14 DAY TRIAL // A new development milestone of Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 codename R2 is now available for download from Microsoft. Earlier this month, the Redmond company released the January 2010 Community Technology Preview of Commerce Server 2009 R2 on the Microsoft Download Center. The software giant emphasizes that the new CTP testing build is pre-release software and as such it is not feature complete. However, customers looking to get a taste of the next version of Commerce Server can download the bits for free and run them in a testing environment.
“We invite you to install this pre-release of the next version of Commerce Server 2009 “R2” into a non-production environment to learn how Commerce Server 2009 “R2” provides an improved business management experience, enhanced cross-channel enablement with multi-tier development and deployment support, and a more streamlined deployment experience,” revealed Lynnette McL, Commerce Server 2009 PM.
What early adopters will be able to download is the DVD ISO image file of the Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 code name "R2" - January 2010 Community Technical Preview. But in addition, Microsoft is also offering resources designed to help out testers. “The Commerce Server 2009 code name “R2” readme file and the Installation and Configuration Guide, can also be found on the Download Center,” Lynnette added.
At the same time, because it is still in CTP phase, Commerce Server 2009 R2 can only be tested in English and on English platforms, including Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2008 R2. The promise from the Redmond company is that future versions of the solution will be tested on localized platforms, as well. “Given the pre-release nature of this release, not all functionality is currently available. The release is for evaluation purposes only and is not intended to be used in a production environment. The January CTP will stop functioning on December 31, 2010,” Lynnette said.
Microsoft Commerce Server 2009 code name "R2" - January 2010 Community Technical Preview - DVD ISO Image File is available for download here.