Please note: Important changes to the support lifecycle policy for service packs that affect this blog should be read first at: http://blogs.msdn.com/psssql/archive/2010/04/13/an-important-change-for-the-microsoft-lifecycle...
There are some important dates about the end of support for specific products and releases involving SQL Server and Windows that I want you to be aware of:
Important Upcoming SQL Server Support Dates
1) SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 support ends next week January 12, 2010 . You should upgrade to SQL 2005 SP3 or SQL 2008 SP1 immediately.
2) SQL Server 2008 RTM support ends on April 13, 2010. You should make plans to upgrade to SQL Server 2008 SP1 soon.
A complete list of our support policy dates can be found on the following web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/
A very good discussion about these upcoming dates was published by our release services team for SQL Server back in October of last year. This includes what choices you have for support and what actions you should consider to stay supported:
http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2009/10/08/end-of-service-pack-support-for-sql...
What does this “end of support” mean to you?
I encourage you to do a few things to stay “ahead of the game” for the end of support dates for SQL and other Microsoft products in the future:
Two other important points about SQL Server 2005:
Important Upcoming Windows Support Dates
While not a SQL Server Support policy, end of support for Windows 2000 Server SP4 on July 13, 2010 could affect many SQL Server customers. Furthermore, Windows Server 2003 and 2003 R2 transition into “Extended Support”. The following article has a nice summary of these Windows Support dates:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifean36
What is the difference between the “end of support” for Windows Server 2000 and “Extended Support” for Windows Server 2003?
The end of support for Windows Server 2000 is like our end of support above for SQL Server 2005 SP2 and SQL Server 2008 RTM. You can no longer contact CSS for support and no security updates or fixes will be available. The only exception is if you purchase a Custom Support Agreement through your Technical Account Manager.
The Windows 2000 End-of-Support Solution Center is a good resource to read about information on the end of support for Windows Server 2000.
Extended Support for Windows Server 2003 means that:
You may wonder how the end of support for Windows Server 2000 may affect you as SQL Server user? The biggest thing to consider is in order to be supported you need to upgrade to a new version of Windows. You could move to Windows Server 2003 but as stated that version is moving into Extended Support, so that may not be a good choice. If you still want standard hotfix support your choices are Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
The possible problem here you may encounter is if you are running SQL Server 2000 SP4 (the only official supported version of SQL Server 2000 which itself is in Extended Support). SQL Server 2000 SP4 is not supported on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. Therefore, if you make this jump to the new OS, you must also upgrade SQL Server to either SQL Server 2005 SP3 or SQL Server 2008 SP1.
One last question you may have. What happens if I stay on Windows Server 2000 SP4 after July 13, 2010 and I try to call in a case to CSS?. The answer depends on what type of problem you have:
Summary
Here is a summary of actions you should consider:
Bob Ward
Microsoft
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