As we travel the country delivering TS2 seminars, more and more questions are coming up from Partners around the next release of Windows Small Business Server. Since the launch of Office 2007, Exchange 2007, and Windows SharePoint Services V3, the excitement has really grown tremendously. Partners are receiving requests for the new functionality from their customer's and when they should see it as an affordable offering.
There are many ways to implement Exchange 2007 and WSS V3 in a Small Business Environment today, but its either extremely costly, requiring a 2nd server that is a 64 bit installation for Exchange, or using WSS V3 with reduced functionality because the technology in Small Business Server 2003 is, well from 2003 and WSS V2 was the product designed for that time frame.
As we approach the Launch of Windows Server 2008 in March, the answers to many of your questions will be answered. As for today, I will share with you what I can without getting into too much trouble with the folks on the product team.
First things first, 64 Bit is the way of the future. So those old 32 bit systems are going to have to be reallocated for another task inside your customer's organization. What's the reason behind that you ask? Among a lot of things, its Exchange 2007 coming in a 64 Bit only offering. The upside to this is that we will be able to break the 4 GB Memory plateau (3.25 GB of actual usability in most cases) of the 32 bit systems and move well beyond that with Windows Server 2008. This change will hopefully give the memory manufacturers more motivation to start putting out 4 GB modules and larger that are mass produced, lowering the price point for those of us in the SMB space where money matters most!
Being that it is 64 Bit ONLY there are a few things to consider...
- No Direct Upgrades - Even if you have a Dual Core Server today, you can't just put in the CD and start an upgrade.
- Migrations Paths are being defined - The official migration path that is in the works is very similar to http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServerSolutions/SBS/en/library/62e2094e-ad4e-4227-b20e-97a716ed7c861033.mspx?mfr=true and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/884453/en-us , which is basically manually installing Win2k8 from the Cougar media, dcpromo’ing into the existing domain as an additional domain controller, installing Exch2k7 on the Cougar install and using the native Exchange/Active Directory migration utilities to move the data to the new server and then removing the original SBS2003 server from the network. There are also plans to include migrating the WSS V2 Companyweb to Cougar (WSS V3). Currently there are not plans to have a SBS2000 -> SBS2008 supported migration path.I
I'm expecting to see something from the King of Swing, Jeff Middleton on Swing Migration once the product is closer to launch since he has been the foremost expert on migrations with Small Business Server 2003.
"Cougar" will be split into two offerings, just as its predecessor, in a Standard and Premium edition. (I don't know for sure what the naming will be and I know if I did, its not publicly available yet so we'll just have to wait until the official announcement later this winter).
What I can share about the versions is the "standard edition" will include Windows Server 2008, Exchange 2007, and Windows SharePoint Services v3 out of the box.
The "premium edition" will include the same core products above, plus a a flavor of SQL Server 2008, (which one has yet to be announced), as well as support for Virtualization. Cougar will support the hypervisor feature set (virtualization) that Win2k8 standard supports. The RAM limitations will be the same as for Win2k8 standard.
Watch for more updates between now and the 1st of March when we roll out an hour session on Cougar and Windows Essentials Business Server at the Windows 2008 US Launch events.