Windows Server Division WebLog

Catch a Great Keynote from TechEd Europe 2009

WindowsServer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:21:21 GMT

I’m just heading out of Monday’s Keynote address here at TechEd Europe 2009, and it was definitely a stunner. If you couldn’t attend, here’s a short summary, and if any of this floats your boat, check back to the New Efficiency Virtual Launch Event in a few hours because we’ll be posting a recording of the session there.

The session began with an intro by Achim Berg, Chairman of the Managing Board Microsoft Germany and Area Vice President International, who explained why I was left with standing room only: over 7200 people from 104 countries completely sold out the TechEd Europe 2009 event a few days ago and a large percentage of them had filled the keynote theater to capacity! Achim then introduced Stephen Elop, President of the Microsoft Business Division, but first he paid homage to the historic celebration happening in Berlin today. It’s been 20 years to the day since the Berlin Wall came down, symbolically ending the cold war and re-uniting both Germany and Europe. He also pointed us to an impressive artistic project focusing on today’s celebration of the event and using several Microsoft technologies to build a mosaic of impressions, remembrances and opinions of the Wall from people around the world. You can take part yourself by clicking over to www.citymosaic.de to participate.

Stephen Elop also paid homage to Berlin’s history, but then got down to business, explaining just what Microsoft means with our New Efficiency campaign. With help from Microsoft execs and customers deploying our newest platforms, he did a great job of clearly explaining the New Efficiency and what it means to businesses and IT operators today. Tune in when we post the recording for a fascinating discussion with IT operators on the cutting edge. All are facing challenges like a workforce that now spans four generations, an economic landscape that can shift on a dime, and new competitive technologies, including cloud computing and virtualization, and balancing them against a cost-conscious management mind set. My favorite line? “Ninja-proofing your IT infrastructure.”

He also oversaw a great demo of Exchange 2010 – loads of stuff I didn’t even know Outlook 2010 or Exchange 2010 could do, even though I’ve been using both for over a month now! Get set for much smarter voicemail, email discussion views and way easier Exchange server management.

Stephen then introduced Robert Wahbe, Corporate Vice President, Server and Tools Marketing, to talk about all the new capabilities of Windows Server 2008 R2. We’ve covered them here in depth, but even so Robert dropped a few new facts, like that 460,000 customers have so far downloaded Windows Server 2008 R2 since it became available and that all major server makers are already offering it on new hardware. He also monitored a great demo of the synergy between System Center 2010 and Windows Server 2008 R2, including not just an easy dashboard-style interface but the cool capabilities of PowerShell.

All this is well worth the look once the recording posts. Meantime, check out a new Forrester study on the Total Economic Impact of Windows Server 2008 R2. I’ve sat through many a keynote in my day, and this one really is worth the time; thanks to Stephen and Robert for making it so interesting.

Oliver Rist

Sr. Product Manager

Windows Server Marketing

Increase Web Application Scalability and Reliability with ARR 2.0 RTW

WindowsServer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Today, Microsoft announced the final release of IIS Application Request Routing (ARR) 2.0 RTW.

Customers - such as hosting providers, Content Delivery Network (CDN) providers, and IT Professionals are changing the way they do business as a result of ARR 2.0. ARR 2.0 delivers cost savings, elastic scalability, and flexible deployment options. With IIS 7.5 and ARR 2.0, customers can create a native Silverlight infrastructure and configure their CDN so that it provides superior live and on-demand media offerings for their users. Customers can implement new capabilities in their CDN and as a result, can replace Apache Squid on their edge servers and cut costs. By deploying this new solution based on ARR 2.0, customers can provide a better viewing experience for Web consumers, boost the scalability and level of control they have over their CDN, and enhance the reports they can provide their users.

There are now several new scenarios available to the Microsoft Web Platform. My personal favorite is a media solution combining IIS Live Smooth Streaming with ARR 2.0 to deliver live HD video over a CDN – a scenario nobody else can do today. ARR 2.0 also adds support to enhance disk based cache and cache proxy for CDNs while increasing Web application reliability and scalability through rule-based routing and load balancing of HTTP server requests. ARR 2.0 is able to cache on disk any HTTP traffic that passes through the server. By combining the disk caching capabilities along with a hierarchy of IIS Web servers running ARR 2.0, CDNs and hosting providers are able to considerably reduce the network traffic that traverses up to the origin server.

