Introducing Microsoft Windows Server(TM) 2003

One of the most important steps to take before installing a server is to confirm that your hardware is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family. You can do this by running a preinstallation compatibility check from the Setup CD or by checking the hardware compatibility information at the Windows Catalog Web site. Also, as part of confirming hardware compatibility, verify that you have obtained updated hardware device drivers and an updated system basic input/output system (BIOS). (For an Itanium-based computer, check for an updated Extensible Firmware Interface.) Regardless of whether you run a preinstallation compatibility check, Setup checks hardware and software compatibility at the beginning of an installation and displays a report if there are incompatibilities.

Running a Preinstallation Compatibility Check

You can run a hardware and software compatibility check from the Setup CD. The compatibility check does not require you to actually begin an installation. You can run the compatibility check in either of two ways:

• Insert the Setup CD in the CD-ROM drive, and, when a display appears, follow the prompts for checking system compatibility. You will be offered the option to download the latest Setup files (through Dynamic Update) when you run the check. If you have Internet connectivity, it is recommended that you allow the download.

• Insert the Setup CD in the CD-ROM drive, open a command prompt, and type d :\i386\winnt32 /checkupgradeonly , where d represents the CD-ROM drive.

Checking Drivers and System BIOS

Check that you have obtained updated drivers for your hardware devices and that you have the latest system BIOS (for an x86-based computer) or Extensible Firmware Interface (for an Itanium-based computer). The device manufacturers can help you obtain these items. Finally, if you have devices that do not use Plug and Play, or if you are aware that your Plug and Play devices are not implemented exactly to the standards, consider taking a device inventory of the hardware devices on your computer.

Inventorying Non “Plug and Play Devices

Products in the Windows Server 2003 family include Plug and Play technology so that devices (for example, video and network adapters) can be automatically recognized by the operating system, configuration conflicts are avoided, and you do not have to specify each device's settings by hand. However, if you have devices that do not use Plug and Play, or you are aware that your Plug and Play devices are not implemented exactly to the standards, you might want to take steps to avoid device configuration conflicts. This section describes steps you can take, if you choose, to understand your device configuration before running Setup.

To take an inventory of your devices, if your computer has an existing operating system, use it to obtain the current settings, such as memory address and interrupt request (IRQ), used with your devices. For example, with Windows NT 4.0, you can use Control Panel to view settings. (On the Start menu, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click icons such as Network and Ports.) You might also choose to view system BIOS information. To do this, watch the screen while starting the computer, and then press the appropriate key when prompted.

At the beginning of an installation, the Setup program automatically takes a device inventory as well. For devices that do not use Plug and Play or that are not implemented exactly to Plug and Play standards, taking your own inventory helps prevent the following difficulties:

• If two or more adapters share IRQ settings or memory addresses, the Setup program might not be able to resolve the conflict. To prevent this, you can take one of two approaches:

  • You can remove one of the adapters before running Setup and reinstall it afterward. For information about installing and configuring adapters and other hardware devices, see Help and Support Center.

  • As an alternative, you can modify one adapter's IRQ settings and memory addresses before running Setup so that each adapter's settings are unique.

• If adapters do not respond in a standard way to the attempts by Setup to detect or enumerate them, Setup might receive indecipherable or inaccurate information. In this case, you might need to remove these devices before running Setup and reinstall and configure them afterward. For information about installing and configuring adapters and other hardware devices, see Help and Support Center.

Table 15-1 shows the kinds of information to gather if you have devices that do not use Plug and Play and you decide to take a device inventory before starting Setup.

Table 15-1. Inventorying Device Configurations

Mass Storage Drivers and the Setup Process

If your mass storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family but you are aware that the manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file for use with your operating system, obtain the file (on a floppy disk) before you begin Setup. During the early part of Setup, a line at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to press F6. Further prompts will guide you in supplying the driver file to Setup so that it can gain access to the mass storage controller.

If you are not sure whether you must obtain a separate driver file from the manufacturer of your mass storage controller, you can try running Setup. If the controller is not supported by the driver files on the Setup CD and therefore requires a driver file supplied by the hardware manufacturer, Setup stops and displays a message saying that no disk devices can be found or displays an incomplete list of controllers. After you obtain the necessary driver file, restart Setup, and press F6 when prompted.

Note

Don't forget that you can check all compatibility issues in the Windows Catalog at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/catalog/.

Using a Custom Hardware Abstraction Layer File

If you have a custom hardware abstraction layer (HAL) file supplied by your computer manufacturer, before you begin Setup, locate the floppy disk or other medium containing the file. During the early part of Setup, a line at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to press F6; at this time, press F5 (not F6) to include your HAL file in the setup process. After you press F5, follow the prompts that are provided.

Understanding the ACPI BIOS for an x86-Based Computer

For an x86-based computer, the BIOS is a set of software through which the operating system (or Setup) communicates with the computer's hardware devices. ACPI is the current standard for the way the BIOS works. Products in the Windows Server 2003 family support not only ACPI-compliant BIOS versions but also some BIOS versions based on older Advanced Power Management (APM) and Plug and Play designs.

Some ACPI-based BIOS versions are not compliant with the standard. The more recent the version of an ACPI BIOS, the more likely that it's compliant. An ACPI-based BIOS that isn't compliant with the ACPI standard might not support workable communication between the operating system (or Setup) and your hardware. If workable communication is not supported, Setup stops and displays instructions for contacting your hardware manufacturer and taking other steps to solve the problem. If this happens, follow the instructions provided.

To learn more about the ACPI compliance of your BIOS:

• For information about your BIOS version, before running Setup, restart the computer and watch the text on the screen. Pay particular attention to blocks of text containing the words BIOS or ACPI BIOS .

• For information about BIOS versions for your hardware, check your hardware documentation and contact your hardware manufacturer.

Using Dynamic Update for Updated Drivers

If you have a working Internet connection on the computer on which you run Setup, you can choose Dynamic Update during Setup and obtain the most up-to-date Setup files, including drivers and other files. Whenever an important update is made to any crucial Setup file, that update is made available through Dynamic Update functionality built into the Windows Update Web site. Some of the updated files will be replacements (for example, an updated driver or updated Setup file), and some will be additions (for example, a driver not available at the time the Setup CD was created). It's recommended that you use Dynamic Update when running Setup.

Dynamic Update has been carefully designed so that it's reliable and easy to use:

• The files on the Dynamic Update section of the Windows Update Web site have been carefully tested and selected. Only files that are important in ensuring that Setup runs well are made available through Dynamic Update. Files with minor updates that will not significantly affect Setup are not part of Dynamic Update.

• Because Dynamic Update downloads only the files that are required for your computer, the Dynamic Update software briefly examines your computer hardware. No personal information is collected, and no information is saved. The only purpose is to select appropriate drivers for your hardware configuration. This keeps the download as short as possible and ensures that only necessary drivers are downloaded to your hard disk.

• You can use Dynamic Update when running a preinstallation compatibility check from the product CD or when running Setup itself. Either way, you obtain the most up-to-date files for running Setup. For information about running the compatibility check, see "Hardware Compatibility" earlier in this chapter.

• You can use Dynamic Update with unattended Setup. Preparing for this requires several steps. For details about how to use Dynamic Update with unattended Setup (also called automated installation), see the Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit or the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit .

The Windows Update Web site offers a variety of updates that you can use after completing Setup. To learn more, see http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/.