Previously the list of updates for Hyper-V was stored and maintained as part of the regular TechNet documentation. 

Customers asked to have an RSS feed that they could subscribe to and for the list to be maintained in a more rapid fashion.

Thus the update list was moved from TechNet to a new location on the TechNet wiki.

You may subscribe to the RSS feed for the Windows 2008 R2 update list here. 

Should you want to see only the updates released after SP1 for Windows 2008 R2 then please see this page. 

If you are using Windows 2008 Hyper-V, its corresponding pages can be found here. 

Cheers,

Rhoderick

After seeing several posts in the TechNet Exchange forums, where people are posting an overview of their environment as part of the problem statement, it is clear that multiple customers are not maintaining the correct service pack level on their Exchange servers.

I previously blogged about this for Exchange 2010, and this time lets focus on Exchange 2007.

The Exchange 2007 lifecycle can be viewed here:

In a nutshell, Exchange 2007 SP1 moved out of support back in 2010, and SP2 support expired in 2011.  Thus you must have SP3 installed for Exchange 2007 to receive full support.   It can be downloaded from Microsoft here. 

Full details about the Microsoft lifecycle policy can be viewed here:

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/

I would also encourage you to sign up to the quarterly lifecycle update newsletter to ensure that you have the knowledge to keep all of your products in a supported state, and continue to receive the support that you are entitled to! 

For example, you can plan to transition off Exchange 2003 (if you have it) by the below date in 2014:

Cheers,

Rhoderick

EDIT 8-2-2013:  A new update KB 2744129 has superseded the  original KB 2526776

Please note that this new update now applies to Hyper-V 2008 and 2008 R2  -- the original was only for R2.

If you are testing out Windows 8 as a VM which is hosted on a Windows 2008 or 2008 R2 Hyper-V server, then you will need to install the following update.

An update that enables the Windows Developer Preview or Windows Server Developer Preview to be hosted in a Hyper-V virtual machine on Windows Server 2008 R2

You cannot run a Windows 8-based or Windows Server 2012-based virtual machine in Windows Server 2008 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

The issue occurs because the Hypervisor does not handle the one-shot synthetic timer that is also known as an aperiodic timer correctly.

Note that this will require a reboot of the host machine, and if you do not install the patch the host may produce a stop screen, and restart which will impact other running VMs on the host. 

Cheers,

Rhoderick

I’d previously  blogged about the Windows 2008 R2 Hyper-V architecture poster.  It certainly is a neat way to see the underlying concepts laid out, especially when printed on A2 sized paper!

Following this trend the poster guy, has created a poster for Windows Server “8”, and this is now available for download from TechNet.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Rhoderick

Now that the Windows Server “8” beta has been released publically there is going to be a lot of excitement over the release’s new features.  This shouldn’t be a surprise unless you have been in a decompression chamber or living under  a rock this week .   Certainly over a million were not, and downloaded Win8 in the first 24 hours. 

Download Windows Server "8" Beta

The necessary files can be downloaded from TechNet.

The next release of Windows Server, Windows Server "8", offers businesses and hosting providers a scalable, dynamic, and multitenant-aware, cloud-optimized infrastructure. It securely connects across premises and allows IT Professionals to respond to business needs faster and more efficiently. Windows Server:

• Takes you beyond virtualization
• Delivers the power of many servers with the simplicity of one
• Opens the door to every app on any cloud
• Enables the modern work style

Need more information? See the product details page.

Register for Download and Guided Evaluation

Register to access technical product resources—such as forums, solution accelerators, white papers and webcasts—at the Windows Server "8" Beta Resource Page.

Review Microsoft Windows Server "8" Beta system requirements

Register for evaluation

Download and install full-featured software for a limited-time trial

Receive two (2) emails with resources to guide you and notification when the next release is available

Use blogs and forums to share tips

Cheers,

Rhoderick