News

Windows 2000 Release Candidate Feature Complete

Microsoft Corp. took a step closer to its third phase of beta testing Windows 2000 when the company handed Release Candidate 0 (RC0) over to approximately 1,000 testing sites this week.

Although RC0 is an intermediary move between Beta 2 and Beta 3, Microsoft claims all that’s left between now the shipping the final version of Windows 2000 is to get the kinks out.

"RC0 is feature complete," says Jonathan Perrera, lead product manager for Windows NT Server. "All the features expected in Windows 2000 gold code are present in this build."

RC0 includes a new version of Terminal Server that is melded into the operating system rather than remaining a stand-alone product. The release candidate also includes a new wizard that automates the setup of Active Directory. Additionally, new multimedia device driver support for mobile systems is included.

RC0 was shipped to 1,000 partners and developers, mostly to those that build PC Cards, device drivers and software to ensure that it complies with products from Microsoft’s partners.

The full version of Beta 3 is due in February or March, with the final version still expected to ship in the second half of '99. –Thomas Sullivan, Staff Reporter/Reviews Editor

About the Author

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