SBS 2003 R2 is built on Windows Server 2003 technology. It includes the robust security enhancements and basic firewall features found in Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition. It also includes Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) that automatically downloads and installs patches for your servers and desktops on your network. This keeps your network up to date while protecting your network and valuable business information.

SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition has many of the key new features of SQL Server 2005, including programmability improvements such as CLR integration and SQL Service Broker support, Reporting Services, including the new end-user reporting tool, Report Builder, and SQL Server Management Studio, a new management tool for SQL Server 2005. These are all new features that come with SQL Server 2005 and are not available in SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition.

Yes. SQL Server Reporting Services, including the new Report Builder and end-user reporting tool, will be available as part of SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition, which will be integrated into SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition. Most applications designed for SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition will be compatible with SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition. However it is important to review the backward compatibility documentation for SQL Server 2005.

If your Software Assurance contract is current at the time that SBS 2003 R2 releases-to-manufacturing, then you will be entitled to SBS 2003 R2 through your normal fulfillment channel for a nominal shipping and handling fee.

The paper CALs are the same regardless of which edition you purchase. The CALs refer to the rights for your users or devices that are granted in the license agreement accompanying your server; the user rights are not contained in the CAL. You can purchase additional CALs from any sales channel you prefer—retail, through a Microsoft volume licensing agreement, or from your hardware manufacturer or provider—and use those CALs with your server.

The English and German versions of SBS 2003 R2 are available as of July 11. Localized languages will follow within 60 days.

Yes. You can downgrade from SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition to SBS 2003 Premium Edition with Service Pack 1. You can also downgrade from SBS 2003 R2 Standard Edition to SBS 2003 to SBS 2003 Standard Edition with Service Pack 1. If you obtained your server with SBS preinstalled from a partner or OEM, in order to exercise your downgrade rights you must already have your SBS 2003 media available.

SBS 2003 R2 is the ideal first server for new customers looking for a cost-effective solution, or as a product upgrade for existing customers seeking to upgrade or improve their competitive advantage. With new patch and update management, improved security and availability, and unique-to-SBS wizards and consoles, SBS 2003 R2 is the obvious choice for a high-value, low-cost IT solution.

The SBS 2003 R2 license gives you the right to install and use the server software. The SBS 2003 R2 CAL gives you the right for a device or user to access the server software. You need both types of licenses in order to be in compliance.

No. The Licenses console displays the total number of CALs that have been activated on the server and maximum number of clients that were connected since the last server restart. This provides a quick indicator as to whether additional CALs should be purchased. It does not provide a real-time license monitor. You will need to maintain records of what you have purchased, and how you have assigned the first 5 CALs that come with the server. Yes.

SBS 2003 R2 helps make it easier to enforce your company’s Internet access policy. With Standard Edition, you can define on a global scale which groups have Internet access and which ones don’t through the use of user templates and Group Policies.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (SBS 2003 R2) is an update release to the award-winning SBS 2003 product, providing new features to address the growing needs of small businesses.

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 is scheduled to release-to-manufacturing in the second quarter of 2006 (English version; localized languages will follow). No. Most of the new features in Windows Server 2003 R2 are designed for medium- to large-sized businesses, and therefore are not applicable to the small business customer. SBS 2003 R2 will only include one Windows Server 2003 R2 component and that component is Windows SharePoint Services Service Pack 2.

No. The SBS version running on your server determines which CAL rights apply on your network. The SBS 2003 server license does not provide the SBS 2003 R2 expanded CAL rights. As long as SBS 2003 is running on your server, you do not gain the expanded CAL rights of SBS 2003 R2. The only way to gain the expanded SBS 2003 R2 CAL rights is to purchase and install SBS 2003 R2 on your server.

One of the key benefits of SBS 2003 R2 is the integration of leading server technologies, including Windows Server and Exchange Server. Because of this, SBS must release after all of its product components have been released, and after completing additional integration and testing. SBS customers with Software Assurance* will be able to SBS 2003 R2 without purchasing a new server license** for a nominal shipping and handling fee.

No. The core Windows Server 2003 technologies are available in SBS 2003 R2, but many of the enhancements in Windows Server 2003 R2 are designed for medium- to large-sized businesses. By the time most small businesses require those technologies, such as an enterprise-class branch office infrastructure management, their IT needs have exceeded the capabilities of SBS 2003 R2.

SBS 2003 R2 configures connectivity for your Windows Mobile-based Smartphone or Pocket PC Phone Edition when the device connects to a client computer within the network. Once configured, the device can be synchronized with the server in any wireless environment. Users can send and receive e-mail, and manage contacts and calendar items as if they were sitting at their desktop computer. You can learn how to configure SBS and your wireless devices for remote e-mail access on the Microsoft Web site.

No. The SBS 2003 R2 network configuration tools, including the Configure Email and Internet Connection Wizard, are not designed to work with ISA 2006 and this configuration is not supported.

No. You must purchase additional Exchange Server 2007 CALs in order to be compliant with your licenses. Yes. When a user authenticates against the network, such as reading e-mail or using Remote Web Workplace, they are required to have either a user or device CAL.

No. Your SBS 2003 R2 CALs allow your users to access any additional servers running Windows Server software in the domain. You do not need to buy additional CALs for file and print services, or to access additional servers running Exchange Server 2003 or SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition. However, you will need to purchase Terminal Server CALs if you have a server running Terminal Services in application mode on your network.

Yes. The Microsoft Connector for POP3 Mailboxes is included with both SBS 2003 R2 Standard Edition and Premium Edition.”

Yes. The most common configuration is to configure a server as a domain controller and then install it in a remote office. You can then manage all the users and computers in your SBS 2003 R2 domain using the server running SBS 2003 R2, while still providing local logon, printing, storage, and management capabilities at each office. You can install them, but Microsoft has not tested and does not support installing the standalone or enterprise editions on your SBS 2003 R2 server.

If third-party antivirus software is compatible with Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003, then it is also compatible with SBS 2003 R2. We recommend that your antivirus software be "Exchange aware," and that it be based on a client/server configuration, rather than on a purely client or desktop solution. Consider using solutions from Sybari, a Microsoft subsidiary.

During a regular audit of the released-to-manufacturing Windows SBS 2003 R2 media (CDs and DVDs), Microsoft discovered that some product non-final versions had been included. These issues do not affect server stability, data integrity, or compromise system security; however they do affect the ability to apply, over the life of the server, automatic updates (from Microsoft Update to the server running SBS 2003 R2). Therefore SBS 2003 R2 product was recalled and re-released.

No. The software is available through normal purchasing channels, such as your IT consultant or software reseller. When you purchase SBS 2003 R2, you will receive the appropriate media for your edition. See the Pricing and Licensing section for information on how to purchase SBS 2003 R2. New customers are also encouraged to participate in the SBS 2003 R2 Technology Upgrade Program – please visit http://www.microsoft.com/sbsr2tup for details.

SBS 2003 R2 is targeted at businesses with up to 75 users or devices. When a business gets close to the upper limit of 75 users or devices, it’s time to consider moving to the standalone versions of the SBS product technologies: Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition, and SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition.