In-place upgrade from Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard to Enterprise or Datacenter
To upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise or Datacenter from a downlevel edition, you would do the following
Based on
Windows Server 2008 R2 introduces a new command-line utility, DISM, the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool. One of DISM’s many useful features is the ability to use its edition-servicing commands to upgrade an R2 installation without requiring install media. This is functionally equivalent to Windows Anytime Upgrade in a Windows 7 client install, and can be performed on both an online or offline image, and on both full Server and Server Core installations.
Upgrades using the edition servicing method are quick, and don’t require a full reinstall of the operating system. Deployed roles and features, and other characteristics (machine name, user and admin accounts, etc) are persisted forward. Because the target editions are staged within the image, only the updates necessary to move from edition to the next are applied.
The upgrade options are limited to edition families, and are irreversible – you can’t downgrade once you’ve gone up an edition. Additionally, you can’t move from full Server to Server Core (or vice versa).
The syntax for DISM is fairly straightforward. From an elevated command prompt, you can query for the current edition, for possible target editions, and initiate the upgrade. To upgrade, you need to provide a valid 25-character product key for the edition to which you’re upgrading.
So, for example, to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter from a downlevel edition, you would run:
DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /productkey:ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE-ABCDE
After running the /Set-Edition command, DISM will prepare the operating system for the edition servicing operation, then reboot twice while it applies the changes to the operating system. After the final reboot, you’ll be running the new edition!
To determine the installed edition, run:
DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition
To check the possible target editions, run:
DISM /online /Get-TargetEditions
Finally, to initiate an upgrade, run:
DISM /online /Set-Edition:<edition ID> /ProductKey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
Volume Licence Keys
The keys for KMS and MAK are as follows
MAK keys
The keys in your VLSC map to multiple editions, so the underlying infrastructure doesn’t accept them. If you use this key, DISM will throw an error.
KMS Keys
The keys in your VLSC are for the KMS Server (KMS host key), so the underlying infrastructure doesn’t accept them. If you use this key, DISM will throw an error
Generic KMS Licence Keys
If you use the generic KMS client key, that will allow you to proceed with the upgrade, and then you can either replace the key with a valid MAK post-upgrade or just use the KMS client key to activate against your internal KMS server.
The full list of KMS client keys can be found here on technet: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff793406.aspx
It’s important to note that you need to use a KMS client key, rather than a KMS host key. The latter is what’s used to configure and activate the KMS (and is specific to that one KMS install), while the former is generic to every client of a KMS.
We need to use the generic KMS client Keys from here
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff793406.aspx
DISM /online /Set-Edition:ServerEnterprise /ProductKey:489J6-VHDMP-X63PK-3K798-CPX3Y
You can now, either replace the key with a valid MAK post-upgrade or just use the KMS client key to activate against your internal KMS server.
After running the /Set-Edition command, DISM will prepare the operating system for the edition servicing operation, then reboot twice while it applies the changes to the operating system. After the final reboot, you’ll be running the new edition!
Verify
by going into system and check the version.
