Upgrade Options for Windows Server 2012 R2

Applies To: Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

This topic includes information about upgrading to Windows ServerВ® 2012 R2 from a variety of previous operating systems using a variety of methods.

The process of moving to Windows Server 2012 R2 might vary greatly depending on which operating system you are starting with and the pathway you take. We use the following terms to distinguish among different actions, any of which could be involved in a new Windows Server 2012 R2 deployment.

Installation is the basic concept of getting the new operating system on your hardware. Specifically, a clean installation requires deleting the previous operating system. For information about installing Windows Server 2012 R2, see System Requirements and Installation Information for Windows Server 2012 R2. For information about installing other versions of Windows Server, see Windows Server Installation and Upgrade.

Upgrade means moving from your existing operating system release to a more recent release, while staying on the same hardware. For example, if your server is running Windows Server 2012, you can upgrade it to Windows Server 2012 R2. You can upgrade from an evaluation version of the operating system to a retail version, from an older retail version to a newer version, or, in some cases, from a volume-licensed edition of the operating system to an ordinary retail edition.

License conversion in some operating system releases, you can convert a particular edition of the release to another edition of the same release in a single step with a simple command and the appropriate license key. We call this “license conversion.” For example, if you are running Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard, you can convert it to Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter.

Migration means moving from your existing operating system to Windows Server 2012 R2 by transferring to a different set of hardware. Migration, which might vary considerably depending on the server roles you have installed, is discussed in detail at https://technet.microsoft.com/windowsserver/dn458795.

Depending on your scenario, you might encounter a variety of different upgrade pathways.

Upgrading previous retail versions of Windows Server to Windows Server 2012 R2

The table below briefly summarizes which already licensed (that is, not evaluation) Windows operating systems can be upgraded to which editions of Windows Server 2012 R2.

Note the following general guidelines for supported paths:

In-place upgrades from 32-bit to 64-bit architectures are not supported. All editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 are 64-bit only.

In-place upgrades from one language to another are not supported.

In-place upgrades from one build type (fre to chk, for example) are not supported.

If the server is a domain controller, see https://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh994618.aspx for important information.

Upgrades from pre-release versions of Windows Server 2012 R2 are not supported. Perform a clean installation to Windows Server 2012 R2.

Upgrades that switch from a Server Core installation to the Server with a GUI mode of Windows Server 2012 R2 in one step (and vice versa) are not supported. However, after upgrade is complete, Windows Server 2012 R2 allows you to switch freely between Server Core and Server with a GUI modes. For more information about these installation options, how to convert between them, and how to use the new Minimal Server Interface and Features on Demand, see https://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh831786.

If you do not see your current version in the left column, upgrading to this release of Windows Server 2012 R2 is not supported.

If you see more than one edition in the right column, upgrade to either edition from the same starting version is supported.

If you are running:

You can upgrade to these editions:

Windows ServerВ 2008В R2 Datacenter with SP1

Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

Windows ServerВ 2008В R2 Enterprise with SP1

Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

Windows ServerВ 2008В R2 Standard with SP1

Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

Windows Web ServerВ 2008В R2 with SP1

Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard

Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

Windows Server 2012 Standard

Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard or Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter

Hyper-V Server 2012

Hyper-V Server 2012 R2

Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard

Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Standard

Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup

Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Workgroup

Per-server-role considerations for upgrading

Even in supported upgrade paths from previous retail versions to Windows Server 2012 R2, certain server roles that are already installed might require additional preparation or actions for the role to continue functioning after the upgrade. Consult the specific TechNet Library topics for each server role you intend to install for details of additional steps that might be required.

Converting a current evaluation version to a current retail version

You can convert the evaluation version of Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard to either Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard (retail) or Datacenter (retail). Similarly, you can convert the evaluation version of Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter to the retail version.

Before you attempt to convert from evaluation to retail, verify that your server is actually running an evaluation version. To do this, do either of the following:

From an elevated command prompt, run slmgr.vbs /dlv; evaluation versions will include “EVAL” in the output.

From the Start screen, open Control Panel. Open System and Security, and then System. View Windows activation status in the Windows activation area of the System page. Click View details in Windows activation for more information about your Windows activation status.

If you have already activated Windows, the Desktop shows the time remaining in the evaluation period.

If the server is running a retail version instead of an evaluation version, see the “Upgrading previous retail versions of Windows Server to Windows Server 2012 R2” section of this topic for instructions to upgrade to Windows Server 2012.

For Windows Server 2012 Essentials: You can convert to the full retail version by entering a retail, volume license, or OEM key in the command slmgr.vbs.

If the server is running an evaluation version of Windows Server 2012 Standard or Windows Server 2012 Datacenter, you can convert it to a retail version as follows:

If the server is a domain controller, you cannot convert it to a retail version. In this case, install an additional domain controller on a server that runs a retail version and remove AD DS from the domain controller that runs on the evaluation version. For more information, see https://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh994618.aspx.

Read the license terms.

From an elevated command prompt, determine the current edition name with the command DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition. Make note of the edition ID, an abbreviated form of the edition name. Then run DISM /online /Set-Edition: /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula, providing the edition ID and a retail product key. The server will restart twice.

For the evaluation version of Windows Server 2012 Standard, you can also convert to the retail version of Windows Server 2012 Datacenter in one step using this same command and the appropriate product key.

