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Not sure if this is possible, or what the steps are if it is. We have a server running Windows Server 2003 R2 64-bit as the OS, and SQL Standard Edition 2005 32-bit.

I have been tasked to upgrade the OS to Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit AND the SQL to 2008 R2 64-bit.

Is it possible to do this without doing a format/reinstall? Can I upgrade the OS to 2008 and then upgrade SQL to 2008? Is there going to be a problem upgrading SQL to 64-bit?

We do have a database running on this server that has already been upgraded to run on SQL 2008. This server is a test server and they want me to match the specs with the production server (without re-installing if I can).

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Wesley
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charnley
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1 Answers1

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Is it possible to do this without doing a format/reinstall?

Yes. According to this document Server 2003 R2 is NOT listed as an "unsupported" upgrade path, which is a good sign.

Can I upgrade the OS to 2008 and then upgrade SQL to 2008?

Yes.

Is there going to be a problem upgrading SQL to 64-bit?

Yes. You normally cannot upgrade from 32-bit (anything) to 64-bit (anything), so you will need to do a fresh install of SQL Server 2008 R2 64-bit to a named instance and then migrate everything over.

Mark Henderson
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  • +1, Also the DBs can be detached from older versions of SQL and attached to newer versions (including 32 to 64 bits). Instance level settings still need to be brought over (for a simple instance manually is the quickest). – Chris S Jan 27 '11 at 03:09
  • Thank you for the information. I am not a db person, so I have what could be a very stupid question. Is it possible to run multiple versions of SQL on a single server - 2003 and 2008, or even 32-bit and 64-bit? – charnley Jan 27 '11 at 04:04
  • @charnley - yes. You can mix and match any flavours you want on a single server. You could run Server 2000 32-bit side by side with 2008 R2 64-bit. – Mark Henderson Jan 27 '11 at 04:06