Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 is a collection of updates and security enhancements to the current Windows Server 2003 operating system. Service Pack 2 (SP2) tightens security of your Windows Server and improves its performance and reliability.

Get more information on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2.

Windows Server 2003 SP2 directly benefits administrators (for example, in the area of the Microsoft Management Console (MMC)) and addresses the overall organizational readiness of Microsoft's compatibility with Windows Vista as well as the ability to better utilized sophisticated multi-core machines.

By upgrading to Windows Server 2003 SP2, your Windows Server will benefit in many ways.

• Administrators will like the improvements to the Microsoft Management Console. MMC 3.0 offers new and improved command-line tools.

• You can take advantage of improved security, such as Wireless Protected Access 2 (WPA2), which will get you ready for the next generation of wireless access.

• SP2 provides improved performance for SQL 2005, network scalability, and Windows virtualization.

• Using Windows Deployment Services (WDS), SP2 will also tune-up your system and get it ready for Windows Vista and Windows Longhorn so that you can enjoy a seamless deployment of this new product.

• New firewall per port; authentication secures traffic between the extranet environment and internal assets that are protected via IPsec domain isolation.

• Update either Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Professional x64.

• The Scaleable Networking Pack (SNP) allows Windows Server 2003 administrators to cost-effectively scale their network-based applications while optimizing server performance and maximizing network throughput.

• Microsoft Management Console 3.0 (MMC 3.0) gives you a framework that unifies and simplifies day-to-day system management tasks on Windows by providing common navigation, menus, toolbars, and workflow across diverse tools.

• Windows Server 2003 and x64 has added support for the following languages: German, French, Korean, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified, Spanish, Italian, Russian and, Portuguese (Brazilian). Windows XP Professional x64 Edition will continue to be supported in only English and Japanese.

• A new XmlLite library allows developers to build high-performance XML-based applications that provide a high degree of interoperability with other applications that adhere to the XML 1.0 standard.

• A new improved ICACLS tool is an upgrade of the CACLS tool in Windows Server 2003 SP2. You can us ICACLS to reset the account control lists (ACL) on files from Recovery Console, and to back up ACLs.

New Releases

Service Pack 2 is the first Service Pack that patches Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional x64 RTM SKUs via a single update. In addition, Service Pack 2 also updates Windows Server 2003 R2 RTM release with a single install experience.

Service Pack 2 is available in two versions:

• Standalone version in a release to the Web is available at the Microsoft Download Center and on Windows Update. The standalone version is also available on CD. The update installs on top of any existing Winders Server 2003 (RTM or Service Pack 1) or Windows XP Profession x64 editions.

• Integrated version applies to the following:

  • Windows Server 2003 R2 Editions with Service Pack 2

  • Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems

  • Windows Server 2003 Web Edition

  • Windows XP X64 Professional

The integrated version for Windows Server 2003 R2 Service Pack 2 (# 1 above) will be split across two CDs – CD1 contains the operating system and SP2 updates and CD2 have R2 components and SP2 updates.

New Features:

• Scalable Networking Pack

• XMLLite

Enhancements to Existing Features

The enhancements to Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 include:

• Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

• Enabling ‘Firewall Per Port’ Authentication

• Microsoft Management Console 3.0 (MMC 3.0)

• Wireless Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

• iCACLS tool

• Expanded Windows Server 2003 Datacenter SKUs

• Release of MUI Packs to insure greater compatibility between base and MUI language

• Performance Improvements for SQL Servers

• Enhanced discoverability options in MSConfig

• Improved IPsec filter management

• Performance Improvements under Windows Virtualization

• Increased default storage for Message Queuing

• Improvements to DCDIAG Domain Name Service tests

• New Events for Cluster Service Accounts

Each of these key updates, enhancements, and new features provided with Windows Server 2003 SP2 will be covered in greater detail in the following sections.

In addition, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 supports 9 new localized languages for the Windows Server 2003 x64 SKUs.

Supported Scenarios

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 is the first Service Pack for the Windows Server 2003 platform that patches the RTM and R2 versions. We have enabled all key install scenarios for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 and R2 RTM customers.

Windows Server 2003 Integrated with Service Pack 2

Windows Server 2003 Release 2 CD2

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Standalone Update

The following table lists the supported update paths to Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

Base OS/SP	Migration to OS/SP
	Windows Server 2003 RTM	Windows Server 2003 SP1	Windows Server 2003 R2	Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2
Windows 2000 SP4	Windows Server 2003 RTM Upgrade	Windows Server 2003 Integrated w/SP1	Windows Server 2003 Integrated w/SP1 and
Windows Server 2003 RTM		Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Standalone Update	Windows Server 2003 SP1 Update and	OR OR R2 RTM and
Windows Server 2003 SP1
Windows Server 2003 R2

Base OS/SP	Migration to OS/SP
	Windows XP Pro (x64) RTM	Windows XP Pro (x64) SP2
Windows XP Pro (x86)1
Windows XP Pro (x64)

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Prerequisites