Thanks For Everything, Windows Server 2003
Well, Windows Server 2003, it's been a long run. We sure had some times, didn't we?
I remember back when it was all new. You came around and I thought you were the hottest thing I'd ever seen. You were so cool. You were up on all the new things -- you supported IPv6 before I even knew what it was! You supported wireless networking -- on a server! In lots of ways, you made things easy on me. I could use Remote Desktop to administer you, and getting updates was no problem thanks to BITS.
You were flexible, too. If I decided I didn't like my domain structure, you were cool with it. I could just change my domain name and you didn't care. You expanded my world with the way you opened yourself up to trusting other forests. The way you let me work with Active Directory through the command line took me to new places. Dsadd and Ntdsutil. Oh, and the GUI tools! I could drag a user into a group in Active Directory Users and Computers and they would then be a member of that group. I could drag that group into a different OU and it would actually move! I probably never said "thank you" for all of this, by the way... so, thanks!
Times were simpler then, weren't they Windows Server 2003? Back then we got viruses the old fashioned way -- through email attachments. Remember Sasser? SoBig? Netsky? Blaster? They hit hard and they hit fast. Boy, they sure kept us running back then. BlackBerries were "crackberries" and only artists used an Apple anything. They didn't even have those "I'm a Mac" commercials yet. Those days we were all PCs.
And it wasn't just the technology around us that was simpler, Windows Server 2003. You were simpler, too. Remember when we were young, and Windows was still a GUI Operating System? There was no Server Core, no Nano, no PowerShell. If I wanted to script you it was with VBScript, or sometimes just taking a Dsadd command and running that sucker through a mail merge from Word 2003 to create a bulk user import script. Good times.
We've seen it all together, you and me, Windows Server 2003. I don't know if it's just that I've changed so much, or whether it's that you haven't changed at all. Maybe it's a little of both.
Thanks for everything, Windows Server 2003, but it's time to say goodbye.
Saying Goodbye To Windows Server 2003
I don't know if this is going to come as a shock to you or not, but the truth is, I've been using other Operating Systems. It's been going on for a long time, and I'm not going to stop using them. I like the way they connect to the cloud. I like the way they deduplicate data.
I know you can be virtualized, but I need an OS that can be more than a virtual machine, I need one that's a hypervisor. It's not just about what you can and can't do. It's about support. I need security patches, and you just won't give me that anymore. And I need regulatory compliance, Windows Server 2003. You just can't stay. It's over between us.
Look, I know it isn't going to be easy. I've looked around, and everyone seems to be in the same situation. We all would have let you go a long time ago if it weren't for one of these three reasons:
· Custom applications running on you that the developer doesn't have time to update.
· Software that won't install on a newer OS.
· Software that's getting ready to go out of support and we don't want to upgrade twice.
But I've got a plan. I know that being done with you may not be easy, but it's something I just have to do once and for all. And when I finally have you out of my data center, you're not coming back, sorry.
Maybe someday, if I happen to come across one of your Installation CDs with a hologram on it -- you know, the kinds we don't get anymore because we download our ISOs now -- I might cry a little, thinking about the good old days. Because what we had was real, Windows Server 2003. I really did love you, I want you to know that. I just can't keep loving you.
Having Trouble Breaking Up With Windows Server 2003?
If you're having a little trouble breaking up with Windows Server 2003, you're not alone. It's true that Windows Server 2003 was a great operating system when it came out. It's also true that people aren't keeping 2003 around because they think there's nothing better out there.
It's the applications running on Server 2003 that we can't get rid of, and 2003 stays around as a result of that. So we've got to get those applications off the servers, because the servers just can't stick around anymore.
Here are some tips to help your Windows Server 2003 breakup go as smoothly as possible.
1. Let Developers Know
Developers are just like systems people in the way that their priorities change on a dime and there's never enough time to get something done until they HAVE to get something done. An application that has been in an "as soon as I can find the time" status for years can sometimes get the attention it needs when the operating system running it won't get any more updates.
2. Take Inventory
You need to know what is out there. You have to know every Server 2003 in your organization, and exactly what it's running. Applications, server roles, and what people are using it for. Until you've got your inventory, you can't make your plans.
3. Assess Risk
For each application running on Server 2003, you need to know which are mission critical. What would happen to the business process if that application wasn't there? If you just took the application out of the picture, what would replace that business process?
4. Categorize Applications
Now that you understand your critical applications you can categorize all of your applications. Put them into groups. Identify applications that can be updated to run on Windows Server 2012 R2. Find out which, if any, can be virtualized. Find out which can go to the cloud. Some of your apps may actually be ok to retire. Finally, for those applications that need to be rewritten, find out how much work will be involved with getting the applications onto 2012 R2.
5. Plan And Schedule The Migrations
Work through your lists. Move the applications that can live on Server 2012 R2. Then analyze your lists for the applications that are either the most critical or the easiest to migrate. Hopefully there's some good Karma coming your way and the two are the same.
6. Virtualize Internal Apps
If you've got internal apps, try converting them to virtual applications.
7. Try PaaS For Web Apps
You can try platform as a service (PaaS) for web apps that are public or customer facing, especially if there is not a large security concern for the application. By using PaaS, you may be able to really speed up your migration.
With the end-of-life for Windows Server approaching on July 14, 2015 there's not a lot of time left. Here's wishing you a smooth and easy transition from Windows Server 2003. With any luck, we can have them all gone just in time to start rolling out Windows Server 2016.
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