In other words – get your free software load balancer with caching on top of Windows Server! And oh, if you want to stream live HD media across a CDN – we got you covered! Did I mention it’s free? And it’s available to download and install today with the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0, your one-stop shop to get everything for the Microsoft Web Platform – including ARR 2.0 RTW. From IIS Extensions to the Windows App Gallery, there is sure to be something useful for your Web site endeavors.

If you still aren't convinced that ARR 2.0 is the coolest thing since sliced bread, as LeVar from Reading Rainbow would say, "But don't take my word for it!" Internap, an Internet Service Provider company based out of Atlanta, Georgia deployed ARR 2.0 and IIS 7.5 in the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system to implement new capabilities in its content delivery network. As a result, the company can replace Apache Squid on its edge servers, cut costs, and improve scalability, reporting, and the users' Web experience. Be sure to check out their brand new case study.

For more information or to download, please visit the IIS ARR 2.0 RTW page.

Eric Rezabek

Senior Product Manager

IIS/Web

Berlin 2009: Old Walls, New Platforms

WindowsServer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:03:00 GMT

My bags are packed and the U.S. Government has graciously admitted my existence, providing me with a brand new passport to prove it. Now I’ve just got to nurse my spine through 10 hours in a coach aisle seat, and I’ll be at TechEd Europe 2009 in Berlin. This will be an exciting week to be there with Berlin celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall, and Microsoft celebrating the launch of Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7 and Exchange 2010.

If you’re not lucky enough to get folded into a hobbit-sized airline seat and whimper your way to Millennium City, you can still attend virtually by watching Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division, and Robert Wahbe, corporate vice president of the Server and Tools Marketing Group, give the keynote address live online November 9 at 6:30 a.m. Pacific/9:30 a.m. Eastern/3:30 p.m. GMT.

And there’s more after the keynote speech: join Microsoft executives in a post-keynote speech videoconference to discuss the latest news and technologies including Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. You can even join in the fun and ask questions following a brief introduction. Just submit your questions during the teleconference or any time leading up to it by tweeting with the Twitter hashtag, #TEE09.

So visit the Microsoft Tech•Ed Global Pressroom to access the keynote live streams and participate in the post-keynote speech Q&A with Microsoft executives. Also look for more blog posts here on the keynotes as well as Facebook and Twitter updates on cool Windows Server 2008 R2 info-sessions before they happen.

Oliver Rist

Sr. Product Manager

Windows Server Marketing

New release from Citrix supports Windows Server 2008 R2

WindowsServer — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:32:00 GMT

Windows Server 2008 R2 contains Microsoft's most powerful virtualization portfolio ever, spanning both server and desktop virtualization with flexible solutions for consolidation, software deployment, application compatibility, disaster recovery and more. But no single solution is right for everyone, and in a great example of Microsoft partner synergy, Citrix has released a new version of its Citrix Essentials that's not only compatible with R2, it actually trakes advantage of technologies only the latest Windows Server can provide.

Citrix Essentials 5.5 supports all the latest features available in Windows Server 2008 R2, Hyper-V in R2 and System Center. Citrix's StorageLink Site Recovery can utilize Hyper-V in R2 and new features in Microsoft Clustering to ease disaster recovery testing and staging and has a lighter management burden using Windows Server 2008 R2's new management capabilties as well as features like Live Migration.

Get more information on this valued new partner offering here.

Oliver Rist

Sr. Product Manager

Windows Server Marketing

Announcing several technologies to enable Windows Server 2008 customers to run certain applications designed for Windows Server 2008 R2

WindowsServer — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:43:01 GMT

Following the tremendously successful launch of Windows Server 2008 R2, a lot of software developers are eager to begin writing applications and drivers that take advantage of some of its new technologies. To help developers transitioning to Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft is proud to announce the release to Web (RTW) of the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008. This set of runtime libraries makes it easy for developers to target Windows Server 2008 R2 without sacrificing their customer base running Windows Server 2008.

These updates include the following:

· The Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library components for developers to leverage the latest advancements in modern graphics technologies for gaming, multimedia, imaging and printing applications. It includes updates to DirectX to support hardware acceleration for 2D, 3D and text based scenarios; DirectCompute for hardware accelerated parallel computing scenarios; and XPS Library for document printing scenarios.

· The latest Windows Automation API, which allows accessibility tools and test automations to access Windows user interface in a consistent way across operating system versions.

