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I am upgrading my 2008R2 servers to 2019 and in order to do that you must first upgrade to 2012R2, then you can upgrade to 2019. My question is : can I use the same 2012R2 key to make the interim step for all my servers. ie: upgrade from a 2008R2 to 2012R2 with a valid key, then upgrade to the 2019 with valid key. Then start next 2008R2 upgrade to 2012R2 and use the same key as before now that the previous 2012R2 server is a 2019. Since I would only have a single 2012R2 server for the upgrade step, reusing the same key would never have two 2012R2 servers active at the same time. Thanks ..
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Hi，
Just want to confirm the current situations. Have you got a chance to verify the suggestions?
Please feel free to let us know if you need further assistance.
can I use the same 2012R2 key to make the interim step
Product keys are bound to the product version, so no.
Hi,
There is a grace period of 30 days for Windows Server 2012R2 before activation. If you upgrade the servers to Windows Server 2019 in 30 days, you do not have to activate the Windows Server 2012R2.
Best Regards,
Ian Xue
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