Windows Server 2003 End of Life: Plan Migration Now

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,400
How fast can a year go past for IT Admins? All you have to do is take no pre-emptive measures to migrate away from Windows Server 2003 and you’ll see for yourself. Administrators, start your engines now! :D

You need to discover which servers are still running Windows Server 2003, categorize your apps, consider the cloud, upgrade hardware, improve management - as well as perform the migration.
 
A year will go very quickly - and I thankfully only have about two 2003 boxes left.

Of course, corporate will probably approve my 2014 upgrade budget in 2018. :rolleyes:
 
I know from personal experience, if your company is more than 200 people, you better have an 18 month plan to migrate to a new server OS. So, people had better be 6 months into their migration plan by now.
 
I still have a few 2003 servers running at the office, and I will have to keep them running even after they drop support.
We have a couple old custom applications that where only supported up to Server 2000. I was able to get them running on 2003, but it required disabling a number of the performance enhancements added to 2003. These apps will never work on anything newer than 2003.
 
I still have a few 2003 servers running at the office, and I will have to keep them running even after they drop support.
We have a couple old custom applications that where only supported up to Server 2000. I was able to get them running on 2003, but it required disabling a number of the performance enhancements added to 2003. These apps will never work on anything newer than 2003.

Same boat , a few apps we cannot migrate, we have to wait a few more years for the information to become obsolete legally (everything has to be kept at least 7 years)
 
I have about 7 2003 servers left...unfortunately they won't see an upgrade at least till next year...ugh...
 
Same boat , a few apps we cannot migrate, we have to wait a few more years for the information to become obsolete legally (everything has to be kept at least 7 years)

I still have a few 2003 servers running at the office, and I will have to keep them running even after they drop support.
We have a couple old custom applications that where only supported up to Server 2000. I was able to get them running on 2003, but it required disabling a number of the performance enhancements added to 2003. These apps will never work on anything newer than 2003.

Just thinking out loud here, but is it possible to convert both over to VM? Image the disc and run from hyper-v or something.
 
Thank heaven I have only one 2003 box. Though my predecessor should have been smarter, I think 2008 was out by then.

At least I have til 2020 on my Server 2008 (non-R2) boxes.
 
Just thinking out loud here, but is it possible to convert both over to VM? Image the disc and run from hyper-v or something.

What's the difference between 2003 running in a VM vs bare metal? They're the same to an attacker...
 
What's the difference between 2003 running in a VM vs bare metal? They're the same to an attacker...

VM's are easier to maintain, manage and as someone needed above, easier to keep around for an extended period of time. They may be the same to an attacker, however if the network is properly secured this should not be an issue. Usually when an environment has multiple servers there is (or should be) a fair amount of network security in place. But what do I know, I'm just a stay at home dad with network administrator degree. :D
 
I have two clients where they have each like one 2003r2 domain controller left. Both have 2012 r2 boxes handing most of the roles now, just need to finish copying a few things over and decommission the old boxes. One just had its fsmo roles moved today. Past that one sbs 03 box that will be replaced next year(exchange has already been moved to hosted for them).

As I read this though I'm working on replacing another 03 box. Went to reboot it early today(no updates, just straight reboot) and it never came back up. I got it to get far enough into safe mode to hit the file shares. I could try restoring it but right now I'm building a 08r2 box to move the file shares to for tomorrow. This is going to be a long night.
 
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