14 DAY TRIAL // Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) has hit RTM earlier this week, and Microsoft made the bits available for download, also offering a VHD image of the upgrade, making it easier for customers to test the product’s evolution.
The download offered by the Redmond company is a pre-configured VHD of Exchange Server 2010 SP1 RTM, designed for testing purposes only.
The information supplied by the software giant is a tad contradictory. In the description of the Exchange Server 2010 SP1 RTM VHD the company notes that the VHD can be tested for 60 days.
However, in the ReadMe document accompanying the download, Microsoft notes that “The evaluation period for this virtual machine image ends 180 days after the image has been activated. After the 180 days, the evaluation period is over and the image should be discarded.”
Either way, the virtual image of Exchange Server 2010 SP1(x64) Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition is time-bombed, as is all Microsoft trial software.
“Download this fully configured virtual machine of the latest release of Exchange Server 2010 SP1,” the Redmond company said.
“Evaluate the new capabilities of Exchange Server 2010 SP1, which helps you achieve new levels of reliability and performance by delivering features that help to simplify your administration, protect your communications, and delight your users by meeting their demands for greater business mobility.”
Customers that will want to test drive the release will need to have already deployed Hyper-V on a physical machine. They will also need to use the following username: contoso\Administrator and this password: pass@word1.
Microsoft also has a few recommendations for testers, including: “Do not redistribute this image. Do not put this image into a production environment.
“It is recommended not to join this image to a corporate network. If you choose to join this image to an external network, you should immediately download updates and security patches for the operating system and all applications.”
Exchange Server 2010 SP1 RTM VHD is available for download here. Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) RTM is available for download here.