· The Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library, which contains the Windows Ribbon API, a command framework that enables developers to quickly and easily create rich ribbon experiences in their applications, and the Windows Animation Manager API, an animation framework for managing the scheduling and execution of user interface element animations.

For specific details about the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008, please visit Microsoft Product Support.

Microsoft is making the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 available to customers via Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services and the Microsoft Download Center at no cost. Because Microsoft is making these libraries so broadly available, we expect customers will find an increasing number of applications using the new features.

Thanks

Justin Graham

Senior Product Manager

Windows Server

Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2 eBook Available as Free Download

WindowsServer — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:13:00 GMT

Thanks much to the Microsoft Learning and MS Press folks for such a fantastic giveaway. I remember getting the pre-cursor for this book, Introducing Microsoft Windows Server 2008, before I joined Microsoft and it was a huge help in getting grounded with the then-new OS. Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2 is a deep-dive work, that'll get you up to speed on how R2's new features and capabilities work, including Hyper-V and RDS virtualization, management, IIS and the new Web application platform and, of course, all the synergistic goodness between Windows Server and Windows 7. Free for a click, so don't miss out.

Oliver Rist

Technical Product Manager

Windows Server Marketing

Windows 7 goes GA!!

WindowsServer — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:02:00 GMT

It's been a fantastic ride: Windows 7 has hit the GA milestone. That's General Availability for the acronym-challenged, so go forth and upgrade! As of now, you'll find Windows 7 readily available from retailers as well as hardware manufacturers and business solution providers. The new operating system has lots to admire for desktop users, but it also sports the closest relationship with Windows Server since Windows 2000. Put Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 on the same set of network cables and all kinds of new abilities are suddenly yours to command, including uber-flexible desktop and application virtualization with Remote Desktop Services, seamless remote productivity with DirectAccess, smiling branch office workers with BranchCache and happier desktop administrators who get loads of new options for managing desktops right down to the bare metal on each and every desk.

For our part, Windows Server 2008 R2 has been available through partners and OEMs, like Dell and Fujitsu, for several weeks. Our server experts have done a great job of describing Windows Server 2008 R2's many new and improved features over the past several months, but with the full availability of Windows 7 now upon us, customers and partners will be able to see all the power that a desktop-to-server Microsoft solution can have in the enterprise. You can experience much of this new functionality via online demos and presentations at our New Efficiency Virtual Launch Event (VLE) site.

Here, you can get a first-hand look at Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7's new enterprise synergies, including new management features, productivity enhancers and virtualization capabilities, via online training and info sessions, demo recordings and customer descriptions of their early adoption experiences with the new platform. Enterprise IT administrators will find lots of valuable information here, but we'd also like to remind SMB customers that both Windows Server and Windows 7 contain features specifically aimed at them. There are several New Efficiency VLE content sessions aimed at SMB scenarios currently available, and we'll be adding more in the coming weeks, so check out what's there and stay tuned for more. Again, congratulations to Windows 7 on achieving this important milestone, and look for more content on our virtual launch site as well as new events highlighting these products in the near future, including TechEd Europe and PDC in just a few weeks.

Oliver Rist

Technical Product Manager

Windows Server 20008 R2

Provide a Better Web Site Experience with Faster Response Times

WindowsServer — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:53:00 GMT

Have you ever hummed the Jeopardy theme song while waiting for a Web site to download - even on a high-speed Internet connection? Sometimes the problem is OUT of your control – whether it is an Internet traffic jam, scheduled maintenance, or some other unknown cause for a delay in receiving your request to view the latest on what the stock market is doing. But sometimes the problem is IN your control – such as pre-loading worker processes at the start of the Web server or when Overlapped Recycling occurs. As a IT Pro in charge of Web sites, you probably want to do everything you can on your side to make those delays as few as possible to your end-users. Like an easy-bake oven, you can now ‘Warm-Up’ your Web site to the proper ‘temperature’ before serving your customers.

Today, Microsoft announced the beta release of IIS Application Warm-Up – an extension for IIS 7.5 that enables IT Professionals to improve the responsiveness of their Web sites by loading the Web applications before the first request arrives. By proactively loading and initializing all the dependencies such as database connections, compilation of ASP.NET code, and loading of modules, IT Professionals can ensure their Web sites are responsive at all times even if their Web sites use a custom request pipeline or if the Application Pool is recycled.

For more information or to download, please visit the IIS Application Warm-Up page. If you can’t decide where to start, first get the new Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 RTW – this is your one-stop shop to get everything for the Microsoft Web Platform. From IIS Extensions to the Windows App Gallery, there is sure to be something useful for your Web site endeavors.

