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

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

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

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

 

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