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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is linked to the Microsoft Update Web service, so WSUS can only update operating system and application versions that are supported by Microsoft Update. The earliest versions supported are Windows 2000 Professional and Office XP, so it is definitely worth upgrading your desktops to WSUS-supported configurations. The optimal configuration would be desktop PCs running Windows XP SP2 and Office 2003.

WSUS currently supports updates for Windows Small Business Server, Windows Server, Windows SharePoint Services, Exchange Server, and SQL Server. SBS 2003 R2 can push patches to other servers running these products on your network.

No. SBS 2003 R2 will be 32-bit only. A 64-bit version is planned for the Longhorn timeframe; at that point, SBS will transition to the new code base and will no longer be available in 32-bit versions. You can still run SBS 2003 R2 on a 64-bit system in 32-bit compatibility mode. This allows you to purchase robust hardware that can run your business today and be ready for a 64-bit upgrade in the future.

No. Exchange Server 2007 is only available as a 64-bit product; it cannot be installed on a 32-bit operating system such as SBS 2003 R2.