Eric Rezabek

Senior Product Manager

IIS/Web

Survey says: IT pros weigh in on the role of solution providers

WindowsServer — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:58:00 GMT

Microsoft recently worked with MarketTools's Zoom Panel Tech to conduct an online survey of 2000 IT professionals about if, how and why they use solution providers (IT consultants, resellers, system integrators and hosted service providers.) The results verify what we've heard repeatedly from customers and partners: IT departments want strategic solution providers that truly help drive business results - what we often refer to as "trusted advisors" - and they want their solution providers to align closely with Microsoft.

Some of the more interesting survey findings:

Over 70% of IT pros surveyed use some sort of solution provider (consultant, reseller, system integrator or hosted service provider.)
42% of IT decision makers view solution providers as "highly" or "extremely" influential in the direction of their IT systems, versus other outside influences, such as vendors, peers, publications and analysts.
About 40% of IT decision makers say their solution providers significantly help them save money (7, 8 or 9 out of 1-9 scale.)
"Strategic advice, guidance and overall expertise" (39%) were cited by IT decision makers as the most important value provided by solution providers, over skills such as deployment and implementation (21%) or ongoing support/maintenance (14%)
54% of IT decision makers say "Overall planning, strategy and management" by solution providers provide the greatest value versus specific technical cababilities, such as systems management (38%), storage and disaster recovery (35%), virtualization (34%), security (28%) and others.
47% of IT decision makers want their solution providers to most closely align with MSFT - by far the top vendor preference versus IBM (12%), HP (10%), Vmware (9%), Symantec (2%), RedHat (2%), Other (8%)

Related to this, IDC's June 2009 study "Microsoft Core Infrastructure: Partner Pathway to Business Performance" reports that partners that achieve 2 or more MS Partner Network infrastructure competencies realize 68% larger deal sizes and 28% more revenue per employee.

In our view, these data points highlight the fact that working with MS is a great way for partners to be a trusted adviser to their clients, and to grow their own business, as well. And the opportunities are even greater with the launches of Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Exchange 2010, new Forefront solutions, etc.

As part of our efforts to give partners the guidance they need to succeed, we recently launched http://www.InfrastructurePracticeBuilder.com/

Joel Sider, Core Infrastructure Marketing

Remote Access: SMBs Will Continue to Get Enterprise-Caliber Capabilities With SBS and EBS

WindowsServer — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:46:00 GMT

Windows Server 2008 R2 will soon be fully launched, providing a host of new capabilities that will help dial down costs and improve productivity. A key design tenent, which we've discussed in this blog, is how Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 together offer several net-new features, including DirectAccess and BranchCache, for more effective and cost efficient management of enterprise remote workforces.

But what about small and medium-sized organizations? Most of us think of mobility as a large enterprise issue, which makes sense. After all, larger companies have the financial wherewithal to effectively plan, deploy and manage the infrastructure needed to provide employees with secure access to their email, files, company intranet or necessary applications.

But that doesn't mean that mid-sized organizations don't have the same or similar needs. In fact, the number of full-time employees performing their jobs remotely at least part of the time rose 39 percent from 2006 through 2008, or about 17.2 million employees, according to a recent WorldatWork study. Similarly, a majority of Microsoft Small Business Specialists said earlier this year that, despite economic conditions, they expected their SMB customers to actually increase their remote worker base this year, according to the 2009 Microsoft SMB Insight Report.

Small businesses are often under budget constraints when it comes to deploying a quick and effective remote access solution; mid-sized business usually have larger budgets but very a small IT headcount with which to service such a solution. Add remote access to the mix, and you're talking a pretty incendiary situation. Fortunately, Microsoft has a solution to address scenarios for small- and mid-sized businesses.

Drawing on Microsoft's strength in helping customers implement technology that is familiar and easy to use, we released Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2008, which is primarily for small businesses, and Windows Essential Business Server (EBS) 2008, which primarily serves mid-sized business. Think of these solutions as central hubs to help SMB employees connect to their information, calendars, and important business applications -- whether in the office, at a customer site, or on the soccer field. The great thing about these solutions is that we did all of the tough integration work for which large enterprises often need to hire IT specialists, so remote access is enabled as soon as you set up your server.

SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 are important parts of the Windows Server family, and we are fully committed to expanding the capabilities of these solutions to meet the needs of our SMB customers. In fact, we are currently hard at work building the next versions of Windows SBS and Windows EBS. We'll have more on that at a later date.

