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SQL Server 2005 on Windows Server 2003 vs Windows Server 2008 vs Windows Server 2008 R2
How dependent is a version of SQL Server on the operating system? What I'm wondering specifically is if there are any differences in the experience between running SQL Server 2005 on Windows Server 2003 vs Windows Server 2008 vs Windows Server 2008 R2. This is a migration project, with various support issues restricting us to SQL 2005, but there's no restriction in place for the server OS itself. Assuming that editions are equivalent, and the same SP/Hotfix level of SQL Server is installed, it shouldn't be a problem, right? Right? I'm being paranoid, hence asking the question.
By and large, yes, you're right. It only gets weird when you start pushing the edge of the envelope with really big machines. Then the older OS won't support the same amount of memory or CPU. But just like there are improvements in memory management, etc., within SQL Server, the same thing applies to the OS. By and large, where possible, I like to go with later versions of the OS (although not necessarily the latest).
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