SBS 2003 R2: Product Information

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (SBS 2003 R2) is an upgrade release to the award-winning SBS 2003 product. It provides enhancements to the core product technologies integrated into SBS 2003 and adds new features to address the growing needs of small businesses. As with SBS 2003, the new release will be available in Standard and Premium Editions.

SBS 2003 R2 Standard Edition will offer increased productivity and functionality with automated network-wide patch and update management, increased mailbox limits to 75 GB, and expanded client access license (CAL) rights. SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition will include the features and functionality of SBS 2003 R2 Standard Edition in addition to providing improved database and firewall technologies, as well as tools for developing Web pages and Web server applications. See a comparison chart of features here.

Customers running SBS 2003 R2 can use their CALs to access additional servers running Windows Server 2003, Exchange Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition on the SBS 2003 R2 network. See the licensing questions section for additional information on SBS 2003 R2 CALs.

SBS 2003 R2 is the ideal first server for new customers looking for a cost-effective solution, or as a product upgrade for existing customers seeking to upgrade or improve their competitive advantage. With new patch and update management, improved security and availability, and unique-to-SBS wizards and consoles, SBS 2003 R2 is the obvious choice for a high-value, low-cost IT solution.

The English and German versions of SBS 2003 R2 are scheduled to release to manufacturing in the second quarter of 2006. Localized languages will follow within 60 days.

No. The software is available through normal purchasing channels, such as your IT consultant or software reseller. When you purchase SBS 2003 R2, you will receive the appropriate media for your edition. See the Pricing and Licensing section for information on how to purchase SBS 2003 R2.

New customers are also encouraged to participate in the SBS 2003 R2 Technology Upgrade Program – please visit http://www.microsoft.com/sbsr2tup for details.

WSUS 2.0 is available as a free download and can be installed on existing SBS 2003 networks today. However, there are unique-to-SBS setup, administration, and reporting tools that are not available in the standalone product. The additional tools generate the necessary settings, files, and permissions, without requiring you to configure the system on your own. WSUS also provides you with daily reporting as to the software health of your network, integrated into the existing system health reports that are unique to SBS 2003 R2. None of this is available with the standalone WSUS product.

The following chart lists the system requirements for SBS 2003 R2:

Component	Minimum requirement	Recommended
Processor	750 MHz	1 GHz or faster
RAM	512 MB	1 GB or higher, 4 GB maximum
Hard Disk	16 GB of available Hard Disk space

See the comparison chart here listing which product technologies are included in each edition.

No. The core Windows Server 2003 technologies are available in SBS 2003 R2, but many of the enhancements in Windows Server 2003 R2 are designed for medium- to large-sized businesses. By the time most small businesses require those technologies, such as an enterprise-class branch office infrastructure management, their IT needs have exceeded the capabilities of SBS 2003 R2. What is important to remember, however, is that key technologies from the Windows Server family have been added to SBS 2003 R2, including Windows Software Update Services 2.0 (WSUS) and SharePoint Services 2.0 SP2. SBS 2003 R2 customers can easily receive those technology benefits without requiring a significant investment in their IT infrastructure.

A chart listing the new features available in SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition and included in SBS 2003 R2, along with related questions, can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs/evaluation/faq/sql2005.mspx.

For additional information about SQL Server 2005 Workgroup in SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition, see http://www.microsoft.com/sbs/evaluation/faq/sql2005.mspx.

Most applications designed for SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition will be compatible with SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition. However, it is important to review the backward compatibility documentation for SQL Server 2005 (available here: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143232.aspx). Thoroughly test your application in a test environment with SQL Server 2005 before upgrading your existing application to SQL Server 2005.

WSUS centralizes update and patch management services onto one server. It stores the patch files in its own database, so the patches only have to be downloaded from the Internet once. Instead of each employee downloading software from Windows Update or Microsoft Update manually on each individual’s computer, updates are stored on WSUS and then automatically pushed out to each computer. Most important, WSUS deploys patches and software updates to computers and servers on your network. A daily report is created, showing you a “green check” when all updates are successful or detailing which ones may have other installation requirements.

The downloadable files are obtained from Microsoft Update. WSUS pulls the updates from Microsoft Update automatically.

WSUS currently supports updates for Windows Small Business Server, Windows Server, Windows SharePoint Services, Exchange Server, and SQL Server. SBS 2003 R2 can push patches to other servers running these products on your network.

WSUS does not install Service Pack 1 for Windows SBS 2003 or the service packs for Exchange Server 2003. These service packs contain substantial changes and improvements to key services, and should be tested before installing them on production servers.

No. However, you may purchase a license for SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition and request “downgrade” rights to SBS 2003 SP1 Premium Edition, which includes SQL 2000 Standard Edition. You can then run SBS 2003 SP1 and SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition. If you later decide to move to SBS 2003 R2, you must upgrade all the product technologies to the SBS 2003 R2 versions, and you cannot mix and match versions.

For further information on SQL 2005 Workgroup Edition in SBS 2003 R2, please see SQL Server 2005 Workgroup in SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition.

First of all, let’s talk about the perception that SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition is somehow “less than” SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition. When you compare the two versions, SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition is a fantastic feature improvement for small businesses over the previous version. It contains better reporting, better management, better security – all the features that help small-to-medium businesses get the day’s work done. Out of all the versions that the SQL Server team built from the code base, Workgroup Edition is the one that most closely matched the needs of small business owners. See the chart in the SQL Server 2005 Workgroup FAQ for details on how Workgroup Edition fares against the earlier version.

Second, SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition has a dramatic price increase, both for the core product and for the CALs needed to access the server. See http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/default.mspx for details on product models and pricing. When these factors are considered, SBS 2003 R2 continues to be the “best fit” technology and the “best value” business solution for the small business market.

No. SBS 2003 R2 will be 32-bit only. A 64-bit version is planned for the Longhorn timeframe; at that point, SBS will transition to the new code base and will no longer be available in 32-bit versions. You can still run SBS 2003 R2 on a 64-bit system in 32-bit compatibility mode. This allows you to purchase robust hardware that can run your business today and be ready for a 64-bit upgrade in the future.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 will be available through the following channels:

If your Software Assurance contract is current at the time that SBS 2003 R2 is published on the volume licensing price list, then you will be entitled to receive SBS 2003 R2 through your normal fulfillment channel for a nominal shipping and handling fee.

No. Your existing SBS 2003 CALs are automatically converted to SBS 2003 R2 CALs. You do not need to pay any costs for your existing CALs. But if you add users or devices, you will need to purchase new CALs for them.