Note
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories.
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories.
Support for switching modes in Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012
This section discusses the support policy when you switch Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 operating modes while SQL Server is installed.
Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012 have the following feature states, or modes:
- Full Server
- Minimal Server Interface
- Server CoreYou can switch between these feature states at any time.
You can switch from Server Core or Minimal Server Interface to Full Server when one or more instances of SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012 are installed. However, be aware that you cannot switch from Full Server to Minimal Server Interface or Server Core when one or more instances of SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012 are installed.
To switch from Full Server to Minimal Server Interface or Server Core when one or more instances of SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012 are installed, you must uninstall SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012, switch modes, and then reinstall SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012. However, you can turn on SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012 installation prerequisites in Full Server mode, switch to Server Core mode, and then install SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012.
Note
Minimal Server is a Server Core installation that has Server Manager and other server tools installed. Therefore, the SQL Server Setup program performs the same installation steps in Windows Server 2012 R2 Minimal Server Interface mode and Windows Server 2012 Minimal Server Interface mode and Server Core mode. Additionally, you can switch between Server Core and Minimal Server when one or more instances of SQL Server 2014 or SQL Server 2012 are installed. This is a supported scenario.
SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 is not supported on Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Core, Windows Server 2012 Server Core, Windows Server 2012 R2 Minimal Server Interface mode, or Windows 2012 Minimal Server Interface mode. You can install SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 on a server that is running Windows Server 2012 in Full Server mode and then switch to Windows Server 2012 Server Core mode. However, this configuration is not supported.
We recommend that you uninstall all the SQL Server 2012 features that are not supported on a server that is running Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 in Server Core mode. For information about how to do this, see Install SQL Server 2012 on Server Core).
This issue does not apply to SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2. SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 are not supported in Minimal Server Interface mode or Server Core mode. For more information about the installation options that are available when you install Windows Server 2012, see Windows Server Installation Options.
SQL Server 2012 and SQL Server 2008 R2 support for new features in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2012
This section summarizes how versions of SQL Server work with some new features in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2012.
The following table summarizes how versions of SQL Server work with some new features in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
Note
Unless noted in the following table, all features of Windows Server 2012 are supported in all the supported versions of SQL Server.
| Feature | SQL feature or component that interacts with this new feature | SQL feature that is affected or supported | Minimum version and service pack requirements for SQL | Exceptions or support limitations | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage Spaces | SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 or later version, SQL Server 2012 (RTM and later versions) NOTE SQL Server 2008 R2 requires Service Pack 2 on Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2. |
This feature is supported with the service packs that are specified for the respective versions. | |||
| Resilient File System (ReFS) | ReFS is not supported in SQL 2012 and all other down-level versions. SQL Server 2014 supports ReFS. | ||||
| Mitigation of RAM Hardware Errors | LazyWriter | Checksum page sniffer | SQL Server 2012 | When SQL Server 2012 is installed on a Windows 2012 operating system with hardware that supports bad memory diagnostics, you will notice new error messages like 854, 855, and 856 instead of the 832 errors that LazyWriter usually generates. | |
| Number of instances per cluster | High availability | Failover Clustering | SQL Server 2012 | 25 per failover cluster when you use drive letters and up to 50 if you are using SMB file share storage | |
| Cluster Share Volumes (CSV's) | Beginning in SQL Server 2014, Always On Failover Cluster Instances supports Clustered Shared Volumes (CSV) in both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012. For more information on CSV, see Understanding Cluster Shared Volumes in a Failover Cluster. CSVs are not supported in versions prior to SQL Server 2014. |
SQL Server 2005 information
This section provides support information about instances of SQL Server 2005 in Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 environments. It also describes the options that are available for customers who are using SQL Server 2005. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (the release version and service packs) and earlier versions of SQL Server are not supported on Windows 10, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, or Windows 8. You will receive a warning in the Action Center if Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 8 detects an instance of SQL Server 2005.
To resolve this issue, upgrade or remove the existing instance of SQL Server 2005. For information about how to upgrade SQL Server, see Upgrade to SQL Server.
Note
This link points to SQL Server 2014. You can use the version picker tool at the top of the MSDN link (Other Versions) for information about other versions. For information about the Express editions of SQL Server, go to the following Microsoft websites:
For more information about how to uninstall an existing instance of SQL Server 2005, see How to manually uninstall an instance of SQL Server 2005 or How to: Uninstall an Existing Instance of SQL Server 2005 (Setup).