The important thing to know today is that customers continue to benefit from these editions, which we released in November 2008. If you're interested, you can try SBS 2008 today for free by visiting our product site or join the SBS community on Facebook. Similarly, you can try EBS 2008 today for free by visiting that product site or join the EBS community on Facebook.

--Dave Berkowitz, Core Infrastructure Marketing PR Manager

Join us for the Business Value Event on September 29th

WindowsServer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:43:00 GMT

Making business decisions regarding IT investment is tougher than ever. To help, Microsoft is hosting a special VIP Business Leadership Roundtable event on September 29, 2009 at 9-10.30am PDT. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and moderator Robert Youngjohns, President of the Microsoft US Subsidiary, will discuss major trends in the new role of technology in the workplace, and we'll be streaming it live via the Web. Ballmer and Youngjohns will be joined by a panel of early adopter customers representing key industries like automotive, hospitality, transportation and IT. Attendees will get a close look at how real companies are making IT investments across the desktop, server, network and beyond. Those viewing the event via the Web will also have the chance to submit questions to Steve Ballmer and the rest of the panel.

For more information and to add the event to your calendar visit: www.TheNewEfficiency.com.

Ballmer and company will talk in-depth on how companies across the globe are reacting to new economic and technology trends, including:

How IT needs to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated users
The ever more mobile and distributed workforce, and
The impact of greater industry regulations and ongoing threats to data.

Windows Server 20008 R2 contains exciting new features that directly address all of these trends. IT professionals will quickly see the benefits of Windows Server 2008 R2's new capabilities, but mapping these new capabilities to tangible business goals will be at the heart of next week's business value discussion. Don't miss it.

Oliver Rist

Product Manager

Windows Server Marketing

Six Ways to Help Customers Extend their Web Sites

WindowsServer — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Wow – do we have a bunch of announcements for you! If you care about Web sites, read on. From really cool media scenarios, to making it easy getting started on the Microsoft Web Platform, to advanced tweaks to your Web site – we have something for all walks of life to check out. Let’s cut to the chase.

Today, Microsoft announced updates to six important IIS Extensions:

· IIS Application Request Routing 2.0 RC adds support to enhance disk based cache and cache proxy for content delivery networks while increasing Web application reliability and scalability through rule-based routing and load balancing of HTTP server requests.

· IIS Search Engine Optimization Toolkit Beta2 helps Web developers, hosting providers, and Web server administrators to improve their Web site’s relevance in search results by recommending how to make the site content more search engine-friendly.

· IIS URL Rewriter 2.0 adds support for outbound response rewriting while enabling Web administrators to create powerful rules to implement URLs that are easier for users to remember and easier for search engines to find.

· IIS Web Deployment Tool RTW simplifies the migration, management, and deployment of IIS Web servers, Web applications, and Web sites.

· IIS Database Manager RTW allows you to easily manage your local and remote databases from within IIS Manager.

· Coming soon, IIS Media Services 3.0 RTW, an integrated HTTP-based media delivery platform, combines all IIS media extensions - including IIS Live Smooth Streaming - and delivers true HD (720p+) streaming for users and real-time logging to measure media investments.

Microsoft also announced three significant enhancements to the overall Microsoft Web Platform:

· The new Microsoft® WebsiteSpark™ program makes it easy for Web professionals to get the software and support needed and a marketplace to grow their business on the Microsoft Web Platform.

· The Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 RTW provides developers with a simplified, ‘one click’ installation of technologies in the Web stack – including IIS Extensions, amplifying ease of use and reducing complexity.

· The Windows Web Application Gallery provides access to over 20 popular, free, and ready to install Web apps to build Web sites and Web applications that run on Windows.

If you can’t decide where to start, first get the new Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 RTW – this is your one-stop shop to get everything for the Microsoft Web Platform. From IIS Extensions to the Windows App Gallery, there is sure to be something useful for your Web site endeavors.

Eric Rezabek

Senior Product Manager

IIS/Web

Microsoft acquires the technology assets of Interactive Supercomputing (ISC)

WindowsServer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:14:00 GMT

Hello everyone,

Today, I’m very excited to announce that Microsoft has acquired the technology assets of Interactive Supercomputing (ISC), a company that specializes in bringing the power of parallel computing to the desktop and making high performance computing more accessible to end users. This move represents our ongoing commitment to parallel computing and high performance computing (HPC) and will bring together complementary technologies that will help simplify the complexity and difficulty of expressing problems that can be parallelized. ISC’s products and technology enable faster prototyping, iteration, and deployment of large-scale parallel solutions, which is well aligned with our vision of making high performance computing and parallel computing easier, both on the desktop and in the cluster.

