When working with a lifecycle product such as Microsoft BizTalk Server, it is recommend to always keep a close eye on the support lifecycle and the one of its supported platforms.
For a couple of common BizTalk setups at this time mainstream support is ending soon:
- SQL Server 2008R2 : July 2014
- BizTalk 2009 : July 2014
- Windows Server 2008 SP2 : January 2015
An upgrade to the, at this time, latest BizTalk (2013) and SQL version (2012SP1) is the best way to ensure further support and updates. Depending on the environment and risk assessment this can be done by moving to a new environment or upgrading the existing BizTalk infrastructure. For older versions the last option might be not a viable solution since a direct upgrade will not be supported.
To upgrade to BizTalk 2013 the existing environment (for server systems) should be BizTalk 2010 , running on Windows Server 2008R2 SP1 (or later). For the SQL Environment microsoft supports an upgrade starting from SQL Server 2005. The minimum requirement for BizTalk 2013 is SQL Server 2008R2 SP1, for BizTalk 2010 this was SQL Server 2008 SP1 / SQL Server 2008 R2.
As a consequence, a supported upgrade to BizTalk 2013 might require more than one upgrade step:
No two deployments of BizTalk Server ever are the same. And this holds true for the environment and applications in each setup. A detailed analysis of the environment and the upgrade path is highly recommended.
Codit supports and maintains the BizTalk environment of a large number of companies. It makes our consultants well aware of the challenges companies face when upgrading or moving to BizTalk 2013.
To make the right decision in regard to the upgrade of your BizTalk environment, we can assess your current environment and propose an upgrade plan based on the experiences we have gained in multiple projects. Contact us if you would like to get started, or require more information.
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