ISA 2000: The End Draws Near

While updating some documentation today and noticing it’s 2011 (when, exactly, did that happen?), I dug up the ISA Server 2000 Lifecycle information.

Paraphrasing the table here:

	Availability	Mainstream Support Ends	Extended Support Ends
Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 Enterprise Edition	18/03/2001	11/04/2006	12/04/2011

That’s right, kids, it expires on April 12 this year. (The date format is the *cough* correct *cough* UK/AU format above, naturally)

I have fond memories of ISA Server 2000. Actually, now I remember it, the memories were less “fond” and more around being confused by the task pane (I’m a right-click kinda guy), and the documentation, and whether packet filters were something applicable to publishing rules or not. Experience counted for a lot with it, and when it was released, it was a whole lotta new for everyone involved in using and supporting it.

ISA 2000 was where we originally derived the “two minute rule” from for ISA support (at least in Australia): When you’ve made a change, and you’re testing it, give it two minutes. (Saying that caused most type-A admin people to give it at least a minute, and a minute was usually enough for a change to percolate through the system).

I’d been a keen user of Proxy 2.0 at home and at work, on a very early cable modem implementation in Australia (see also: The Lane Cove Effect), and our geeky household upgraded through Windows 2000 betas with Proxy 2.0 patches, until finally ISA 2000 betas became available. Not too long after that, the release version was installed, glistening, on the low-spec former-work-desktop 486 we were using for routing and cheapie IIS hosting duties.

ISA 2000, you served us well. But your time is well and truly past. Bon voyage on the sea of retirement.

If you’re still using ISA 2000, and you’d like to try our new hotness, please try Forefront TMG 2010. The documentation’s better (and most ISA 2004/2006 documentation still applies), and it installs on current Windows versions. Thanks!