Bill Blake, CEO of ISC, is bringing over a team of industry leading experts on parallel and high performance computing that will join the Microsoft team at the New England Research & Development Center in Cambridge, MA. He and I are both excited to start working together on the next generation of technology for researchers, analysts, and engineers, as well as those who have yet to be exposed to the benefits of parallel computing and HPC technologies or may have thought they were out of reach.

We have recently begun plans to integrate ISC technologies into future versions of Microsoft products and will provide more information over the coming months on where and how that integration will occur. Beginning immediately, Microsoft will provide support for ISC’s current Star-P customers and we are committed to continually listening to customer needs as we develop the next generation of HPC and parallel computing technologies. I’m looking forward to the opportunities our two combined groups have to greatly improve the capability, performance, and accessibility of parallel computing and HPC technologies.

You can find more information on HPC and parallel computing at Microsoft in these links and stay up to date on integration news and updates at Microsoft Pathways, our acquisition information site.

Kyril Faenov
General Manager, High Performance & Parallel Computing Technologies

Support changes coming July 2010 for Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003

WindowsServer — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:27:00 GMT

My name is Crissy House and I am the Windows Server Operations Manager here at Microsoft. I handle a lot of our customer and partner questions and wanted to provide an update on upcoming support lifecycle changes for Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 and help clarify some misperceptions of a Service Pack 3 for Windows Server 2003.

Windows 2000 Server

Extended Support for Windows 2000 Server will end on July 13, 2010. At this time, Windows 2000 Server will no longer be publicly supported. You will be able to continue using "Self-Help Online Support"*

Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2

Also on July 13, 2010, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 (at a supported service pack level) will move from the Mainstream Support phase to the Extended Support phase. During the Extended Support phase:

Microsoft will continue to provide security updates and paid support (Example: Premier and Essential support, per-incident telephone/web support, etc.)
Customers will continue to have access to all security updates and Self-Help Online Support options (Example: Knowledge Base articles, online product information etc.)
Non-security hotfixes developed during the Extended Support phase will be provided ONLY to customers who enroll in Extended Hotfix Support (EHS).

Please note: If you'd like to enroll in EHS, customers must already have a Premier Support contract. In addition, customers must enroll in EHS within the first 90 days of the Extended Support phase. Program and per fix fees may also apply. Customers with Software Assurance can enroll in EHS at any time.

Service Pack 3 for Windows Server 2003

We have received inquiries from our customers and partners on whether or not there will be a need for a Service Pack 3 for Windows Server 2003. Microsoft will not have a SP3 release for Windows Server 2003.

To Summarize...

Self-Help Online Support* will be available for Windows 2000 Server after Extended Support before it ends on July 13, 2010.
Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 will begin an extended support phase on July 13, 2010
There will be no Service Pack 3 for Windows Server 2003

*Self-Help Online Support is available throughout a product's lifecycle and for a minimum of 12 months after the product reaches the end of its support. Microsoft online Knowledge Base articles, FAQs, troubleshooting tools, and other resources, are provided to help customers resolve common issues.

Where can I get more information?

Public information on Microsoft Support Lifecycle policies: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/
FAQ: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy
Product Support Dates Search: http://support.microsoft.com/search/
Microsoft Support Lifecycle Newsletter Sign-up: Go to http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle, then click on the "Subscribe to Microsoft Support Lifecycle Quarterly Update Newsletter"

Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess (Beta) Released!

WindowsServer — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:43:00 GMT

Today, in support of the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 joint launch, the Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team is pleased to announce the beta release of the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess that offers Microsoft customers and partners the best practice to streamline the planning and design process of a DirectAccess infrastructure.

DirectAccess is one of the key features shipped with the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems this year. This feature of Windows offers users the ability to access corporate resources (such as e-mail servers, shared folders, or intranet Web sites) securely without connecting to a virtual private network (VPN).

Where do I go to get the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide (beta) for DirectAccess?

Learn more about the beta release of the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess
Download the beta version of the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for DirectAccess (Live ID may be required)
Visit the DirectAccess site to learn more about this Windows feature

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators)