Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 RTMed

The team is pleased to announce that Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 has been released to manufacturing (RTM) and is now available on the Microsoft Download Center!

The English version is available now and German, Spanish and French versions will be available on the Download Center soon. Windows Home Server customers who don’t download it on their own will receive Power Pack 1 via Windows Update in August, and the new Chinese and Japanese versions will RTM in August, too.

As many know, Power Pack 1 provides a range of new enhancements, including support for home computers running Windows Vista x64 editions, backup of home server Shared Folders, improvements to remote access, more efficient power consumption and better performance. And, of course, it delivers a fix for the data corruption bug. Documentation for Power Pack 1 (Build #1800, to those who have been part of the beta testing) is available here.

Source- Technet Blog

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VMC to Hyper-V migration tool is coming

The tool now basically covers everything there is you can specify in a Hyper-V vm. Looking at a Virtual Server or Virtual PC configuration file, all settings which can apply to a Hyper-V vm are imported and can be modified in the UI.
Of course, BIOS settings like NumLock and boot order are Hyper-V specific but I added those for completeness. You can choose to have the SCSI boot disk swapped with the forst IDE disk. This is handy for those who have used SCSI with Virtual Server.

The tool is now being tested within a closed group at Microsoft.

updates will come on - http://blogs.technet.com/matthts

and on http://blogs.technet.com/windowsserver/default.aspx

Source- Cosmin’s hooking testify

Download Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V through the TechNet Plus portal

Hyper-V, a key feature of Windows Server 2008, has now released to manufacturing (RTM) and is available for deployment into production environments. A beta of Hyper-V was included with Windows Server 2008 and this update provides the final release. Now, it’s available to TechNet Plus Subscribers.

Server virtualization, also known as hardware virtualization, is a hot topic in the IT world because of the potential for serious economic benefits. Server virtualization enables multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine as virtual machines (VMs). With server virtualization, you can consolidate workloads of underutilized server machines onto a smaller number of fully utilized machines. Fewer physical machines can lead to reduced costs through lower hardware, energy, and management overhead, plus the creation of a more dynamic IT infrastructure.

To download your copy make sure you login to your TechNet Plus subscription. You can find:

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter, Enterprise and Standard (x64) - DVD (English) and
• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter, Enterprise and Standard (x86) - DVD (English)

under “Operating Systems > Windows Server 2008″

Source- Technet Blog

Windows Server 2008 out shines Vista

IT decision-makers give the server operating system a qualified thumbs up and plan to move to it as part of the normal server refresh cycle, which typically ranges from three to five years.
It may look like Windows Vista. It shares the same code base as Vista. It even rolls in Vista’s first Service Pack. But in terms of customer adoption plans, Windows Server 2008 is no Vista.

A new Computerworld survey shows that 63 per cent of the 403 respondents plan to adopt Microsoft’s new server operating system.

This contrasts with the intention of some IT organizations to skip Vista entirely and move directly to Windows 7 on the desktop.

Source: www.itbusiness.ca

Windows HPC Server 2008 RC1 Released

You may now download the Windows HPC Server 2008 release candidate via http://connect.microsoft.com.   Register for the "Windows HPC Server 2008" beta program.   You’ll also want to grab the corresponding SDK.   Please do provide usability feedback using the "Feedback Tool" on the beta program web-site.  

For technical discussions, join and participate in the Windows HPC forums accessible via the "Forums" tab on http://windowshpc.net.

Source- MSDN Blog

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is available for download

Today, Microsoft reaches a significant milestone for customers and partners with the release of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, the hypervisor-based virtualization feature included in select versions of Windows Server 2008. Those who have already deployed the x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 can receive Hyper-V from Windows Update beginning July 8, while new customers and partners can download Hyper-V later today (12:00 pm PT). The Windows Virtualization team will be counting down the days to download from Windows Update, so be sure to visit the Windows Virtualization Team blog to see daily spotlights on specific features and benefits of Hyper-V technology, as well as to read about customer stories and see postings from guests.

Since the beta release of Hyper-V in February, more than 250 customers have participated in Hyper-V’s early adoption program. Microsoft’s own deployment and results with Hyper-V is showcased today in Rob Emanuel’s guest blog and video on the Windows Server Division blog, specifically on customers using Hyper-V and partner benefits, visit the Microsoft PressPass site.

Also, check out the new Hyper-V videos on TechNet Edge:

TechNet Edge Interview: Hyper-V Overview with Mike Neil

TechNet Edge Interview: Hyper-V Program managers interview Part 1

TechNet Edge Interview: Hyper-V Program managers interview Part 2

Other Resources:

Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit

Virtualization Solution Accelerators

Source- Technet Blog

Windows Server 2008 Power Savings Whitepaper published

"Microsoft has published a new whitepaper on Windows Server 2008 power savings, and the results and methodologies of the tests run to develop the paper.

This is an excellent document, which outlines the test results (downloadable in separate spreadsheets) and the role of virtualisation in optimising energy efficiencies in your data centres.

Check it out at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=61d493fd-855d-4719-8662-3a40ba3a0a5c&displaylang=en

Source- Bianca’s great blog

Hyper-V RTM’ed !

Hyper-V has RTM’ed ! That is way earlier than the initial 180 days after Windows Server 2008 release. Expect more information and official press release later today.

Source- Bink.nu