Upgrade to Small Business Server 2008?
Wait a whileIt is not an unreasonable idea to wait. To date, every Microsoft operating system has had a series of "service packs" over their life cycle. With each service pack bugs and security holes are fixed, making the product better every time. The implication is that you are likely to get a more stable and secure operating system if you postpone any upgrade until after the first service pack has been released. At that point in time, all of the major problems with the product should have been found by the users who have dived in to the new release, eager to be at the cusp of the new technology. If SBS2008 follows the pattern of previous releases, Service Pack 1 should address these issues, so wait until the first service pack has been released. At that point there will also be lots of qualitative informatin from user experiences with the new operating system. Caveat emptor!
HardwareMake sure, when considering an upgrade of operating system, that your hardware can handle the new load. Take Windows XP/Windows Vista for example. Before Vista was released, you could pick up a low spec machine cheaply from Dell, and run XP with little trouble. However, when Vista was released, the machines recommended to run the new operating system were not unlike the high end gaming machines of the XP era, only a few months before, as Vista has vast graphical capabilities, which requires considerable computing power, hitherto seen only on games machines. There is no point in investing in a new operating system only to have it limp along. Your operating system needs to be able to run on your hardware, not crawl.
ApplicationsThere may be some incompatibilities between software applications and your new operating system. Again, using the XP/Vista example, some people experienced problems with using older applications on Vista, due to the conceptual leap behind Vista's programming. (See this article for an example. http://www.ictpoint.ie/index.php/Answers/MS-Money-on-Vista.html ) Check with the manufacturers of your applications as to whether their software will work with your new operating system. Often applications will happily work with many operating systems, but sometimes they don't. It is worth researching with the manufacturers for any business critical systems.
Softly, SoftlyTo sum up, upgrading your server's operating system is a big deal, because it is probably the hub of your operation, most likely delivering critical services to your organisation.
The three rules of thumb are:
- use extreme caution
- research thoroughly beforehand
- involve your technology partner - it is too important to go it alone.
Further reading
Articles from Microsoft on SBS2008
