<div>
Thanks Lee - I have raised the functional level, and all seems to be fine.<br />
<br />
Alan.
</div>


Thanks Lee - I have raised the functional level, and all seems to be fine.

Alan.

<div>
<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
Hi All,<br />
<br />
I am working on an SBS2011 setup.<br />
<br />
I note that I could raise the Domain and Forest Functional Level to Server 2008 R2 (from Server 2003).<br />
<br />
Doing so, I would gain access to some new AD functionality, including AD Recyle Bin which seems like a good move.<br />
<br />
I do not have any servers in the domain that are less than Server 2008 R2 and I cannot imagine any scenario where there ever will be. &nbsp;If any new servers get added, they will almost certainly be Server 2012 R2 (or later).<br />
<br />
There are a mix of clients though - including a couple of XP Pro SP2 machines that are attached to machinery and we have not yet been able to confirm that we can upgrade those.<br />
<br />
All other client machines are Win7 Pro / Win 7 Ultimate with a mix of 32bit and 64bit machines in there, plus there are the normal mix of printers / photocopiers etc.<br />
<br />
Some of the line-of-business client software is 32bit and there is no 64bit version available.<br />
<br />
Is there any reason why I should not raise the functional level to Server 2008 R2?<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
Alan.
</div>
</div>


Hi All,

I am working on an SBS2011 setup.

I note that I could raise the Domain and Forest Functional Level to Server 2008 R2 (from Server 2003).

Doing so, I would gain access to some new AD functionality, including AD Recyle Bin which seems like a good move.

I do not have any servers in the domain that are less than Server 2008 R2 and I cannot imagine any scenario where there ever will be.  If any new servers get added, they will almost certainly be Server 2012 R2 (or later).

There are a mix of clients though - including a couple of XP Pro SP2 machines that are attached to machinery and we have not yet been able to confirm that we can upgrade those.

All other client machines are Win7 Pro / Win 7 Ultimate with a mix of 32bit and 64bit machines in there, plus there are the normal mix of printers / photocopiers etc.

Some of the line-of-business client software is 32bit and there is no 64bit version available.

Is there any reason why I should not raise the functional level to Server 2008 R2?

Thanks,

Alan.

SBS 2011 - Any reason NOT to Raise Domain and Forest Functional Level to Server 2008 R2

Small Business Server (SBS) is a line of server operating systems targeted at small businesses by bundling the operating system with a number of other Microsoft products that would normally need to be purchased or licensed separately. The most notable inclusions are Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint and ISA/TMG (Microsoft's firewall and proxy server).

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, based on the Microsoft Vista codebase, is the last 32-bit server operating system released by Microsoft. It has a number of versions, including including Foundation, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, HPC Server, Itanium and Storage; new features included server core installation and Hyper-V.

Windows Server 2008

Active Directory (AD) is a Microsoft brand for identity-related capabilities. In the on-premises world, Windows Server AD provides a set of identity capabilities and services, and is hugely popular (88% of Fortune 1000 and 95% of enterprises use AD). This topic includes all things Active Directory including DNS, Group Policy, DFS, troubleshooting, ADFS, and all other topics under the Microsoft AD and identity umbrella.