Updating Your Deployment with RMS Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Applies To: Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

This section provides information to help you install Microsoft® Windows® Rights Management Services (RMS) with Service Pack 2 (SP2) in an organization with an existing RMS deployment. Only organizations that have already deployed RMS need to update their deployment with RMS with SP2. Organizations that are deploying RMS for the first time can deploy RMS with SP2 by following the guidelines in Planning an RMS Deployment (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=74999) and Deploying an RMS system (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=75000) in this documentation collection.

You can install RMS with SP2 without removing your existing RMS with SP1 installation. The setup program for RMS with SP2 detects that RMS with SP1 is installed and adds the additional features and settings as required.

Note

An upgrade path from RMS server with no service pack to RMS with SP2 is not supported. If you are using RMS server with no service pack, you must upgrade to RMS with SP1 before upgrading to RMS with SP2. The RMS client can be upgraded from any previous version of the RMS client.

In this subject

  • Preparing for the RMS with SP2 Update

  • Performing the RMS with SP2 Update

  • Updating Clusters

  • Updating RMS Clients

  • Interoperability with RMS version 1.0

  • Removing RMS with SP2

Preparing for the RMS with SP2 Update

The RMS with SP2 update is designed to allow you to continue running RMS without interruption. However, before you upgrade your RMS cluster, it is recommended that you do the following:

  • Back up the configuration database and RMS private key. For more information, see System Backups for RMS (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=75001) in this documentation collection.

  • If you are using a software-based private key, make sure you have the RMS private key password.

  • Back up the logging database if you want to retain previously logged statistics.

  • Make sure you have the latest critical updates and security updates for the operating system installed on your clients and servers. To verify that you have all critical updates and security updates, click Start, click Windows Update, and then follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Performing the RMS with SP2 Update

When the Windows Rights Management Services with Service Pack 2 Setup Wizard detects your RMS installation, it looks at your current RMS with SP1 installation and only add new files or replaces files that need to be changed for RMS with SP2. If you are already successfully running RMS, you do not need to reprovision or perform any additional configuration after you install RMS with SP2 to continue running RMS.

Updating Clusters

If you have installed RMS in a cluster configuration, you should plan for the update of your clusters to minimize the impact of the update on your installation. Consider the following recommendations when determining how best to implement RMS with SP2 in your organization:

  • As a best practice, install RMS with SP2 on a portion of a cluster at a time, so that the upgrade of the cluster can be more predictable and have less of a chance of causing degradation in service during the upgrade.

  • If you have multiple RMS clusters, you should upgrade the root certification clusters first and then upgrade the subenrolled licensing clusters.

  • If you are using group expansion across forests, you can upgrade the clusters in the forests independently without impacting the ability of the RMS servers to expand group membership across forests.

  • RMS with SP2, RMS with SP1, and RMS version 1.0 server can co-exist and interoperate only if they are in different Active Directory forests. It is not recommended to have a different versions of RMS server in the same cluster.

  • The RMS with SP2 setup package can also be used to install a new deployment of RMS with SP2 on a server; it does not require that RMS with SP1 be installed.

Updating RMS Clients

A new RMS with SP2 client is available from either Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center. The RMS with SP2 client setup package can also be used to install a new version of the RMS with SP2 client on a computer; it does not require that the RMS version 1.0 client be installed. The RMS with SP2 client includes a backwards compatibility feature to enable it to be used with RMS-enabled applications that require RMS version 1.0.

For more information about updating and installing the RMS client, see Distributing the RMS Client (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=75070).

Interoperability with RMS Version 1.0

Because RMS with SP2 provides many improvements and performance enhancements, you should install it during your next upgrade cycle. Although RMS servers and clients that are running RMS with SP2 are fully interoperable with RMS servers and clients that are not running RMS with SP2, be aware of the following differences in how they function in a mixed environment:

  • Only servers running RMS with SP1 and later are capable of offline enrollment.

  • Only clients running RMS with SP1 and later are self-activating.

  • The following table depicts the supported functionality for mixed environments:

RMS Server version Features supported with version 1 clients Features supported with SP2 clients Features supported in mixed client environments

1.0

All previous features.

No offline enrollment of server. Server must enroll over the Internet.

No self-activating clients.

All previous features.

No offline enrollment of server.

Self-activating clients.

All previous features.

For SP2 clients, clients are self-activating.

For version 1 clients, clients must activate over the Internet.

SP2

All previous features.

Offline enrollment of server.

No self-activating clients.

All SP1 features.

Offline enrollment of server.

Self-activating clients.

Server lockbox.

Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005 is supported out of the box.

All previous features, plus SP2 features.

Offline enrollment of server.

For SP2 clients, clients are self-activating.

For version 1 clients, clients must activate over the Internet.

Removing RMS with SP2

If you want to return your RMS server to its previous configuration after you install RMS with SP2, you can use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel to remove RMS with SP2.