Mastering Active Directory - Second Edition

Deprecation of Windows Server 2003's forest and domain functional levels

Windows Server 2003 is no longer supported by Microsoft. When I talk to customers, I still see organizations (including banks, retailers, and pharmaceutical companies) using Server 2003 on their production networks. There are enough reasons to upgrade from Server 2003. The same holds true even for AD DS. Sometimes, it is not easy to upgrade from one version to another, especially under a limited budget. But it's always important to evaluate the risks an enterprise might face without an upgrade. We need to be mindful of protecting the right things at the right time.

If you haven't yet upgraded from AD DS 2003, then this is the right time to make that decision.

Windows ...