Determining Compatibility with Windows Server

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 with SP1

At a minimum, your existing system hardware and software must be compatible with the Windows Server 2003 family before migrating the Web sites and applications to IIS 6.0. You must identify any software or hardware devices that are incompatible with Windows Server 2003.

Compatibility of Existing Hardware

When you select the computer that will be the target server, ensure that the computer is compatible with Windows Server 2003. The most common hardware incompatibility is a device driver that is no longer supported or is not yet supported in Windows Server 2003. When a device is no longer supported, remove the existing device and then install an equivalent device that is supported by Windows Server 2003. It is also important that you have a current system BIOS from your computer manufacturer.

For example, the target server might have a network adapter that is not included with Windows Server 2003. You can review the manufacturers Web site to obtain a driver that is compatible with Windows Server 2003.

For more information about the hardware devices supported by the Windows Server2003 operating systems, see the Hardware Compatibility List or the Windows Server Catalog.

Compatibility of Existing Software

Before migrating, you need to consider the compatibility of your existing applications, or other software that is installed on your server, with Windows Server 2003. This includes software and tools from manufacturers other than Microsoft, as well as Microsoft server products that do not ship with the Windows operating system. Make sure that you have the latest versions of all pre-existing software or service packs that are compatible with Windows Server 2003.

The most common software incompatibilities are caused when your application depends on software from another manufacturer that does not support Windows Server 2003. Or, you might have applications that were designed to run on Windows NT Server 4.0 or Windows 2000 Server operating systems, which reference APIs that have been changed or removed in Windows Server 2003.

To help you determine the compatibility of your existing software with Windows Server 2003, use the Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit before migrating your Web sites and applications to the target server.