Upgrade to SharePoint 2010 System Requirements – 64 Bit Only

By jeffloucks

First thing to know about SharePoint 2010 is it is 64 bit only.

Huh, let’s talk about 64bit a little. Exchange came out in 64 bit in the current version 2008 and I think Microsoft is going mainstream in support for 64 bit applications and operating systems. As a side note, a number of my family members are upgrading around Windows 7 and 64 bit is the choice for me in advising them. We are seeing more and more mainstream support for 64 bit and Acer to name one manufacturer is putting out mass market Home Premium boxes preloaded with 64 bit in Windows 7. I have run 64 bit workstation OS for three years as have everyone in our entire office. We knew then that we were ahead of the curve but now it feels like situation normal. This is different from the mixed feeling we saw about 64 bit computing in less than a year ago for average users. Hooray 64 bit is here! Over the next year I believe we are going to see the other side of the hockey stick with an upswing in the number of 64 bit OSs that are shipping both for consumers and administrators.  Server hardware has supported 64 bit for 3 years and by the time SharePoint 2010 ships 64 bit servers will be four years old. .Windows 7 may be the last OS to support 32bit.

Upgrade requirements

Source: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee617150(office.14).aspx#section1

Your current environment must meet the following requirements before you can perform an in-place upgrade. Similarly, your new environment must meet the following requirements before you can perform a database attach upgrade.

Hardware requirement: 64-bit

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 is a 64-bit application and can only run on a 64-bit edition of the Windows Server 2008 operating system. You must have hardware that supports the use of a 64-bit operating system. If you plan an in-place upgrade, your Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 installation must be running in a 64-bit Windows Server 2008 environment. If your Office SharePoint Server 2007 installation is currently in a 32-bit environment, you cannot perform an in-place upgrade on the existing server or server farm. You must install SharePoint Server 2010 on a different server or farm that supports 64-bit applications, and then move your data to that server or farm by using database attach upgrade.

To more easily discover and address any issues in the migration and upgrade processes, we recommend that you do not combine the actions of migrating to a 64-bit environment and upgrading in-place to SharePoint Server 2010. Because you must have a 64-bit environment to be able to upgrade in place to SharePoint Server 2010, you must migrate to a 64-bit operating system before you perform an in-place upgrade. If you are using a database attach upgrade, you can migrate to 64-bit as part of your upgrade process.

Before you migrate to a 64-bit environment:

  • Update Office SharePoint Server 2007 to the same service pack or software update level on all computers in the source farm.
  • Find out whether you have to recompile existing 32-bit applications and custom assemblies — for example, Web Parts and event receivers — to run in the 64-bit environment. (Some applications can run in both environments and do not have to be recompiled.) If the existing applications are third-party applications, check with the third-party vendor about 64-bit versions and compatibility.

For more information about how to plan and perform a migration to a 64-bit environment, see the article Migrate an existing server Farm to a 64-bit environment (Office SharePoint Server 2007) on TechNet (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=155576).

Operating system requirement: Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2

SharePoint Server 2010 must be run on a 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2. If you are currently running Office SharePoint Server 2007 on Windows Server 2003 and intend to upgrade to SharePoint Server 2010, you must plan to have a sufficient number of Windows Server licenses for the deployment on the newer operating system.

To more easily discover and address any issues in the migration and upgrade processes, we recommend that you do not combine the actions of upgrading or migrating to Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 with the process of upgrading to SharePoint Server 2010. You can combine migration to 64-bit hardware with migration to Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Database requirement: 64-bit SQL Server 2005 SP3 or SQL Server 2008

SharePoint Server 2010 requires that its database server must be a 64-bit version of one of the following: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), or SQL Server 2005 with SP3. If your current Office SharePoint Server 2007 installation uses SQL Server 2000, you must upgrade to one of these versions before you can upgrade to SharePoint Server 2010.

To more easily discover and address any issues in the migration and upgrade processes, we recommend that you do not combine the actions of migrating to 64-bit SQL Server with the process of upgrading to SharePoint Server 2010. You can combine the migration to 64-bit SQL Server with the overall process of migration to 64-bit hardware.

  • If you are combining the migration to SQL Server 2005 SP3 or SQL Server 2008 on 64-bit hardware with an overall migration to a 64-bit environment, follow the guidance about how to migrate to a 64-bit environment earlier in this article.

    For more information about how to migrate all databases, see the article Move all databases (Office SharePoint Server 2007) on TechNet (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=159761).

  • If you already have 64-bit hardware, but have to upgrade to SQL Server 2005 SP3 or SQL Server 2008, follow the guidance in the SQL Server documentation.

Jeff Loucks
Available Technology
Available Technology
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