Adding a Windows Server 2008 R2 System to a Windows 2003/2008 Environment

Many organizations want to add in a specific Windows Server 2008 R2 function such as Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services (previously called Terminal Services), Hyper-V R2 virtualization, DirectAccess, or BranchCache. Such functions can be installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 member servers in an existing Active Directory 2003 networking environment. This allows an organization to get Windows Server 2008 R2 application capabilities fairly quickly and easily without having to do a full migration to Active Directory 2008 R2. In many cases, a Windows Server 2008 R2 member server can simply be added to an existing network without ever affecting the existing network. This addition provides extremely low network impact but enables an organization to prototype and test the new technology, pilot it for a handful of users, and slowly roll out the technology to the client base as part of a regular system replacement or upgrade process. Some organizations have replaced all their member servers with Windows Server 2008 R2 systems over a period of weeks or months as a preparatory step to eventually migrate to a Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory structure.


Source of Information : Sams - Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed