News

Microsoft Releases Beta of Windows for Opteron

Microsoft launched a customer preview program Tuesday for its Windows Server 2003 operating systems for AMD's Opteron processors.

Beta code became available on Tuesday for the Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition for 64-bit Extended Systems. The trial software will be functional for 360 days. Microsoft expects to release Windows Server 2003 for 64-bit Extended Editions in the second half of 2004 in both Enterprise and Standard editions, a Microsoft spokesperson said.

The Opteron processor is based on the x86 instruction set, allowing the processors to run existing 32-bit applications and make it easier for developers to create 64-bit applications by porting existing code. The Intel 64-bit processor, the Itanium, uses a new instruction set for 64-bit processing.

Also on Tuesday, Microsoft detailed some of the differences between the two Opteron-based SKUs of Windows Server. The Standard Edition will support up to four AMD Opteron processors and 32 GB of RAM. Microsoft says the edition will be geared for memory-bound applications that don't require more than four processors, business applications, databases, Terminal Services, Active Directory data stores larger than 2 GB and use in high-performance computing clusters.

The Enterprise Edition will support up to eight AMD Opteron processors and up to 64 GB of RAM. It is intended for line-of-business applications, large databases and Terminal Server deployments using Terminal Server Session Directory, a feature that allows users to easily reconnect to a disconnected session in a load-balanced Terminal Server farm.

Information on the Extended Systems Beta and Customer Preview Program is available here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/64bit/extended/default.mspx.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

Featured

  • Broadcom Revamps VMware Partner Program Again

    Broadcom recently announced a significant update regarding its VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) program, coinciding with the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0, a key component in Broadcom’s private cloud strategy.

  • Closeup of the new Copilot keyboard key

    Microsoft Updates Copilot To Add Context-Sensitive Agents to Teams, SharePoint

    Microsoft has rolled out a new public preview for collaborative "always on" agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot, bringing enhanced, context-aware tools into Teams channels, meetings, SharePoint sites, Planner workstreams and Viva Engage communities.

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.

  • Report: Security Initiatives Can't Keep Pace with Cloud, AI Boom

    The increasingly fast adoption of hybrid, multicloud, and AI systems is easily outgrowing existing security measures, according to a recent global survey by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and exposure management firm Tenable.

Most   Popular