back to article Need to switch from Windows Server 2003? Here’s a workshop just for you

Windows Server 2003 reaches end of support on July 14th 2015, so now it is time to get prepping for the inevitable migration. Make life a little easier for yourself and join Microsoft for a free half-day workshop, titled “Transform the Data Centre”. On the day you will learn how to plan your migration to Microsoft’s Cloud OS, a …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    hmm, I was about to sign up.. but I'm not having lunch that late!

    1. Roland6 Silver badge

      Re: but I'm not having lunch that late!

      Can't complain too much, at least they haven't time boxed lunch, putting the most important session directly after lunch...

      My gripe is that there are no venues in the East Midlands, East Anglia etc. so I've got to add a couple of hours travel time each way, so a morning's workshop becomes an all day commitment and because all sessions start at 9:30, I will incur the cost of peak rail travel...

      But as I said at least lunch is the last thing on the agenda, so if MS field's some technically capable people, I anticipate that several of them won't be leaving before 3pm...

  2. MJI Silver badge

    I think MS should do it all for free

    After the tactics used to kill off the proper PC server company I think MS should do it for free.

    RIP Netware

  3. jake Silver badge

    Or just stick with *nix.

    Nearly half a century, and no major long-term headaches as time passes.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Devil

      @jake

      Ha, someone beat me to it... So since this thread is about promotion, and you already opened the door, I'd like to extend on this a little.

      My (small) company has actually done this (actually; we're in the middle of the transition): moving away from Windows Server 2k3 (which we honestly enjoyed using, in my opinion its a very solid environment) straight towards FreeBSD 9.3. Its a transition option I can actually advise others to look into as well, especially considering the costs involved.

      First of all, most important for Windows users (in my opinion): the support lifetime. Just check the FreeBSD release overview: FreeBSD 9.3, released 16th July 2014, will be supported until 31st of December 2016. So that's approx. 2.5 years. Not as extensive as Windows, but speaking from personal experience I'm sure you'll also notice that upgrading to a later version won't be as bothersome as it is with some other OS's: please notice how version 9.1, also with extended support, got released on the 30th of December 2012. As you probably know: "minor" upgrading (9.x to 9.x) is less intrusive than major upgrading (9.x to 10.x). Effectively meaning: With the 9.x branch you basically got a system which was released near the end of 2012 and is supported until the end of 2016. That's 4 years worth of update support in total!

      Another important issue: documentation. I can well imagine that a Windows administrator will have a hard time with all this, no matter if it may (or may not) sound appealing. One extensive source of information is the FreeBSD handbook. Available in several languages, and it describes nearly everything there is to know about FreeBSD. From the installation process, updating process and using the several individual aspects such as, for example: setting up a GUI or setting up printing. But also more administrative tasks like auditing (probably also well known amongst Windows administrators) and even the process of securing your system is heavily documented.

      Features... Those should be comparable to Windows 2k3 thanks to the extensiveness that is Open Source Software ("OSS"). But lets be honest: the same applies to other Unix-like variants such as Linux and of course the other BSD projects such as OpenBSD and NetBSD.

      Having that out of the way: File sharing? You'll want Samba. IIS compatibility (ASP.NET)? The Apache webserver extended with the Mono project can take you a very long way.

      Sure; other areas are going to be different and maybe even a little difficult, depending on your environment. For example; Sendmail (FreeBSD's standard mailserver) isn't exactly comparable to IIS (back with 2k3 IIS provided SMTP support) or Exchange where configuration is concerned. Nor are most of the other popular mailservers (such as Postfix and Exim to name two).

      I'm not claiming that after you installed FreeBSD you'll be immediately good to go. It'll most likely take time to get to know the environment, and even more time to set it all up.

      Which brings me to the costs involved. Time = money, so simply put FreeBSD (or any other Unix-like OS) is most likely not going to provide you with a totally free solution. Even if the OS can be downloaded, installed and then used totally free of charge.

      But I also think its noteworthy that the OS can most likely easily be used on your current hardware, even if that hardware is (heavily) outdated by now. And that is probably going to save you some money as well, although I would make sure that you still got plenty of spare parts to make sure that your environment is going to continue to function.

      Finally... Community. With all due respect: on the Microsoft fora you'll often get redirected to documentation sections, even if you were asking for more information because the official documentation confused you tremendously. Not all the time, and in my opinion the Microsoft fora are also a very good and reliable source of information, but this is an ongoing trend.

      Obviously we have Murphy floating around, so I cannot make any claims that this isn't going to happen to you when using FreeBSD. But being quite a regular on the official FreeBSD forums I also think its fair to say that in general you'll get all the information you require. Sure; there will most likely be times where people refer you to the documentation, but when asked for more information those same people will most likely also have no problems to fill in the missing gaps for you. Note: the latter is strictly my own personal experience and impression, there are of course no guarantees.

      SO yeah; I think this can definitely be another very liable candidate. Personally I'm not looking back; FreeBSD does it for me.

      Finally, once again: I am not claiming that FreeBSD is the perfect replacement for Windows Server 2003, all I'm saying here is that it is very likely that it can do the job for you. So what I am doing here is suggest that you check it out sometime :)

      Used the devil obviously: FreeBSD d(a)emon for the win ;-)

  4. CAPS LOCK

    I'm with "jake" up there ^, throw the monkey off your back.

    Use something else. Say goodbye to this nonsense forever.

  5. Criminny Rickets

    You had me interested right up to the point you said "migration to Microsoft’s Cloud OS". Then I just had a good morning laugh. Not bloody likely.

  6. nedge2k

    I just wish they'd realise getting rid of SBS was as big of a mistake as Windows 8 was/is. They soon did a u-turn on metro, somehow I don't think they will on SBS. Obviously small businesses in rural areas with shitty internet connection don't exist in their world.

  7. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Coat

    What is this "Windows Server" you speak of?

    ... the one with "Linux From Scratch" in the pocket.

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