Windows 2003 R2 - Upgrade from 2003 r1 or not?

[woody]

Ok, so I've been reading about what R2 can do with file restrictions and printer management, so I want to take a closer look. I have looked back through previous threads but I seem to have a mixed picture of the route to take to upgrade from 2003 R1.
If I get the correct version ie. Volume License enterprise edition of R2, can I do a straight upgrade from what I have now? There was some mention of having to upgrade the schema before doing the install???

We have 3 2003 r1 servers. I would like to upgrade them all, but is there a particular process or is it just stick the cd in each server and away you go?

How long would it take, and do you recommend waiting for a holiday to do it?

Thanks

[ChrisH]

When you get an R2 media kit you get two discs. One with 2003 with SP1 slipstreamed and the second contains the R2 stuff. So that being said (although I havent done it myself yet) you should just be able to stick the CD in you 2003 SP1 servers.
If you are upgrading all your servers you will need to update the schema for the DCs which will be forestprep and/or domainprep tools which you will be familiar with if you have done a 2000-2003 upgrade or installed exchange.

[woody]

Thanks ChrisH. Do you upgrade the schema before of after the upgrades?

[mrforgetful]

I heard it's easy enough, after all it's Microsoft so they hold your hand all the way.

Shame you want Enterprise I have some Standard here that I can't use because my R1's are Enterprise lol.

[StewartKnight]

Why not try doing it on a virtual machine 1st Mark, and see how it goes

[Simcfc73]

Its very easy, MS walks you through all the steps and the Schema upgrade is straightforward.

The file restrictions work great and the Print Manager does its job. Only problem I have had is when the network doesn't start quick enough on the machines.

My biggest bugbear is that MS doesn't seem to have much documentation regarding Printmanager, I know its straightforward but it would be nice to be able to do logging.

[ChrisH]

Logging reagrding success/failure or logging of jobs?

[Simcfc73]

Success failure. I imagine it will say something in the event log regarding group policy processing but I can't find it.

I had a problem where a suite of machines were processing the printers correctly but all the students printers said accessed denied or printer is not available on server. Couldn't find anything wrong and they worked perfectly when they logged off and then back on.

I enabled the 'wait for network' setting in GP to see if its that but it wouldn't show the printers if it hadn't processed correctly.

[Simcfc73]

Just in case anyone is interested I found out the problem.

For some reason the combination of a mandatory profile and not sharing certain printers caused the access denied to occur. It worked alright for the staff when the printers weren't sharedas they have roaming profiles, they connected and were okay to use them but a pupil with a mandatory profile got access denied.

I shared the remainder of the printers and they all play happy now.

It was only the colour ones I hadn't shared so it saved me a few quid.

[Roberto]

Thanks ChrisH. Do you upgrade the schema before of after the upgrades?

Before. With AD you always extend the schema and allow these changes to replicate before installing the object that will be using the extended schema.

[john]

It can work the other way though, I have got away with it, but Roberto has it the right way, I was just lazy and short of time. Its a clean upgrade, tried it many times at home and in practical situations, so just do the usual backups for just in-cases etc and plough ahead.

[woody]

Thanks for your advise on this guys. I will check how much it will cost to upgrade and probably do it over half term.

[john]

You will find that you have to get a whole new Server 2003 licence, they didn't make just R2 upgrade licences