Upgrading to SharePoint 2010

SharePoint 2010 introduces new options (and eliminates others) for upgrades from earlier versions. Shown here is a new feature called Visual Upgrade, which enables administrators to preview the look and feel of upgraded sites. For example, a site that has been upgraded in place from SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010 can retain its original look and feel (top). Administrators can preview each site with the 2010 look and feel (bottom) and then switch it back or make the change permanent. Among other things, the feature can help administrators explore a test copy of their installation to find existing site features that will not upgrade properly, such as custom site themes or specific custom controls (Web Parts). Visual Upgrade does not work with all SharePoint sites; for example, it does not work with My Site personal Web sites.

The Visual Upgrade feature works on sites that have been upgraded in place from earlier versions to SharePoint 2010. It switches the resulting SharePoint 2010 site’s master pages, styles, and other Web elements between the SharePoint 2010 defaults and a set that mimics SharePoint Server 2007. In general, Microsoft supports upgrades in place to SharePoint 2010 only from the most recent corresponding product editions and versions: Windows SharePoint Foundation 3.0 SP2 to SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2007 SP2 to SharePoint Server 2010. (Third parties support additional upgrade paths.) Servers must also meet SharePoint 2010 system requirements: Windows Server 2008 (or later) and x64 hardware on all servers and SQL Server 2005 SP3 (or later) on database servers.