

For detailed information about how to run Setup, see "Running Setup for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition," on your Setup CD. If you have a server cluster, also be sure to read "Upgrading on Cluster Nodes: Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition," on your Setup CD.

If you want to plan for a new installation, see "Getting Ready for a New Installation: Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition," on your Setup CD.

After completing the upgrade of the first server, you can get detailed instructions about how to use products in the Windows Server 2003 family by opening Help and Support Center. To open Help and Support Center, click Start, and then click Help and Support.

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• With an upgrade, configuration is simpler, and your existing users, settings, groups, rights, and permissions are retained.
  
  
• With an upgrade, you do not need to re-install files and applications. As with any major changes to the hard disk, however, it is recommended that you back up the disk before beginning an upgrade.
  
  
• If you want to upgrade and then use the same applications as before, be sure to review applications information in Relnotes.htm (in the \Docs folder on the Setup CD). Also, for the most recent information on compatible applications for products in the Windows Server 2003 family, see the software compatibility information in the Windows Catalog at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=37604
  
  

If you reformat your hard disk and then perform a new installation, the efficiency of your disk might improve (compared to not reformatting it). Reformatting also gives you the opportunity to modify the size or number of disk partitions, to make them match your requirements more closely.

If you want to practice careful configuration management, for example, for a server where high availability is important, you might want to perform a new installation on that server instead of an upgrade. This is especially true on servers on which the operating system has been upgraded several times in the past.

If you have a mass storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for your hard disk, confirm that the controller is designed for products in the Windows Server 2003 family by checking the hardware and software compatibility information in the Windows Catalog at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=37823

If your controller is compatible, but you are aware that the manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file for use with products in the Windows Server 2003 family, 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 that is 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 you are prompted.

If you have a custom Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) file supplied by your computer manufacturer, before you begin Setup, locate the floppy disk or other medium containing the file. During the early part of Setup, a line at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to press F6: at this time press F5 (not F6). After you press F5, follow the prompts to include your HAL file in the Setup process.

If you have a working Internet connection on the computer on which you run Setup, you can choose Dynamic Update during Setup and obtain the most up-to-date Setup files, including drivers and other files. Whenever an important update is made to any crucial Setup file, that update is made available through Dynamic Update functionality built into the Windows Update Web site. Some of the updated files will be replacements (for example, an updated driver or updated Setup file) and some will be additions (for example, a driver not available at the time that the Setup CD was created). It is recommended that you use Dynamic Update when running Setup.

Dynamic Update has been carefully designed so that it is reliable and easy to use:

• The files on the Dynamic Update section of the Windows Update Web site have been carefully tested and selected. Only files that are important in ensuring that Setup runs well are made available through Dynamic Update. Files with minor updates that will not significantly affect Setup are not part of Dynamic Update.
  
  
• Because Dynamic Update downloads only the files that are required for your computer, the Dynamic Update software briefly examines your computer hardware. No personal information is collected, and no information is saved. The only purpose is to select appropriate drivers for your hardware configuration. This keeps the download as short as possible and ensures that only necessary drivers are downloaded to your hard disk.
  
  
• You can use Dynamic Update when running a preupgrade compatibility check from the product CD, or when running Setup itself. Either way, you obtain the most up-to-date files for running Setup. For information about running the compatibility check, see "Hardware Compatibility" earlier in this topic.
  
  
• You can use Dynamic Update with unattended Setup. Preparing for this requires several steps. For a brief description of unattended Setup, see the "Planning for Unattended Setup" section in "Running Setup for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition," on your Setup CD. For details about how to use Dynamic Update with unattended Setup (also called automated installation), see the Windows Deployment and Resource Kits Web site at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=29883
  
  

The Windows Update Web site offers a variety of updates that you can use after completing Setup. To learn more, go to: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=284

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