Wait for 64 bit Windows 2003 or install SBS now?

We have a 2 Dell 2800 servers that have the Intel EM64T Xeon chips in
them. I am getting ready to convert one of them to our new SBS 2003
server and retire/rebuild the old SBS 2000 server into a terminal
server. My question is is there going to be a way to run the 64 bit
Windows 2003 on this server and then install the SBS componenets over
it? Everything that I have read has said that the 32 bit to 64 bit
conversion requires a complete rebuild of the machine for the upgrade to
work. I would like to only build this machine from the ground up once
and I will move all of the old SBS stuff to the new machine using Jeff
Middleton's swing method. I am going to wait for the 64 bit version for
the database server but if there will be no way to install SBS on top of
the 64 bit Windows Server 2003 then I will start that upgrade now.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Mark

 

If there is going to be a 64 bit version of SBS it's going to be
a -long- long way away....
Current SBS will not run in 64 bit so it seems like a -Huge- waste
running it on that Box as you'll have to wind it back to x86 mode.

 

curious, how much RAM in that sucker? SBS will use a maximum 4GB.

I checked the specs for the 2800 and if I was more sure of operation of
Virtual Server in a 64bit environment I'd be selling the 2nd box in order to
run 2*Xeons and a bucket of RAM on the one I keep, then put SBS and my TS
into a virtual machines.

NOTE: I have no idea of operation of VS in a 64bit environment.

I'd also like to meet the owner. Maybe I'm easily impressed but anyone that
can purchase two of those boxes on the off chance they might run the
software they need is MY SORTTA GUY.

 

I can see why the servers seem a little "fancy" for SBS. At the time we
purchased these two machines Dell had them at the same price as the
older 2600's. Each machine has 3 GB of RAM and RAID 1 and RAID 5
configurations. Our current server (Dell 2600 with 3 GB RAM) was getting
maxed out by our current database running MBS Solomon. We currently have
25 users but that will be going up to about 40 this summer. The database
server will be 64 bit due to the memory advantages of being able to grow
past 4 GB of RAM.

Looking back we actually got a pretty good deal on these two servers. In
1999 we purchased a HP LH4 500 MHZ Xeon. I could have bought 3 of the
2800's for what I paid for that HP. It was a good machine and we still
use it as our terminal server. Only problem was Solomon maxed that
server out in 2 years. Needless to say Solomon needs some work on its
optimization.

Mark