This video will perform an in-place upgrade of Windows Server 2012 Domain Controller to Windows Server 2012 R2. An in-place upgrade will keep the existing documents and settings on the server. Windows Server 2012 R2 is consider an incremental upgrade as it adds features to the operating system rather than make major changes to the operating system.
Requirements
Before you deploy your first Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller, either upgrading an existing Domain Controller or promoting an existing Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller, there are a few requirements that need to be met before the first Domain Controller is deployed.
1) Before installing the first Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller, all existing Domain Controllers need to be upgraded to Windows Server 2003 or above.
2) ADPrep /ForestPrep needs to be run once in the forest. ADPrep can be found on the Windows Server 2012 R2 DVD. It only needs to be run once before the first Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controller is deployed. You should use the latest DVD that you have to make sure that your schema is the most recently update as possible.
3) ADPrep /DomainPrep needs to be run in each domain that you plan to deploy Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controllers. It only needs to be run once.
If you want to try Windows Server 2012 R2, you can add it at any time to the domain as a member server. You do not need to run ADPrep before adding the Windows Server 2012 R2. This is only required if the server is a Domain Controller or being promoted to a Domain Controller.
Demonstration
In this demonstration NYDC1, which is running Windows Server 2012, will be upgraded to Windows Server 2012 R2.
1) In order to perform an in-place upgrade, the operating system that you want to upgrade needs to be booted. When this is booted the setup program needs to be run from the DVD to start the upgrade process.
2) Once the setup has started, select the option install now.
3) Since an operating system is already loaded, setup has access to the networking on the operating system and thus can download updates before the install starts. It is a good idea to download updates before the install as this may help the upgrade run smoother.
4) The next screen will ask for your product key. The product key will determine which edition of Windows will be installed.
5) The next screen will ask which edition for Windows Server you will install. Generally the option here will be server core and GUI. The particular edition that will show is the editions on the DVD that are compatible with the product key that you entered.
6) This screen will ask you to accept the license agreement. It is just a matter of ticking the tick box and moving on.
7) On the “what type of installation do you want”, the top option “Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings and applications” needs to be selected. This will upgrade the existing operating system. The second option “custom: install Windows only (advanced)” will install a fresh copy of Windows and thus any programs, documents or settings will not be kept.
Setup will perform a compatibility check of the system. This will check for any known problems that may cause problems with the upgrade. For example, if there is not enough memory in the computer this will be reported. However, 3rd party software is not tested, so you will need to check with your vendor if this software is compatible.
ADPrep
ADPrep is found on the setup DVD in the folder source\ADPrep\ADPrep.exe
Run ADPrep /ForestPrep once in the forest.
Run ADPrep /DomainPrep once in each domain.
Once complete, you can run the command RepAdmin /SyncAll /APeD
This command will force a sync to all the other Domain Controllers in the domain. It is a good idea to wait for a domain sync after running ADPrep if you are planning to deploy a Domain Controller shortly after running ADPrep
References
“Install and Deploy Windows Server 2012” http://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh831620.aspx
“System Requirements and Installation Information for Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview” http://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/library/dn303418.aspx
Credits
Moving from Windows Server 2012 to Windows Server 2012 R2 is fairly straightforward. Here are some tips to make sure the process goes smoothly.
With later versions of Windows Server, you may have noticed that there is an upgrade feature that comes with the server operating system. I recently ran the upgrade on a server (I did a full image backup first!) and found the Windows Server 2012 R2 upgrade process quite easy.One of the good things about Windows Server is that you can now natively mount .ISO files in the operating system. This particular system was a virtual machine, and there have been nice mechanisms to mount .ISO files for a while. But now it’s simply a right-click inside the guest operating system. The upgrade starts from the setup process on the .ISO and running the setup.exe file, so you’ll want to make sure that the drive letter doesn’t change. Mounting the image as a physical optical drive or from the virtualization platform are good additional steps.
There are a few options to consider. One is to check for updates to the installer. Given that Windows Server 2012 R2 code was finalized in August 2013 with the release to market (RTM) edition, there are surely some small tweaks that may need to be corrected. So I think checking for updates is a good idea. The first option you will get on the setup is to check for these updates, then whether to do an upgrade or a new install. If you are going to do a new install, it’s advisable to use a new system image unless you have a data volume you plan to hand off directly to the newly installed system. Figure A shows the option to do the upgrade on an existing Windows Server.
