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Key Windows Server 2008 R2 Update

First service pack coming this month for Windows Server 2008 R2.

Microsoft said its Windows Server 2008 R2 service pack 1 (SP1) will be available by the end of July. It will include two new management capabilities.

One addition, called RemoteFX technology, will support remote three-dimensional user experiences on client devices in conjunction with Windows Server 2008 R2. The other update includes dynamic memory, which will let administrators allocate pools of memory in Hyper-V that can shift across different virtual machines in response to workload changes.

SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 won't contain any Windows 7-specif ic improvements, according to a blog post by Gavriella Schuster, general manager for Windows Client Commercial. Instead, SP1 contains a rollup of updates that are currently available through the Microsoft Windows Update service, plus some hotfixes that Microsoft created in response to feedback from partners and customers.

Bob Muglia, president of the Microsoft Server and Tools Business, outlined the company's announcements in his opening keynote address at the Tech•Ed North America conference in New Orleans, where he also re-emphasized the Microsoft "all in" cloud focus that CEO Steve Ballmer launched in March.

While Muglia talked up the potential transformation of cloud computing, he promised that the company won't leave partners behind. "We're focused and committed to working with partners across the industry to move you forward into the cloud," Muglia said. More on that will come at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference this month in Washington, D.C.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

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