14 DAY TRIAL // The first public testing milestone for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 is now available for download from Microsoft. The Redmond company did promise earlier this year that it would offer early adopters a taste of the first service pack for the latest version of Exchange Server, and the bits are currently live on the Microsoft Download Center. Exchange Server 2010 RTM customers can now download the time-bombed, free pre-release version of Exchange Server 2010 SP1. According to the software giant, the Beta of SP1 will expire 120 days after installation.
Microsoft is offering Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Beta in parallel with TechEd North America, allowing customers to test-drive the upgrade for their products. Michael Atalla, Microsoft's group product manager for Exchange, revealed back in April 2010 that the feedback from customers running Exchange Server 2010 RTM had been positive overall. Still, the work on Exchange 2010 did not end with the RTM release. In this context, SP1 will bring to the table a consistent evolution for the product.
“SP1 will include fixes and tweaks in areas you've helped us identify, including a roll-up of the roll-ups we've released to date. I also wanted to flag some of the feature enhancements we're excited to bring to you with SP1 including: archiving and discovery enhancements, Outlook Web App (OWA) improvements, mobile user and management improvements, and some highly sought after additional UI for management tasks,” Atalla stated at that time.
For a more comprehensive overview of Exchange Server 2010 SP1, read this article on Softpedia. As it is the case with all service packs from Microsoft, SP1 will be a free upgrade for Exchange Server 2010 customers. Microsoft is working to wrap up Exchange Server 2010 SP1 RTM by the end of this year, although the company did not make public a specific release date.
Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta is available for download here.