Microsoft releases Windows Server Virtualization preview

Microsoft partners eager to start working with Windows Server Virtualization (WSV) now have their chance.

The Inaugural Release Candidate (RC0) for Windows Server 2008 is available for download, and it includes a community technology preview of the Windows Server Virtualization hypervisor, code named Viridian. Microsoft will use feedback from the preview to make improvements between now and the full release of Server ‘08, which is scheduled to ship with WSV sometime early next year.

In a recent SearchITChannel.com story, Microsoft value-added resellers (VARs) and systems integrators (SIs) said Microsoft will be able to manage its hypervisor and support its applications better than market leader VMware can. They also said VMware’s shift in its revenue model, away from its hypervisor and more towards services, will help Microsoft increase its server virtualization market share.

The availability of RC0 for Server ‘08 isn’t the only news coming out of Redmond in the past few days. Microsoft also made available the Windows Media Services 2008 RC0 and a community technology preview of the Internet Information Services 7.0 Media Pack. The Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta was released to about 12,000 testers, too. And of course, the wildly anticipated “Halo 3″ hit shelves at the stroke of midnight today.