Figure A
It is recommended that you perform the upgrade directly connected to the console, either KVM or a virtual machine console. The system reboots a number of times, and that will help you ensure that the process is going as expected. The boot menu offers a one-time option to roll back the update. With luck, you won’t need it, but it’s there in case something doesn’t go as expected. Once the upgrade process starts, you’ll see a progress bar and a few reboots, as shown in Figure B.
Figure B
There are plenty of scenarios to consider. Be sure to check TechNet post 303416. This KB article outlines a lot of considerations for the upgrade, including what is and is not a supported upgrade path. For instance, you can’t change editions during the upgrade, such as from Standard to Datacenter. Further, you can’t come from an older operating system that was only x86 compatible to the current offering, which is x64 only. Most important, you need to use the same type of product in terms of licensing configuration for the upgrade. For example, if you downloaded a trial of Windows Server 2012 (the 180-day evaluation), you can’t use your corporate licensing .ISOs and keys to correctly do the upgrade. It may work, but trust me: It’s not correct.
When the upgrade process is complete, check the newly upgraded Windows Server 2012 R2 Server to make sure everything is functioning as expected. For starters, look to see whether the network configuration changed. Was a new interface assigned and was the DNS information removed? Did Group Policy and Domain Membership apply successfully? A thorough checkout before calling the upgrade a success would be a wise thing to do!
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Windows Server 2012 Upgrade to Server 2012 R2
The chaps in my office wanted to use the new version 2 Hyper-V VM’s on one of the hosts in our rack so I took it upon myself to upgrade one of our Server 2012 hosts to R2 (non DC). After some researching it looked pretty painless so I forged forward.
Pretty standard MS wizard install.
Going online to get updates worked fine, I have had instances where it caused issues, but not this time.
Selected my version.
It gave me the option to Upgrade so I took it!
It wouldn’t be a MS install if I didn’t fail at least one compatibility check and have to reboot at least once. In this case it was minor and a reboot fixed all.
Restarted and I’m moving forward to the boiler plate install warning.
And I’m off!
And boom, after a few reboots later I’m on an upgrade 2012 R2 server install.
Now onto see if everything worked, fist issue is Activation. The server is no longer activated, but I guess I should of seen this one coming. It didn’t like my 2012 key (Obv) so I plumbed in an R2 one and it was happy, Next!
Server Manager is complaining about its refreshes. saying “The system cannot access one or more event logs because of insufficient access right, file corruption, or other reasons”
The fix to this one for me was as follows. Fire up Regedit and go to…
HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWINEVTChannels
Once there backup the registry key (just in case) DXPTaskRingTone/Analytic and then delete it.
Refresh the Server Manager and it should be all clean again. (thanks! source). Finally I did a few rounds of updates a few reboots and everything was green across the board.
All in all this was a pretty smooth upgrade, thanks Microsoft for making my life a little easier. This of course was a non DC install so I might change my tune later.
1 Answer. To upgrade from Windows Server 2012 to Windows Server 2012 R2, you can use the installation media of Windows Server 2012 R2. During the setup process, you will be prompted to choose whether you want to perform a clean install or an Upgrade.
How do I update Windows Server 2012?
Detailed steps for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 In the search box, type Windows Update, and then tap or select Windows Update. In the details pane, select Check for updates, and then wait while Windows looks for the latest updates for your computer.
Can Windows 2012 be upgraded to 2019?
Can Windows Server 2012 r2 be upgraded to 2019? First of all, the answer is yes. In-place upgrade enables you to upgrade older system to the newer one directly while keeping the same hardware and all the settings, server roles, data intact without flattening the server.
Which systems Cannot be directly upgraded to Windows Server 2012 R2?
Which systems cannot be directly upgraded to Windows Server 2012 R2? If the existing system is running Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003, you can’t upgrade directly to Windows Server 2012 R2.
What is the difference between Windows Server 2012 r1 and R2?
When it comes to the user interface, there’s little difference between Windows Server 2012 R2 and its predecessor. The real changes are under the surface, with significant enhancements to Hyper-V, Storage Spaces and to Active Directory. Windows Server 2012 R2 is configured, like Server 2012, via Server Manager.
Which of the following is a valid edition of Windows Server 2012 R2?
