Windows Small Business Server 2003: Service Pack 1

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1 is available now. It includes the latest updates to Windows Small Business Server 2003 and its product technologies, including:

Additionally, the following updates are available for the Premium Edition only:

For more information on Service Pack 1, see Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

For detailed technical information about this service pack, see What's New for Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

For existing Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition customers, Service Pack 1 is available as a free download. You may also order the CD package for a nominal fee, including shipping, handling, and applicable taxes. For Premium Edition customers, the Standard Edition Service Pack 1 is available as a free download; however, it will also be necessary to order the Service Pack 1 Premium CD package because Premium Edition–specific updates are only available on the CD package.

Download Service Pack 1: If you choose the download Service Pack 1, you will need to allocate sufficient time to do so as the process includes five separate downloads and may take considerable time, depending upon your Internet speed.

Order Service Pack 1 on CDs: During the ordering process, the Windows Small Business Server 2003 Product Key used in your original installation will be required. The Product Key is located on the back of your product CD case or on the side of your server box if your current version was purchased through an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

New customers who purchase Windows Small Business Server 2003 after the release of Service Pack 1 will most likely have Service Pack 1 updates included in their purchase. For those customers who purchase Windows Small Business Server 2003 preinstalled on hardware, in some instances Service Pack 1 will also be preinstalled.

Interoperability and integrated design are two cornerstones of Windows Small Business Server 2003; they are what make the product so valuable to small business customers. Microsoft has taken considerable care to ensure Service Pack 1 updates tightly install together.

No. There are specific features in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 that, because they perform similar functions to those in Windows Small Business Server 2003, are not necessary.

Security is an important part of Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1, as we understand that customers of all sizes need the same level of security. All of the functionality provided by the Security Configuration Wizard in Windows Server 2003 is also available in the Configure E-mail and Internet Connection Wizard in Windows Small Business Server 2003. Furthermore, the wizard also integrates and configures security on behalf of all the additional Windows Small Business Server 2003 components not found in Windows Server 2003. Examples include:

The Configure E-mail and Internet Connection Wizard has also been updated in Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition Service Pack 1 to include additional security best practices and additional integration components for ISA 2004.

Server and client firewalls are completely different in how they are used and managed, and so different approaches are required with Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1. On the server, we take advantage of firewall services provided by either RRAS or ISA Server 2000 (Premium Edition only), and so the Windows firewall will be turned off by default (it is also currently turned off in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1). On the client side, we turn on the Windows Firewall, and configure group policy automatically to best protect and integrate with the services provided by the Window Small Business Server 2003 network.

Because it is a prerequisite to installing Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1, if you have already installed Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, it is not necessary to uninstall the service pack. However, if you must uninstall Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 to address a known issue, you will be required to reinstall the service pack when you install Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

All of the component service packs are required for you to install Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

Microsoft fully tests and supports installing any updates or service packs to the component technologies that ship with Windows SBS at the time of its release. If issues do arise after the release of a Windows SBS component update, Microsoft will work to address the issue as quickly as possible.

Yes. Exchange Server 2003 SP2 is fully supported on Windows SBS 2003 with Service Pack 1, as with all component service packs to Windows SBS (Windows Server, ISA Server, Windows Server, Exchange Server, and SQL Server).

Windows SBS 2003 customers can take advantage of the storage limit changes implemented in Exchange Server 2003 SP2.

Downloading a full product online wouldn't be convenient for customers. It would take a too much time.

Microsoft has updated the Configure E-mail and Internet Connection Wizard to include additional integration components that will help customers experience an easy ISA 2004 installation. Because of this new feature, we recommend that customers and partners wait to install ISA 2004 as part of Windows Small Business Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

Some components of SQL Server also run on Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition.

By default, SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000 Service Pack 4 is automatically applied to the instances of SQL Server 2000 MSDE that were installed during Windows Small Business Server 2003 Setup, including the Monitoring (SBSMONITORING) MSDE instance and the SharePoint Services (SHAREPOINT) WMSDE instance.

Additionally, if you have Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition, and you have installed ISA 2004, MSDE Service Pack 4 is automatically applied to the ISA Server 2000 Firewall (MSFW) MSDE instance. You will also need to install SQL Server Service Pack 4 if you are running instances of SQL Server 2000.

To ensure the highest level of compatibility with Windows Server 2003, ISVs are encouraged to certify their applications with the Certified for Windows program. However, local partners produce many customized line-of-business applications for small business customers, making application compatibility more challenging to track. To ensure compatibility, Microsoft encourages partners who have produced unique applications for customers to test their applications for compatibility with Windows Server 2003 SP1. As a first step to ensure SP1 compatibility, you can download the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit.

Small business customers can find live and self-support help options on the Small Business Technical Support Page.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (SBS 2003 R2) is an update release to the award-winning SBS 2003 product, providing new features to address the growing needs of small businesses. SBS 2003 R2 will offer increased productivity and functionality by adding automated network-wide patch and update management, increased mailbox limits to 75 GB, expanded client access license (CAL) rights (for access to additional Exchange Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition servers in the SBS 2003 R2 network), and the inclusion of the new SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition in SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 is scheduled to release-to-manufacturing in the second quarter of 2006 (English version; localized languages will follow).

