There have been a few articles floating around on the Internet since we released the private beta of Windows Server 2003 SP2 a couple of weeks ago. To remove any mystery or speculation about what this Service Pack 2 is about, I thought I would take a couple of minutes to lay it out.
First off, I know SP1 to Windows Server 2003 made some pretty big changes to the way we do security and it introduced a cycle of application testing and some compatibility issues....this was, however, a necessary evil needed to address server security. Now that WS03 SP1 is the foundation for security moving forward, SP2 is back to a 'standard' service pack from MS.
View: Windows Server 2003 SP2 Explained View: Windows Server 2003 SP2 Life cycle
What this service pack contains:
All previously release Security Bulletin Updates
Roll-ups all individual hotfixes released since RTM of Windows Server 2003
Provides fixes to increase reliability, robustness and security
A collection of some customer requested features and features to support Windows Vista
What this service pack isn't:
It isn't SP1 :-)
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 will update the following versions:
Windows Server 2003 Editions (32-bit x86)
Windows Server 2003 R2 Editions (32-bit x86)
Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions
Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Editions
Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
