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Muglia Updates Windows Server Roadmap

In a press tour on Friday, Microsoft senior vice president for Windows Server Bob Muglia updated the Windows Server release schedule for next year.

This week, Muglia said, Microsoft has delivered a Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Release Candidate, a private beta of Windows Server 2003 "R2" and a limited-audience release candidate of the x64 editions of Windows Server 2003 that run on AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon processors with EM64T.

Next year, Microsoft's Windows Server group has many more items on its plate, according to Muglia.

In the first half of 2005:

  • Windows Server "R2" Beta 2
  • Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition Beta
  • Windows Small Business Server SP1
  • Windows Server 2003 x64 editions
  • Windows Server 2003 SP1

    In the second half of 2005:

  • Windows Server System 2006 criteria
  • Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition
  • Windows Storage Server "R2"
  • Windows Small Business Server "R2"
  • Windows Server 2003 "R2"
  • Windows Server "Longhorn" Beta

    General availability of the Windows Server "Longhorn" operating system remains on the boards for 2007.

    In an interview with CNET, meanwhile, Muglia acknowledged that an e-mail went out to the limited group of Windows Server 2003 "R2" beta testers that said the product was scheduled for an October release. Muglia told CNET that it was too early in the process to say that R2 would be available in October but that Microsoft should be able to deliver R2 some time in the second half.

    • About the Author

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

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