We have a 2012 R2 server running just as a file server only. No AD on it. AD is running on an older machine running Server 2000.
During the upgrade, I need to keep the app's that are installed on this server moving forward because we've spent a lot of $$$ to software integrators to install this software and provide updates.
I've imaged the server to a VM and tried to perform an in-line install of 2016 datacenter eval copy. I won't let me do that. It will only let me perform a fresh install. That won't work.
I don't want to buy 2016, 2019 unless I know it will work.
We're running fine now, after doing an upgrade on the application that was installed a year or so ago. Sooner or later I'm "thinking" 2012 R2 won't be supported by this application down the road. Hence my trying to find a solution now.
I've also tried to do this in-line upgrade on an older spare server that replaced a couple of years ago. Same outcome.
Thoughts?