No. Most of the new features in Windows Server 2003 R2 are designed for medium- to large-sized businesses, and therefore are not applicable to the small business customer. SBS 2003 R2 will only include one Windows Server 2003 R2 component and that component is Windows SharePoint Services Service Pack 2. SBS 2003 R2 will also include updates to Exchange Server 2003 (Service Pack 2), and new automated patch and update management (WSUS 2.0). The Premium version of SBS 2003 R2 will also include SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition.

One of the key benefits of SBS 2003 R2 is the integration of leading server technologies, including Windows Server and Exchange Server. Because of this, SBS must release after all of its product components have been released, and after completing additional integration and testing.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 will be available through the following channels:

Additionally, Microsoft plans to offer a “Technology Guarantee” program***, beginning March 1, 2006 for customers who purchase SBS 2003 from an original equipment manufacturer or a system builder. Customers who purchase SBS 2003 before March 1, 2006 should consider purchasing Software Assurance so they can obtain SBS 2003 R2.

*Software Assurance contract must be active when SBS 2003 R2 releases-to-manufacturing.
**The purchase of new client access licenses (CALs) will not be required with SBS 2003 R2.
***The Technology Guarantee will be available from March 1, 2006 to 60 days after SBS 2003 R2 releases-to-manufacturing (will vary by geography).

Specific pricing information has not been announced. Please see above for specific ways to obtain Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2, once released.

If your Software Assurance contract is current at the time that SBS 2003 R2 releases-to-manufacturing, then you will be entitled to SBS 2003 R2 through your usual fulfillment channel for a nominal shipping and handling fee.

SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition will include the recently released SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition.

SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition has many of the key new features of SQL Server 2005, including programmability improvements such as common language runtime (CLR) integration and SQL Service Broker support, Reporting Services, including the new end-user reporting tool, Report Builder, and SQL Server Management Studio, a new management tool for SQL Server 2005. These are all new features that come with SQL Server 2005 and are not available in SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition.

For more information on SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition, visit http://www.microsoft.com/sql/editions/workgroup/default.mspx.

Yes. SQL Server Reporting Services, including the new Report Builder and end-user reporting tool, will be available as part of SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition, which will be integrated into SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition.

Most applications designed for SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition will be compatible with SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition. However, it is important to review the backward compatibility documentation for SQL Server 2005.

Thoroughly testing your application in a test environment with SQL Server 2005 is recommended before upgrading your existing production application installation to SQL Server 2005.

No, you will need to upgrade to SBS 2003 R2 Premium, unless you have Software Assurance (see above). Additionally, if you purchase SQL Server 2005 Workgroup and join it to your SBS 2003 network, you will need to purchase SQL Server 2005 Workgroup CALs to access the server. Upgrading to SBS 2003 R2 Premium is the most cost-effective way to obtain SQL Server 2005 Workgroup technology.

To prevent the database from growing unexpectedly after an upgrade, the limit is set to 18 GB and can be set up to 75 GB by using a registry key. For more information about setting the limit, see Database Size Limit Configuration and Management on the Microsoft Exchange Server TechCenter.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 and Windows Small Business Server 2003 with SP1 run well on 64-bit capable CPUs today. Customers today will see performance benefits running 32-bit Windows Small Business Server 2003 on 64-bit chips. To build a 64-bit version of Small Business Server, we need all the Small Business Server components, such as Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server, to be 64-bit. After these products reach 64-bit capability, we will evaluate a version of 64-bit Small Business Server based on customer need.

We are still evaluating whether this will be the case, but we encourage customers and partners to begin thinking about the transition to 64-bit computing and preparing for migration of applications to the x64 platform. As discussed at the 2005 WinHEC conference, the industry is beginning its move to 64-bit computing.

There will be a Longhorn version of Windows Small Business Server, but we do not yet have details of the features of this release.

As we release new and updated versions of Small Business Server, we will typically include the latest version of the components at that time. When releases occur "out of cycle" of Small Business Server, we will evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis and continue to consider customer needs. It is important to remember that one of the main customer benefits of Small Business Server is the integration built into the product. Changing components or technologies could affect the overall design or integration. The inclusion of ISA 2004 in Small Business Server 2003 is a special case.

Microsoft CRM 3.0 runs on Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium edition.

Microsoft Update is a new service that is designed to make it easier for you to update Windows, Office, and other Microsoft applications, all in one place. Microsoft Update provides the same updates that you get from Windows Update, plus high-priority updates for Windows Small Business Server, Exchange Server, and SQL Server.

Yes. Microsoft Update includes updates for Windows SBS.

Microsoft Update currently supports updates for Windows Small Business Server, Windows Server, Windows SharePoint Services, Exchange Server, SQL Server, and Outlook.

Yes. Microsoft Update does not offer Service Pack 1 for Windows SBS 2003 or the service packs for Exchange Server 2003.

Because Windows SBS 2003 can be installed and configured in a variety of ways, and because Service Pack 1 for Windows SBS consists of multiple updates, you cannot install Service Pack 1 for Windows SBS through Microsoft Update.