Converting a current retail version to a different current retail version

At any time after installing Windows Server 2012, you can run Setup to repair the installation (sometimes called “repair in place”) or, in certain cases, to convert to a different edition.

You can run Setup to perform a “repair in place” on any edition of Windows Server 2012; the result will be the same edition you started with.

For Windows Server 2012 Standard, you can convert the system to Windows Server 2012 Datacenter as follows: From an elevated command prompt, determine the current edition name with the command DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition. Make note of the edition ID, an abbreviated form of the edition name. Then run DISM /online /Set-Edition: /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX /AcceptEula, providing the edition ID and a retail product key. The server will restart twice.

Converting a current volume-licensed version to a current retail version

At any time after installing Windows Server 2012, you can freely convert it between a volume-licensed version, a retail version, or an OEM version. The edition remains the same during this conversion.

To do this, from an elevated command prompt, run:

slmgr /ipk

Where is the appropriate volume-license, retail, or OEM product key.

Installing Windows Server 2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

This document provides information about installing the Windows Server 2012 operating system, including any known issues that you may need to work around before starting an installation. It also provides information that you can use to troubleshoot problems that may occur during the installation. For information about serious known issues that you may need to work around after installation is complete, see the release notes, available at the same location as this document.

Setup works in several stages. You will be prompted for some basic information, and then Setup will copy files and restart the computer. Setup concludes by presenting a menu for Initial Configuration Tasks, which you can use to configure your server for your specific needs.

Preinstallation information

System requirements

The following are estimated system requirements for the Windows Server 2012. If your computer has less than the «minimum» requirements, you will not be able to install this product correctly. Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you install.

Processor

Processor performance depends not only on the clock frequency of the processor, but also on the number of processor cores and the size of the processor cache. The following are the processor requirements for this product:

• Minimum: 1.4В GHz 64-bit processor

The following are the estimated RAM requirements for this product:

• Minimum: 512 MB

Disk space requirements

The following are the estimated minimum disk space requirements for the system partition.

Minimum: 32 GB

Be aware that 32 GB should be considered an absolute minimum value for successful installation. The system partition will need extra space for any of the following circumstances: If you install the system over a network. Computers with more than 16 GB of RAM will require more disk space for paging, hibernation, and dump files.

Other requirements

You also need to have the following:

Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor

Keyboard and MicrosoftВ® mouse (or other compatible pointing device)

Internet access (fees may apply)

Important information for x64-based operating systems

Ensure that you have updated and digitally signed kernel-mode drivers for Windows ServerВ 2012

If you install a Plug and Play device, you may receive a warning if the driver is not digitally signed. If you install an application that contains a driver that is not digitally signed, you will not receive an error during Setup. In both cases, Windows Server 2012 will not load the unsigned driver.

If you are not sure whether the driver is digitally signed, or if you are unable to boot into your computer after the installation, use the following procedure to disable the driver signature requirement. This procedure enables your computer to start correctly, and the unsigned driver will load successfully.

To disable the signature requirement for the current boot process:

Restart the computer and during startup, press F8.

Select Advanced Boot Options.

Select Disable Driver Signature Enforcement.

Boot into WindowsВ® and uninstall the unsigned driver.

Before you start Setup

Before you install Windows Server 2012, follow the steps in this section to prepare for the installation.

Disconnect UPS devices. If you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to your destination computer, disconnect the serial cable before running Setup. Setup automatically attempts to detect devices that are connected to serial ports, and UPS equipment can cause issues with the detection process.

Back up your servers. Your backup should include all data and configuration information that is necessary for the computer to function. It is important to perform a backup of configuration information for servers, especially those that provide network infrastructure, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers. When you perform the backup, be sure to include the boot and system partitions and the system state data. Another way to back up configuration information is to create a backup set for Automated System Recovery.

Disable your virus protection software. Virus protection software can interfere with installation. For example, it can make installation much slower by scanning every file that is copied locally to your computer.

Provide mass storage drivers. If your manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file, save the file to a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive in either the root directory of the media or the amd64 folder. To provide the driver during Setup, on the disk selection page, click Load Driver (or press F6). You can browse to locate the driver or have Setup search the media.

Be aware that Windows Firewall is on by default. Server applications that must receive unsolicited inbound connections will fail until you create inbound firewall rules to allow them. Check with your application vendor to determine which ports and protocols are necessary for the application to run correctly.

Supported upgrade paths

The table below briefly summarizes supported upgrade paths to Windows Server 2012. For more details on upgrade paths, important caveats to upgrade, and additional information about evaluation versions, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=260917.

If you do not see your current version in the left column, upgrading to this release of Windows Server 2012 is not supported.

If you see more than one edition in the right column, upgrade to either edition from the same starting version is supported.

If you are running:

You can upgrade to these editions:

Windows Server 2008 Standard with SP2 or Windows Server 2008 Enterprise with SP2

Windows Server 2012 Standard, Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

Windows Server 2008 Datacenter with SP2

Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

Windows Web Server 2008

Windows Server 2012 Standard

Windows ServerВ 2008В R2 Standard with SP1 or Windows ServerВ 2008В R2 Enterprise with SP1

Windows Server 2012 Standard, Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

Windows ServerВ 2008В R2 Datacenter with SP1

Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

Windows Web ServerВ 2008В R2

Windows Server 2012 Standard

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