The Great Windows Server 2003 migration: Where do we go from here?

Windows Server... wow, that's a blast from the past.

32bit apps with 16bit installers

One issue you may come across is 32 bit apps that would work on 64 bit machines if you could just install them. Unfortunately, they have 16 bit installers that won't run. I have come across several old applications with this problem. Newer versions are not available as the vendor no longer exists, but businesses still use them because they work.

You could pay for something like Thinapp and package them, but an alternative option is to use the Sysinternals Procmon tool. This can record the installation onto a 32bit machine. The required files and settings can then be replayed onto a 64bit server.

See this blog post for full details of the process and the replay scripts:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/aaron_margosis/archive/2014/09/05/the-case-of-the-app-install-recorder.aspx

A very narrow, shallow and poor case for Windows retention

The article writer makes no case for remaining on Windows Server, except vague derogatory comments about Linux, BSD not being worth the effort.

Active Directory integration is a no-issue in 2015 for NIX (UNIX/BSD/Linux) servers and administration and the topic of Windows Server - ever Server 2012 R2 having a poor record of security and robust reliability as compared to NIX is never memtioned.

Furthermore advanced storage technologies like "containerization", very high level virtualization, Big Data analytics, dominant and “best of Breed Web development technologies and other required functions standard in NIX are completely absent from Microsoft products and services.

I therefore suspect article writer is either a Microsoft software partner, Microsoft solution provider or supporter with little or no professional/expert knowledge or experience on NIX, or lastly a possible paid propagandist for continued Microsoft adoption – in other words a pathetic shill.

Any truly technology solution professional/expert with credible experience in both NIX and Microsoft sfield would know immediately the path taken by most Cloud Services vendors, Financial Services, Banks and Stock Exchanges - USA and International, the vast majority of Networking/Web and Cloud vendors prefer and do adopt NIX solutions over Microsoft for good and successful reasons.

16 bit installers

One issue you may come across is 32 bit apps that would work on 64 bit machines if you could just install them. Unfortunately, they have 16 bit installers that don't run. I have come across several old applications with this problem. Newer versions are not available as the vendor no longer exists, but businesses still use them because they work.

You could pay for something like Thinapp and package them, but an alternative option is to use the Sysinternals Procmon tool. This can record the installation onto a 32bit machine. The required files and registry settings can then be replayed onto a 64bit server.

See this blog post for full details of the process and the replay scripts:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/aaron_margosis/archive/2014/09/05/the-case-of-the-app-install-recorder.aspx

32 bit apps with 16 bit installers

One issue you may come across is that you have a 32bit application that would work fine on 2012R2 if you could install it, but it has a 16 bit installer that won't run. I have seen several old applications with this problem where there is no newer version, usually because the vendor no longer exists.

If there is no option to replace these applications, then you can use the Sysinternals procmon tool to record the installation on a 32 bit machine and replay it onto the 64bit server.

See this blog posting for details on the process and the required replay scripts:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/aaron_margosis/archive/2014/09/05/the-case-of-the-app-install-recorder.aspx

Alternatively you could package it with something like Thinapp which is easier but at extra cost.

Well, I'm not telling my clients to upgrade (all SME's) - can you image telling the company owner it'll cost a few grand to upgrade the server (and Exchange) now when the new version is out next year. Bad timing on M$ part.

> turns into a pumpkin in July

Eh ?

Anon as I ought to be working, but hey-ho ...

We've still got 2003 out there, and guess what - they didn't stop working on 1st July, and they won't stop working in August, or Sept, or ...

As to "no more security fixes", well I don't think these have been updated in years anyway - they weren't broken, so why breakfix them ? Sat in the corner (well actually, some are sat in the corner, some are VMs), doing one task, not connecting to the outside world, little connecting to them - and most importantly, running "stuff" that we don't really understand and connecting to something else on the network that's out of support as well (as in, "you want to upgrade that ? Good luck !")

Now, for the customers still running mail etc on 2003, well they know about it but don't want to spend the money. As usual, Microsoft seems to be an ecosystem where you sign a few blank cheques as you enter, and let them decide when and for how much they are going to cash them.