Today is a sad day; it’s the last day that Microsoft supports Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, and the related SBS versions.
The year was 2003 when I joined a spinoff of Hypovereinsbank called Hypo International, a finance company that would later try to crash the European economy (allegedly). HVB was stuck in the past running NT 4.0 Server and Workstation with Office 97. I worked in the HQ of the new company and was responsible for designing our global Windows network. I argued for Windows Server 2003 which had just gone GA, and I won out, and we deployed Windows XP on the desktop. We were going to be bleeding edge, doing all things by the book, and eventually we even ran what would become System Center to centrally manage the entire network. But powering it all was my baby, W2003. W2003 proved to be rock solid.
But times changed, as did the whims of the directors who attempted to move the IT department to Stuttgart (the new CIO later expressed to me how wrong a decision this ended up being) and I was made redundant. Work places changed, how we worked changed, W2008 came and went, W2008 R2 came and went, WS2012 came and went, WS2012 R2 arrived, and now we have a technical preview 2 release of WS2016.
So today, July 14th 2015, is the last day that Microsoft supports the aged W2003 and derivatives. The date was not a secret so there are no excuses. Fare thee well Windows Server 2003, and I look forward to working with your great, great, great grandchild in 2016.
Attempting to justify your stubbornness on not upgrading from W2003 on this site leaves you open to intense public derision and ridicule.
So long, and thanks for all the fish…
RIP Windows Server 2003 R2 it was a pleasure to work with you!
Windows 2000 was rock solid… Windows 2003 Server 1058/1030 errors in the logs on my DC’s every five minutes on 4 of my 5 sites scarred me for a log time… glad it’s gone.