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The SP1 software was released back in March 2005 and made available for users to download - Improved security the focus for Windows Server 2003 SP1. Four months later it will begin to be automatically delivered to server administrators starting 26 July, and this will be done through the various Windows update mechanisms: Windows Update, Microsoft Update and Automatic Updates (AU) mechanisms.

The four month gap enabled organisations to test the impact of the new software in their own time, and the blocking toolkit effectively extends the period of grace still further.

What was in the service pack? As well as new security and admin tools (including the Security Configuration Wizard and a Post-setup Security Update Wizard), there was the Windows Firewall for the server and support for 'no execute' hardware on the server side (both 32- and 64-bit processors).

The blocking

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of delivery is similar to what Microsoft did for the release of Windows XP SP2 - a major upgrade that included many new features as well as bug fixes. To give corporations extra time for integration testing, the release could be blocked for a limited period - Microsoft gives businesses more time to test SP2. The grace period was extended from December to April 2005, following the initial release of the software in August 2004.

However, while the XP SP 2 update was aimed at desktop clients around the world - and Microsoft claimed 106 million copies of Windows XP Service Pack 2 were downloaded within a couple of months - the large scale server software will not be in quite so such demand.

Microsoft also points out that Windows Server 2003 SP1 always requires the user to accept and initiate its installation. In other words, even if the service pack automatically downloads through AU or MU, a server administrator must explicitly accept the service pack before it will install.

The Windows Server 2003 SP1 Blocker Tool Kit will be effective until 30 March 30, 2006.

You can read more on the blocking of Windows Server 2003 SP 1 on the Microsoft website.