Is it possible to upgrade ArcGIS Server to 10.1, leaving ArcSDE running 10.0? Will ArcSDE 10.0 be backward compatible to ArcGIS for Server 10.1?
I guess you meant to ask if ArcGIS for Server 10.1 is backward compatible with ArcSDE 10.0, not the other way around.
The answer is yes, ArcGIS for Server and ArcGIS for Desktop 10.1 should connect fine to an ArcSDE 10.0 Application Server and / or 10.0 Geodatatabase. ESRI even recommends during an upgrade of the software stack, to always first upgrade the clients (ArcGIS for Server and ArcGIS for Desktop are both clients of the RDBMS), and only than the Geodatabase and / or ArcSDE Application Server (if you still run an Application Server, ESRI recommends to switch to Direct Connect).
I am not a part of our IT Department, and therefore, upgrades are quite an ordeal here. Would prefer not to upgrade ArcSDE, at least to test on the QA server, if possible.
Is it possible to upgrade ArcGIS Server to 10.1, leaving ArcSDE running 10.0? Will ArcSDE 10.0 be backward compatible to ArcGIS for Server 10.1?
I guess you meant to ask if ArcGIS for Server 10.1 is backward compatible with ArcSDE 10.0, not the other way around.
The answer is yes, ArcGIS for Server and ArcGIS for Desktop 10.1 should connect fine to an ArcSDE 10.0 Application Server and / or 10.0 Geodatatabase. ESRI even recommends during an upgrade of the software stack, to always first upgrade the clients (ArcGIS for Server and ArcGIS for Desktop are both clients of the RDBMS), and only than the Geodatabase and / or ArcSDE Application Server (if you still run an Application Server, ESRI recommends to switch to Direct Connect).
