SBS - Cougar 64bit and "Upgrades"

Eric Ligman is reminding all of us just what will be included in the new SBS Cougar: What is going to be in "Cougar?"

From his post:

• Based on the Windows Server 2008 platform and technology wave
• Cougar will include these technologies:
• Windows Server 2008
• Exchange Server 2007
• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
• SQL Server 2005
• System Center Essentials
• Dramatically improved management, protection, and business productivity
• Emphasis on simplicity and integration
• Providing value for new and existing partners
• Embracing Live Services
• 64-bit only [emphasis ours]

We emphasize the 64-bit only line at the end for a reason: We are gearing up for a number of upcoming Swing Migrations for clients that are at the end of the line for their server hardware and this is the only method, in our opinion, that will work for moving clients from SBS 2003 to SBS Cougar.

It may, or may not be, obvious, but, one cannot do an in place upgrade of a 32bit operating system to a 64bit operating system. It just ain't going to happen.

So far as we can tell, Jeff Middleton's Swing Migration method will possibly be the only way we will be able to migrate current SBS client domains to the new SBS Cougar setup.

We are on the Cougar Beta Program, so we definitely have testing the Swing Method on our To Do list when the Cougar beta is more mature.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

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