SharePoint 64-Bit

 

It is highly recommended to prepare for migration of your applications to the next SharePoint version 2010, if any one of the following is applicable.

• performance of the server farm is not meeting customers’ expectations,
• the user base is growing rapidly,
• the application pools are recycling more and more often
• a scheduled equipment upgrade is approaching.

The basic requirement for 2010 is listed below..

• SharePoint Server 2010 will be 64-bit only.
• SharePoint Server 2010 will require 64-bit Windows Server 2008
• SharePoint Server 2010 will require 64-bit SQL Server 2008 / 2005.
• SharePoint 2010 will support only Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8 and FireFox 3.x IE6 is not supported.

Things to know/remember about 64 bit environment.

• Not all 64-bit processors are supported. For example, Intel’s Itanium series of 64-bit processors uses a proprietary design that is not compatible with Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies. So research before ordering new hardware.
• A 64-bit system architecture that is running a 64-bit edition of Windows Server can support up to 1,024 GB of both physical and addressable memory.
• 64-bit environment does not require worker processes to cycle as often, so it can support more user base/server. So basically you can reduce number of servers in the farm to support more users compared to 32 bit environment.
• In 64 bit environment(hardware/server/DB all 64 bit), it is possible for SQL Server to get very large working data sets entirely into RAM, thereby improving performance and scalability.

Best places to get more information about the new version and migration process:

1. Advantages of 64-bit hardware and software (Office SharePoint Server 2007)
2. Determine hardware and software requirements (Office SharePoint Server) 
3. Migration strategy to a 64-bit environment (Office SharePoint Server 2007)
4. 10 best practices for building SharePoint solutions