This article describes how to preserve Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content when you upgrade Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate 0 (RC0) to Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate 1 (RC1).

In Windows Server 2008 RC1 and in later versions of Window Server 2008, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is no longer included as a component or as a role. Therefore, before you upgrade Windows Server 2008 RC0 to Windows Server 2008 RC1, you must remove the version of Windows SharePoint Services that is included in Windows Server 2008 RC0.

To preserve Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for your situation.

You upgrade Windows Server 2008 RC0 to Windows Server 2008 RC1

To preserve Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content when you upgrade Windows Server 2008 RC0 to Windows Server 2008 RC1, follow these steps:

1. Perform a Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 backup.
2. Uninstall Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
3. Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 RC1.
4. Reinstall Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
5. Restore the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content from the backup.

You upgrade Windows Server 2008 RC0 to Windows Server 2008 RC1 on the same computer

To preserve Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content when you upgrade Windows Server 2008 RC0 to Windows Server 2008 RC1 on the same computer, follow these steps:

1. Install Windows Server 2008 RC0.
2. Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 from the Windows Server role manager.
3. Perform a full backup of the SharePoint Services farm. To do this, use one of the following procedures, depending on the type of installation that you selected:
   • Basic installation
     
     If you selected a Basic installation, you can back up either to a local drive or to a file share. To do this, use one of the following procedures:
     • If you want to back up to a local drive, make sure that the Network Service account has Full Control permissions to the folder.
       
       To verify the permissions, right-click the folder, click Properties, and then click the Security tab.
     • If you want to back up to a file share, make sure that the DOMAIN\ComputerName$ account has Full Control permissions to the file share.
       
       To verify the permissions, right-click the folder, click Properties, click the Sharing tab, and then click Permissions.
   • Advanced installation
     
     If you selected an Advanced installation, you can back up to a file share.
     
     Make sure that both the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service account and the Microsoft SQL Server service account have Full Control permissions to the file share.
   You might intend to perform the backup or the restoration through the Stsadm.exe command prompt utility. In this case, make sure that the account that you use to run Stsadm.exe has been given Full Control permissions.
   
   Notice any Web applications that have been created. These applications include the following:
   • Application pools
   • Application pool service accounts
   • Web application names
   • AAM URLs
4. Uninstall Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
5. Upgrade Windows Server 2008 RC0 to Windows Server 2008 RC1.
6. Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Service Pack (SP1) through the Setup.exe process by using the Basic or Advanced installation type that you selected in step 3.
7. Start the SharePoint Products and Technologies configuration wizard to create a new SharePoint Services farm that has a new configuration database.
8. Manually re-create the application pools, the application pool service accounts, and the Web applications. Do this by using the same names and accounts in the new farm as were used in the original farm. You must do this so that the Web application-scoped timer service jobs are created.
   
   If you decide not to manually re-create the application pools or the Web applications, you must make sure that the Windows SharePoint Services Administration service is started. When you do this, SharePoint Services can re-create the application pools and the Web applications during restoration. However, the Web application-scoped timer service jobs will not be created.
   
   Note You may have to start the Windows SharePoint Services Search service from the SharePoint Central Administration site. By default, a Basic installation starts the service. However, an Advanced installation does not start the service. You must start the service manually.
9. Remove the content databases from each Web application so that no content Web applications that will be restored have preexisting content databases.
   
   You can delete these content databases from SQL Server or from Windows Internal Database. You must do this to prevent site collection conflicts during restoration.
10. Perform a full restoration of the farm from your backup package by using the same configuration.
    
    Note You may have to reinstall and to redeploy the solutions. Additionally, you may have to reactivate the features.

You have a source computer that is running Windows Server 2008 RC0 and a destination computer that is running Windows Server 2008 RC1

To back up Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 content in this case, follow these steps:

1. Install Windows Server 2008 RC0 on the source computer.
2. Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 from the Windows Server role manager.
3. Perform a full backup of the SharePoint Services farm. To do this, use one of the following procedures, depending on the type of installation that you selected:
   • Basic installation
     
     If you selected a Basic installation, you can back up to a file share.
     
     Make sure that the DOMAIN\ComputerName$ account for both the source computer and the destination computer has Full Control permissions to the file share. Additionally, make sure that both accounts have Full Control permissions to the folder itself.
   • Advanced installation
     
     If you selected an Advanced installation, you can back up to a file share.
     
     Make sure that both the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service account and the SQL Server service account for both the source computer and the destination computer have Full Control permissions to the file share.
     
     Additionally, if the Windows SharePoint Services Timer service account on the source computer differs from the Timer service account on the destination computer, make sure that both accounts have Full Control permissions to the folder itself.
   You might intend to perform the backup or the restoration through the Stsadm.exe command prompt utility. In this case, make sure that the account that you use to run Stsadm.exe has been given Full Control permissions.
   
   Notice any Web applications that have been created. These applications include the following:
   • Application pools
   • Application pool service accounts
   • Web application names
   • AAM URLs
4. Uninstall Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
5. Install Windows Server 2008 RC1 on the destination computer.
6. Install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP1 on the destination computer through the Setup.exe process by using the Basic or Advanced installation type that you selected in step 3.
7. Start the SharePoint Products and Technologies configuration wizard to create a new SharePoint Services farm that has a new configuration database.
8. Manually re-create the application pools, the application pool service accounts, and the Web applications. Do this by using the same names and accounts in the new farm as were used in the original farm. You must do this so that the Web application-scoped timer service jobs are created.
   
   If you decide not to manually re-create the application pools or the Web applications, you must make sure that the Windows SharePoint Services Administration service is started. When you do this, SharePoint Services can re-create the application pools and the Web applications during restoration. However, the Web application-scoped timer service jobs will not be created.
   
   Note You may have to start the Windows SharePoint Services Search service from the SharePoint Central Administration site. By default, a Basic installation starts the service. However, an Advanced installation does not start the service. You must start the service manually.
9. Remove the content databases from each Web application so that no content Web applications that will be restored have preexisting content databases.
   
   You can delete these content databases from SQL Server or from Windows Internal Database. You must do this to prevent site collection conflicts during restoration.
10. Perform a full restoration of the farm from the backup package by using a new configuration. Edit the following items on the Select Restore Options page for the new SharePoint Services farm:
    • URLs
    • Database server names
    • Directory names
    • Database names
    Note A SharePoint Services restoration will not overwrite existing databases if you perform the restoration as a new configuration. Therefore, if a database already exists that uses the same name as a database in the backup package on a database server, you must select a different database name. You may have to reinstall and to redeploy the solutions. Additionally, you may have to reactivate the features.

For more information about how to back up Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 by using the Central Administration site, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information about how to restore Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 by using the Central Administration site, visit the following Microsoft Web site: