Capstone

Technical Feasibility

(Compatibility checking [hardware, software and other technologies])

Hardware compatibility

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

One of the most important steps to take before running Setup on a server is to confirm that your hardware is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family. You can do this by running a pre installation compatibility check from the Setup CD or by checking the hardware compatibility information available from Microsoft. Also, as part of confirming hardware compatibility, check to see that you have obtained updated hardware device drivers and an updated system BIOS (or for an Itanium architecture-based computer, the correct firmware).

Regardless of whether you run a pre installation compatibility check, Setup checks hardware and software compatibility at the beginning of an upgrade or new installation and displays a report if there are incompatibilities.

Software

The growth of applications areas of GIS has also led to rapid developments in the field of GIS and desktop mapping software. The field is dominated by a small number of market leaders, with numerous companies providing add-ons and more specialized applications software. Packages can be crudely divided into high-end and low-end systems. High-end systems include software that provides hundreds of functions for vector and raster data, integration of remote sensing products, support for surveying and other specialized applications virtually unlimited options for customizing the installation. Such systems require considerable training as they often characterized by non-intuitive user interfaces. Until recently, these packages only ran on powerful workstations under the Windows operating system. Most of these have now been ported to the Windows NT operating system.

Software reliability and compatibility

Software is what connects the hardware in the computer to the...