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Windows SBS 2008, Essential Business Server 2008 Coming Nov. 12

Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 will officially launch on Nov. 12, Microsoft announced Monday.

The products are based on Windows Server 2008. SBS is the usual revamp of the OS, tweaked and packaged with other products and specialized wizards for small businesses. EBS, formerly known by the code name "Centro," is an entirely new package aimed at mid-market customers.

Steven VanRoekel, senior director of the Windows Server Solutions group at Microsoft, said the Nov. 12 launch will be virtual. With products that are so heavily dependent on channel excitement and support, the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston this week in many ways is the most important component of the process.

To introduce partners to SBS and WEBS, Microsoft will include demonstrations of the new products in about half a dozen WPC keynotes and try to get about 2,000 of the 7,000 partners in attendance trained on the new products, VanRoekel says. By the launch, Microsoft hopes to have 25,000 partners trained on the new products.

Also this week, Microsoft expects to put out an SDK, a Release Candidate 1 for both SBS and WEBS, and a new online tool for partners called the Solutions Pathway.

VanRoekel provided RCP with a roadmap for the release schedule. "[Nov. 12 is] not our release to manufacturing date. We'll actually be RTMing about two months before that. What [Nov. 12] really signifies to us is when these products are broadly available. System builders will have it right away [after the RTM]. The OEMs take about two months to get it on servers."

Posted by Scott Bekker on July 07, 2008


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