Limited support options might be available for certain versions of SQL Server

The Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy requires that the product’s supported service pack be installed to continue to receive all applicable support options. Depending on the version and the build number, your instance of Microsoft SQL Server might only be eligible for limited support. When you encounter a problem with instances of SQL Server that are under limited support, you only receive limited troubleshooting support from Microsoft. Technical workarounds may be either limited or nonexistent under such situations. Additionally, you cannot obtain hotfix support.

To obtain full support, consider the following scenarios:

Case 1: If the version of your instance of SQL Server is still supported, you must update that instance to a supported service pack or to a hotfix build for that version. For more information, please see Additional references in the "More Information" section.

Case 2: If the version of your instance of SQL Server is not supported, you must first upgrade your instance of SQL Server to a supported version. Then, you must either apply the latest service pack that is available for that version, or you must at least apply the service pack version that is still supported.

For example, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 RTM entered limited support as of April 2010. This includes any hotfix builds (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956909) that you applied from the SQL Server 2008 RTM servicing branch. If you have an instance of SQL Server that is at the RTM build level, we strongly advise you to upgrade the instance to a supported service pack level. We recommended that you upgrade to the latest service pack level. As of the writing of this article, the latest service pack for SQL Server 2008 is Service Pack 2.

Similarly, SQL Server 2008 SP1 enters limited support as of October 2011.

To obtain complete information about the support lifecycle status for your specific version of SQL Server and service pack, visit the following Microsoft website
The following screen shot contains the support lifecycle information for SQL Server 2008 RTM, for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1, and so on. This screen shot is presented to demonstrate the kind of information that you can obtain from the support lifecycle website. You should always visit the support lifecycle website for current and accurate support lifecycle dates.



The following table provides more information about the products or the tools that check automatically for this condition on your instance of SQL Server and on the versions of the SQL Server product against which the rule is evaluated.The Microsoft Support Lifecycle (http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/) website contains explanations for the different dates: General Availability, Mainstream Support End, Extended Support End, and Service Pack Support End. For more information, you can also visit the following links:

• Mainstream vs Extended Support and SQL Server 2005 SP4: Can someone explain all of this? (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/psssql/archive/2010/02/17/mainstream-vs-extended-support-and-sql-server-2005-sp4-can-someone-explain-all-of-this.aspx)
• Important SQL Server and Windows “End of Support” dates you should know about (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/psssql/archive/2010/01/08/important-sql-server-and-windows-end-of-support-dates-you-should-know-about.aspx)
• An important change for the Microsoft Lifecycle Support Policy (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/psssql/archive/2010/04/13/an-important-change-for-the-microsoft-lifecycle-support-policy.aspx)
• Microsoft Support Lifecycle Service Pack Support Policy Revisions (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/newSPlifecycle)

Additional referencesAdditional references

• How to obtain the latest service pack for SQL Server 2008 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968382)
• The SQL Server 2008 builds that were released after SQL Server 2008 was released (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956909/)
• The SQL Server 2008 builds that were released after SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 was released (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970365/)
• The SQL Server 2005 builds that were released after SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 was released (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/937137/)
• End of Mainstream Support for SQL Server 2005 and End of Service Pack Support for SQL Server 2008 SP1 (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2011/01/27/end-of-mainstream-support-for-sql-server-2005-and-end-of-service-pack-support-for-sql-server-2008-sp1.aspx)