# Server 2012 R2 upgrade to ........



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Hello all. Hope this finds everyone doing ok today. 

I work for a small biz. We have 1 server running Server 2012 R2 with 5 clients accessing it. We have 1 major App installed for our business on it. It's called SAGE. Anyway, I figure sometime down the road this SAGE program will require us to upgrade the Server OS. Having said that, when we bought our new Dell Server, I ordered it without an OS on it. 

Reason being, we would have had to pay the SAGE integrator to re-install their software "again", which was pricey to start with, so I restored a disk image to the new server which had the OS and it's apps installed on it. It was a smooth transition from our old server to the new one.

My question is, will/can Server 2019 be installed as an upgrade -vs- a new install which would wipe out all the data and apps? I'm not concerned with the data. We get nightly backups of it, and saved in multiple locations. It's that SAGE software I don't want to pay for again.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## lochlomonder (Jul 24, 2015)

Yes, you can do an in-place upgrade. Have a read here.


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Thanks... I'll take a peek at it. I have our older server which I can restore an image too, and roll out that upgrade and see what pops...


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

SayCheeze said:


> Thanks... I'll take a peek at it. I have our older server which I can restore an image too, and roll out that upgrade and see what pops...


Wise move


----------



## Gr3iz (Mar 9, 2009)

It's nice to have a sandbox to play in ... ;-)


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

I'm DL the eval version of 2019 now. Can I upgrade the TEST machine from 2012 to 2019 with the eval version? I guess I'll know once I try ...


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Hello all. I thought I remembered this process from the past. I followed the link above and printed the instructions out. I went back to the spare server running 2012 R2, and tried to perform the upgrade. When I get to the screen about which image to select to install, 2019 standard, 2019 Desktop, 2019 data center, and 2019 datacenter, it won't allow me to select the radio button to leave the apps and data. The only option to me is to replace everything, which I can't afford to do, due to the apps that we paid integrators to install a couple of years ago. We basically would having to start all over.

Thoughts?


----------



## markdaniel (11 mo ago)

SayCheeze said:


> Hello all. Hope this finds everyone doing ok today.
> 
> I work for a small biz. We have 1 server running Server 2012 R2 with 5 clients accessing it. We have 1 major App installed for our business on it. It's called SAGE. Anyway, I figure sometime down the road this SAGE program will require us to upgrade the Server OS. Having said that, when we bought our new Dell Server, I ordered it without an OS on it.
> 
> ...


Old Server hardware is different, and new Server hardware is different. Obviously, the drivers are also different. Did u install new drivers on it ?


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Drivers? Drivers for what? Hardware? I'm trying to perform an in-line upgrade on the OS. My test server is running fine. The upgrade just won't allow me to pick upgrade. It will only let me create a "new" fresh install of the the OS. The radio button to allow me to leave files and app's is not clickable.

Thanks


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

edit - see below


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

From my *very bad* memory I think you have to go
2012>2016>2019


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Hey..Peter, It's worth a shot..  Thanks


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Well. Nada. Nothing I do will work. I ran updates on the Server just to make sure he's happy. The update radial button is not clickable. Just a new install works. I did read in a white paper from Sage about our upcoming upgrade, that Server 2012 R2 should be fine, but still. I would like find out how to move on from 2012 R2 to a newer version. If it's even possible.


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

So it upgraded o 2016 with no problems?


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

PeterOz said:


> So it upgraded o 2016 with no problems?


No. I won't allow me to do a in-line upgrade. Just a fresh install deleting all apps, which we paid to have installed by a SAGE integrator.


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

Ok I thought it went to 2016 and failed from 16 to 19


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

As of right now, the main application we're running on the server doesn't require the OS to be upgraded. Sometime down the road I figure it will. Until then, we're sticking with 2012 R2. Of course one option is to just buy 2016 or even 19, and try to do an in-line upgrade on my test server to see how things will go. At least at that point we'll know whether or not we'll have to pay the SAGE integrator all over again to get us to the point we're at from square 1.


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

you cannot go from 12 to 19


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

Download 2016 evaluation and see if you can upgrade
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2016


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Hello Peter. I've already done this. When it gets to the screen to either in-line upgrade or fresh install, it will only allow me to fresh install.


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

Found this
You cannot 'upgrade' a licensed copy of an operating system to an evaluation copy of the operating system. You need to have a Retail or Volume License version of the operating to upgrade to.


