14 DAY TRIAL // Hyper-V Release Candidate 1 for Windows Server 2008 is available for download through Windows Update. On May 20, Microsoft started serving the RC1 build of Hyper-V for the latest Windows server operating system via WU. The update is designed for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and weighs under 30 MB. This release marks a step forward in the evolution of the Windows Server 2008 hypervisor, formerly codenamed Viridian, which now jumps from RC0 to RC1.
"The Release Candidate 1 (RC1) update to the Hyper-V role provides improvements to security, stability, performance, user experience, forward compatibility of configurations, and the programming model. All users of the Hyper-V role are encouraged to apply this upgrade. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer. Once you have installed this item, it cannot be removed," reads an excerpt from the description of the update.
Hyper-V RC0 was dropped on March 19, 2008, a release which Microsoft applauded as the feature-complete build of the Windows Server 2008 virtualization technology. At the time, the Redmond company stated that the RC0 update contained the near-final code for the hypervisor-based virtualization software in Windows Server 2008. From the get go, the final release of Hyper-V was planned for August this year, within a 180 day-timetable since Windows Server 2008 was released to manufacturing.
Concomitantly with the availability of Hyper-V RC1, Microsoft is also serving updates for the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Vista and Vista SP1. The installation of the update on the latest Windows client will "enable remote management of a Windows Server 2008 computer running the Hyper-V RC1 role. All users of the Hyper-V role are encouraged to apply this upgrade," Microsoft advised.