- Planning the Server Installation
- Server Hardware Requirements
- Checking Hardware and Software Compatibility
- Understanding Server Licensing Issues
- Choosing to Upgrade or Make a Clean Installation
- Using Supported File Systems
- Performing a Clean Installation
- Performing an Upgrade
- Understanding Windows Product Activation
- Choosing Between a Workgroup and a Domain
- Summary
- Q&A
Performing an Upgrade
If you are not in a position to do a clean install of Windows Server 2003, you can also upgrade an existing network operating system, such as Windows NT and Windows 2000. The actual upgrade process is very straightforward. But as already mentioned in this hour, the upgrade of a domain controller has consequences for the entire domain. Running mixed environments in which Windows NT servers must interact with servers running Windows Server 2003 (and perhaps even some Windows 2000 servers) makes supplying important network resources in the domain more difficult (and quite confusing at times). In an ideal situation, you will be able to upgrade all servers on the network to Windows Server 2003.
To perform an upgrade on a Windows NT or Windows 2000 Server, insert the Windows Server 2003 CD in the server's CD-ROM drive. Then click the Install Windows Server 2003 button on the Welcome screen that opens.
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The Welcome to Windows Setup window appears. The Installation Type is set to Upgrade (see Figure 3.4). Click Next to continue.
Figure 3.4 Select Upgrade as the installation type.
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The Licensing Agreement screen appears. Select I Accept This Agreement (after reading the agreement) and then click Next to continue.
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On the next screen, provide your Windows Server product key. Then click Next to continue.
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The next screen provides you with the option of downloading any new setup files that have changed for Windows Server 2003 since you purchased the installation CD. The default is set to Yes, Download the Updated Setup Files. Click Next to continue.
You can now move through the screens provided by the Windows Server 2003 installation software to complete the upgrade of the server's current network operating system. These screens are many of the same ones provided in the "Performing a Clean Installation" section. Windows Server preserves settings on your upgraded server, such as domain controller settings and other services.
NOTE
You can also install multiple Windows Server installations using the Remote Installation Services. This enables you to install Windows Server on several computers from an image of the server software. Remote Installation Services is discussed in Hour 10, "Client Computers and the Domain." You also can begin an installation on any Windows desktop software from the command prompt by using the winnt.exe executable file in the I386 folder on the Windows Server CD-ROM. To do an installation on a server running Windows NT or Windows 2000, use the winnt32.exe file in the I386 folder.