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

So if above is true can you try this
Download evaluation copy of 2012 install in in a vm on your test machine
then download the evaluation of 2019 and see if you can upgrade 
I know it won't have your program but if it works then it should work in real life.

If not then go 2012>2016>2019

We are now at server 2022 so are you better to see if you can go from 2012 to 2022
Also the cost factor of going from 2012 to 2019 or 2022 for new licence.
If you have to go 2012>2016>2019>2022 and buy a licence at every step
will it be cheaper to bite the bullet and go to 2022 and pay the people to install the software.

Basically is it cheaper to buy all the server licene and do it your self
or is it cheaper to buy 2022 and pay them to install.
Does this make sense (clear as mud)


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

or one last thing
You can see if you can upgrade using the insider edition
https://blogs.windows.com/windows-i...dows-server-2019-insider-preview-build-17733/


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Thanks Peter. It's not the installation of the OS we're having to pay for. It's SAGE software. It's a accounting, warehousing, etc... type of software. We had to have a integrator that was licensed from SAGE to perform the installation, and updates on it. Matter of fact, she is on the server this a.m. rolling out a major upgrade of the software on the server. 

If I can't do a in-line upgrade on the OS, then we'll have to start all over with regard to SAGE. Hence the question of performing 2012 to 20xx and being able to keep the application that is installed. So far, we haven't been pushed to upgrade the Server OS because of SAGE, but sooner or later I feel it will happen.


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

SayCheeze said:


> It's not the installation of the OS we're having to pay for


Is the upgrade for servers free?

You should be able to upgrade your play server to 2019 with the insider program
that way you know it works. 
The insider program is different to the evaluation program so it should work


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Hello P

The SAGE integrator upgraded the server yesterday with SAGE's updates and patches. As of now, 2012 R2 will work, but sooner or later we'll have to upgrade the OS. 

I'll check out the insiders link you provided. I created an account this a.m. I'll see if I can get 2019 Server to play with.


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Just an update. I "think" I may have stumbled on to why I can't do an inline upgrade. I was snooping around in server manager the other day setting up a NIC TEAM, and discovered that the Product No: / Serial Number of the OS is not installed. I have it, but for what ever reason it was never installed. I'm going to play with my test server, and install it, and see what happens from there.


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Well, that didn't work. I created a VM of our current server. Applied the product code / SN, and tried to perform an in-line upgrade. The option to do so was not clickable. Just a fresh install. Oh well, I tried. As of now we're running fine as is. Just thought I would try it. 

Thanks for all the suggestions.


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

Back to the drawing board


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

I would love to pose another question about this server stuff, if you all can tolerate another one...

Our current server is 2012 R2. "IF" I was planning on upgrading and wanting even though an in-line upgrade isn't recommended per se' would this be something I should consider to get in an effort to bring up the server to 2019?

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-R1...=1647356283&sprefix=2019+server,aps,89&sr=8-5

I mean, is there more to this than I'm aware of? Currently we're running our Domain Controller on another box running 2000 server. If I were to hypothetically upgrade, I would also create an AD on our server so I could ditch the older box running 2000 server.

We only have 5 or 6 users connecting to our network anyway, so I figure the 5 CAL's would be enough.

Thoughts?


----------



## PeterOz (Dec 29, 2020)

You should be able to mirgrate your current Active Domain Server to a new server.
Migrate AD is different to upgrade.
Let's see wht @lochlomonder and @Gr3iz say.
I stopped being admin on servers. my last was server 2003
I only helped on 2102,16 etc when they got stuck.


----------



## SayCheeze (Dec 8, 2021)

Thanks Peter... I kind of know that you need to match up the version of server software based on your CPU you have running on it. I think. I say that based on how some of it is listed like this link below.

*Window Server 2019 Standard OEM | English | DVD | 64 Bit | 16 Core*

https://www.amazon.com/Window-Server-2019-Standard-English/dp/B09NMFMQ2F/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1UNVVCUCRQOOH&keywords=server+2019&qid=1647423911&sprefix=server+2019,aps,91&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A2G41XYDTHLA0V&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFRTFowU0VMNFhIUFMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2MDM2MDYyWFRIWkRCUlFaUFAwJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwMTUzMjcyQkg2SUFKUjVJSE1QJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I really don't mind creating a new AD on our server. We only have 5 clients that login in to it. We don't even run any Group Policies. It's a very small network.


----------

