Windows Server 2008 R2 and Beyond!
What a great week, Beta's are flying off the shelves with Windows 7 Client and Windows Server 2008 R2! The Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta is available for public download (here). Windows Server 2008 really seemed to hit the mark and I'm excited to see how we've made improvements on a product that was already awesome.
While you are waiting for the download to complete, I suggest you spend some time reviewing the Windows 7 Readiness Kit so you can get the most of your training and self testing as well as know how to discuss it with customers prior to the products release. You can access the Readiness Kit (here).
With all of these announcements are you wondering when we might see the products hit the shelves, the roadmap below is the closest I can get you while we are this early in the beta process. As more people download the products, test it, and provide feedback, we'll be able to determine where we are at and what needs to be accomplished before we get closer to an RTM product. Frankly, I still think it it WAY TOO EARLY to mention Windows Server 7 (WIndows Server 2008 R2) to customers. As you can clearly see in the roadmap below, we are shooting for 2010 for its release and Windows Server 2008 SP1 is ROCK Solid. Granted, I am looking forward to trying out Hyper-V 2.0, as well as seeing how we take advantage of multicore mulitprocessor systems in my testing.
I can understand your interests in the Windows 7 desktop, I am just as excited about it as you are. Partners with a MSDN or TechNet subscription can download Windows 7 Beta now. All other partners can download Windows 7 Beta starting January 9, 2009 at 12:00 P.M. Pacific Time.
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