Editions. Windows Server 2012 has four editions: Foundation, Essentials, Standard and Datacenter.
Is Windows Server 2012 still supported?
Windows Server 2012, and 2012 R2 End of Extended support is approaching per the Lifecycle Policy: Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Extended Support will end on October 10, 2023. Customers are upgrading to the latest release of Windows Server and applying the latest innovation to modernize their IT environment.
Does Server 2012 still get updates?
According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Extended Support will end on October 10, 2023, while SQL Server 2012 Extended Support will end on July 12, 2022.
Does Windows Server 2012 still get security updates?
Microsoft has announced Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2008 and 2012, and for SQL Server 2012 – and made it free if you run them in its Azure cloud. The current extended support offering for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 ends on October 10, 2023.
Does Microsoft support in-place upgrade?
An In-Place Upgrade from Windows Storage Server Editions to Windows Server 2019 is not supported. You can perform either a Migration or Installation instead.
Can you upgrade Windows 10 to Windows Server 2019?
No its unfortunately not possible. Windows 10 has these upgrade paths and they include only client OS versions, not server.
What are the different versions of Windows Server 2019?
Windows Server 2019 is offered in three editions: Datacenter, Standard, or Essentials.
What is the difference between an in-place upgrade and a migration?
A migration is much simpler than an in-place upgrade. In-place upgrades take significantly less time. A migration copies vital information from the existing Server to a clean installation of Windows Server 2012 R2. There are no Windows Server tools available for a migration.
Can I upgrade Windows 2008 R2 to 2016?
Without a clean install, Windows 2008 servers cannot upgrade straight to 2016: You must first upgrade to 2012 and then upgrade to 2016, which means you’re going to need to plan ahead for a more substantial upgrade. It’s best to consider your upgrade path in full now, rather than being caught in a long upgrade sequence.
What is the latest version of Windows Server?
Windows Server 2016 vs 2019 Windows Server 2019 is the latest version of Microsoft Windows Server. The current version of Windows Server 2019 improves on the previous Windows 2016 version in regards with better performance, improved security, and excellent optimizations for hybrid integration.
Is Server 2012 R2 free?
Windows Server 2012 R2 offers four paid editions (ordered by price from low to high): Foundation (OEM only), Essentials, Standard, and Datacenter. Standard and Datacenter editions offer Hyper-V while Foundation and Essentials editions don’t. The completely free Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 also includes Hyper-V.
Is Windows Server 2012 R2 an operating system?
Windows Server 2012 R2, codenamed “Windows Server 8.1”, is the seventh version of the Windows Server operating system by Microsoft, as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It was unveiled on June 3, 2013 at TechEd North America, and released on October 18 of the same year.
Is Windows Server 2012 R2 a physical server?
For example, a Windows 2012 Server R2 Standard edition installed on a physical server with one socket (CPU) can support up to two instances of virtual machines. These virtual machines can be Server 2012 R2 Standard or Essentials edition.
What is the minimum hardware requirements for Windows Server 2012?
Table 2-2 Windows Server 2012 R2 Hardware Requirements Component Minimum Requirement Microsoft Recommended Processor 1.4 GHz 2 GHz or faster Memory 512 MB RAM 2 GB RAM or greater Available Disk Space 32 GB 40 GB or greater Optical Drive DVD-ROM drive DVD-ROM drive.
How long is Server 2012 R2 supported?
Support Dates Listing Start Date Extended End Date Windows Server 2012 R2 Nov 25, 2013 Oct 10, 2023.
How long will Windows Server 2019 be supported?
Support Dates Listing Start Date Extended End Date Windows Server 2019 Nov 13, 2018 Jan 9, 2029.
Will there be a Windows Server 2021?
The next Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) release of Windows Server, officially called Windows Server 2022, will be released “later this calendar year,” Microsoft announced in March during its 2021 virtual Ignite conference. A preview is now available to download.6 days ago.
How often should I upgrade server?
Most IT professionals recommend that servers are replaced every 3-5 years. The cost of server support is estimated to increase as much as 200% when a server is 5 years old. At that age your server is unlikely to be performing at optimum capacity and is at a high risk of failure.
What Windows Server versions are still supported?
Several versions of Windows Server are still in active use today: 2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019. If you’re wondering, “What version of Windows server do I have?” you can find out by going to the About section in the System area of Settings.