Many of you will know that SQL Server 2000 went out of mainstream support in April 2008. It is now under Extended support, meaning that issues requiring non-security hotfixes will no longer be fixed (there is a 90 day window after mainstream support ends where a special agreement can be puchased to have these fixed – but this has also now expired).
You can still purchase support from Microsoft for issues experienced with SQL Server 2000, however, these are likely to be cost prohibitive. Full details of SQL 2000 support are available from here.
SQL Server 2005 Support
One thing that many people don’t realise is that mainstream support for SQL Server 2005 is also just over two years away from expiring (mainstream support is five years from general availability). This means that if you are considering deploying SQL Server 2005, it is well worth considering 2008 instead. There is no price difference, the architectural differences are minimal and there are loads of benefits.
Check out the SQL Server 2005 Support lifecycle here.
For more details of the difference between mainstream and extended support see question 3 in this FAQ.
