Microsoft Extends Support for SMS 2003

Support for Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 and Systems Management Server 2003 R2 will transition from Mainstream Support to Extended Support on January 12, 2010. This update follows the Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy for Business and Developer products. The Microsoft policy provides a minimum of five years of Mainstream Support or two years of Mainstream Support after the successor product ships, whichever is longer.

SMS 2003 and SMS 2003 R2 were originally scheduled to transition to Extended Support on April 14, 2009. However, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 was recently released as the successor product for SMS 2003. Therefore, Mainstream Support for SMS 2003 and SMS 2003 R2 has been updated to end on January 12, 2010. Extended Support will end on January 13, 2015.

Organizations that are currently running Systems Management Server 2003 should note the dates when Mainstream Support and Extended Support end. Customers who are interested in migrating to System Center Configuration Server 2007 can contact a Sales Account Manager or a Technical Account Manager.

The goal of the Microsoft Support Lifecycle is to provide predictable and consistent product support timelines for all Microsoft products and customers, worldwide. For information about the Microsoft Support Lifecycle, visit the following Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle