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Downgrade rights, in general, mean that you can use an earlier version of the software acquired. For Small Business Server, this means you are allowed to install and use SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition instead of SBS 2008 Premium Edition which is what you purchased; you can also install and use SBS 2003 R2 Standard Edition instead of SBS 2008 Standard Edition. At any time, you can install the software you purchased and cease to use the earlier version.
If you obtained your server with Small Business Server preinstalled from a partner or OEM, in order to exercise your downgrade rights you must already have the earlier versions of Small Business Server media available.
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Yes. You may exercise your downgrade rights and run SBS 2003 R2 or earlier versions if you have acquired a SBS 2008 license. Note however that you cannot separate out the components of the SBS solution (that is, if you downgrade, you must downgrade all components of the software).
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The components of the Windows Small Business Server Standard single server solution cannot be separately downgraded because they are an integrated suite. Microsoft recognizes that due to line-of-business application compatibility issues moving from one version to the next, some businesses may need to run the previous version of Windows Server. The second server in the Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium edition gives customers this flexibility. Alternative versions are included in the SBS 2008 Premium edition of the software for SQL Windows Server 2008 x86 to be run on the second server. Although Microsoft does not include Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard in the package as an alternative version, we allow customers to use Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard in place of the second copy of Windows Server 2008 Standard. Please visit the Windows Server Downgrade site for more information on how to obtain a Windows Server 2003 R2 downgrade kit. You will need the Windows Server 2008 product key which comes in the SBS 2008 Premium software package to access the site. (note this is a separate key from the SBS 2008 Product key used on the first server). You may still use this method of downgrading if you purchased your SBS 2008 Premium on a new server from an Original Equipment Manufacturer.
Note: Under this exception, customers are restricted from running both versions of Windows Server 2008 Standard and Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard at the same time simultaneously.
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Based on their license agreement, VL customers can obtain the software and product key from the Volume License Service Center (VLSC) Website.
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Yes, the right to downgrade to a prior version is the same for all sales channels; retail, OEM, Volume Licensing, and Solutions Pathway. The license terms of your current version of the software will apply to the downgraded earlier version of the software.
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The support lifecycle per Microsoft policy maps to the product version. For instance, if you downgrade to Windows Server 2003 R2, your Mainstream support will end July 13, 2010 and will transition into Extended Support at that time.
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As a rule, the components of the SBS solution cannot be separated. However, Microsoft recognizes that due to line-of-business application compatibility issues moving from one version to the next, some businesses may need to run the previous version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005, so we will ship SQL Server 2005 Standard (both 32- and 64-bit platforms) in addition to the SQL Server 2008 Standard for Small Business in every retail and OEM System Builder package of SBS 2008 Premium and allow the direct Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) channel to provide customers SQL Server 2005 (both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms) on request until June 30, 2010.
Note that once Microsoft stops shipping both versions of SQL Server, customers are restricted from downgrading just the SQL Server component. Microsoft downgrade rights specify that if a user downgrades, the user must downgrade all the component parts of the server software. Customers who received SQL Server 2005 Standard with their SBS 2008 can continue to use it after the shipping period ends, but they may not use both SQL Server 2005 Standard and SQL Server 2008 Standard for Small Business simultaneously. Customers can, however, move between SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition and SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition per their needs.
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Since SBS 2003 (R2) has only one CAL type, when you downgrade either of the SBS 2008 CAL types you will get SBS 2003 (R2) CAL. SBS 2003 (R2) CAL grants access rights to both Standard and Premium editions of the SBS 2003 (R2) server.
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If you have purchased SBS 2008 CALs from the Volume Licensing (VL) channel, you will be given SBS 2003 CAL keys at the time of purchase; these keys can then be used for downgrade SBS 2008 CALs to SBS 2003 (R2).
For those of you who have purchased SBS 2008 CALs from channels other than VL, such as FPP and OEM, based on the country you are in, you can either call or e-mail to get the product keys for SBS 2003 CALs as you downgrade your SBS 2008 CALs.
Please see the contact information for your locale.
