Operating systems

Microsoft releases new versions of the Windows operating systems every few years and also phases out older versions at a similar rate. Microsoft has formalized this policy in Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

It is the general policy of BlueCielo to only support current Windows versions because testing and supporting BlueCielo products with specific Windows versions requires a considerable amount of time and resources. BlueCielo intends to support Windows operating systems during their Mainstream and Extended support phases. When an operating system enters the Self-Help support phase, it is no longer supported by BlueCielo. In that phase, it is not possible to get support from BlueCielo other than through the BlueCielo knowledge base.

Note    Changes in the Extended Support phase retirement date by Microsoft announced less than six months before the originally scheduled retirement date will not necessarily be followed by BlueCielo.

Support for Microsoft service packs is not addressed in this policy. For each version of BlueCielo software, specific service pack or additional requirements may apply depending on the version of Windows it is used with. These requirements are documented in the Release Notes document for each BlueCielo product version.

Unless otherwise specified, the following operating systems are supported by BlueCielo products in this document with the following limitations:

• We recommend the 64-bit editions of Windows and Meridian be installed on the server computer, particularly if SQL Server or Oracle are installed on the same computer with Meridian.
• Windows Server Core Edition is not supported.
• BlueCielo ECM Solutions does not support any unlisted or Home edition of Windows as a valid business system.
• BlueCielo ECM Solutions does not support any Windows version without at least the first available service pack installed.
• Both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of operating systems are supported.
• The workstation operating system variants are supported as platforms for the EDM Server and Web Access only for demonstration and evaluation purposes. In a production environment, a server operating system must be used.
• While BlueCielo does not perform quality assurance testing with all virtualization systems (even those listed above) or all combinations of host and guest operating systems, running Meridian Enterprise software on any server or desktop virtualization technology is supported under the following conditions.
• The viewer is supported on 32-bit computers only. The Meridian 64-bit clients can be configured with AutoVue Client/Server. For more information, see the BlueCielo Meridian Enterprise Administrator's Guide.

Warning    Existing Meridian Enterprise vaults created on computers running older Windows versions (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003) cannot be used by any version of Meridian Enterprise running on Windows Server 2008 or Windows 7. Such vaults require a special upgrade procedure as described in Vault incompatibility between Windows operating system versions in the Meridian knowledge base.