Migrating Notification Services Instances
Microsoft SQL Server Setup does not automatically upgrade instances of Notification Services 2.0. Instead, you upgrade the Database Engine and install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services, and then migrate the instances of Notification Services. Also, Setup does not automatically update instance metadata when you upgrade to a higher edition of SQL Server 2005. Instead, you must "upgrade" the metadata using Notification Services tools.
This topic describes migration options and provides links to additional information based on your migration scenario.
Important
We strongly recommend that you test the migration steps on test servers and then back up your production databases before migrating production instances of Notification Services.
Known Migration Issues
Before migrating Notification Services 2.0 instances to SQL Server 2005 Notification Services, review any upgrade and migration issues. For more information, see Notification Services Backward Compatibility.
Preparing to Migrate to SQL Server 2005
Before upgrading the Database Engine and migrating instances of Notification Services, review the following topics:
- Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server 2005
- Using Upgrade Advisor to Prepare for Upgrades
- Check Parameters for the System Configuration Checker
- Security Considerations for a SQL Server Installation
Migrating Instances of Notification Services
Notification Services stores instance and application metadata and operational data in databases. The Notification Services instance version must match the Database Engine instance version:
- If you have instances of Notification Services 2.0, and you want to upgrade to SQL Server 2005, you must upgrade the Database Engine, install SQL Server 2005 Notification Services, and then migrate the instances of Notification Services. For more information, see Migrating Notification Services 2.0 Instances to SQL Server 2005.
- If you have instances of SQL Server 2005 Notification Services, and you want to upgrade to a higher edition of SQL Server 2005, you must "upgrade" the instance metadata. For more information, see Migrating Notification Services Instances to a Higher Edition of SQL Server 2005.
Side-by-Side Installations
You can install Notification Services 2.0 and SQL Server 2005 Notification Services side by side. However, within a Notification Services instance, the Database Engine version and Notification Services version must match. Also, custom components must be built referencing the same version of Notification Services and the associated version of Microsoft .NET Framework.
If the version information in the Microsoft Windows Registry and the database do not match, the instance of Notification Services does not start. Therefore, after migrating an instance of Notification Services, you should verify the version information. You can display version information in SQL Server Management Studio and using the command prompt utilities.
Downgrading Instances of Notification Services
If, after migrating instances of Notification Services, you need to revert back to an earlier version, you must restore the previous databases from backups and then reregister the instance of Notification Services using the matching version of the Notification Services utilities.
See Also
Concepts
Installing SQL Server 2005
Installing SQL Server Notification Services