14 DAY TRIAL // When it comes down to Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, some customers will get a tad more from Microsoft than others. Just as with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be a single release, tailored only to different flavors of the operating systems, 32-bit (x86), 64-bit (x65) and Itanium-Based Systems. However, unlike Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, the upgrade for Windows 7 will add no new features.
“Building on our commitment to provide customers with the right technologies to virtualize their IT environments, today we’re announcing that the public beta of Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 will be released by the end of July. We’ve posted on the contents of SP1 before, but the beta release will be the first time you’ll be able to actually get your mitts on the new code,” Oliver Rist, Sr. product manager Windows Server Marketing, revealed.
But while SP1 will deliver only fixes and optimizations for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 will also be getting new features. The Redmond company has constantly emphasized RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory as the most consistent additions to Windows Server 2008 R2, and has recently provided additional details at TechEd 2010.
At the bottom of this article, there are two embedded videos featuring demonstrations of RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory. Customer running Windows Server 2008 R2 will be able to start test-driving the new features come July 2010, when the Beta of Windows 7 SP1 is planned for delivery.
“Dynamic memory is an enhancement to Hyper-V in R2 and allows IT administrators to pool all the memory available on a physical host and dynamically distribute it to virtual machines running on that host as necessary. That means based on changes in workload, your VMs will be able to receive new memory allocations without a service interruption,” Rist stated.
“RemoteFX is the latest addition to Microsoft’s desktop virtualization stack. Using this new feature in Windows Server 2008 R2, you’ll be able to deliver an even richer and more user-transparent desktop virtualization experience. RemoteFX functions independently of any graphics stack and supports any screen content, including rich content like Silverlight or Flash. It also enhances the end-user’s hardware experience with support for USB redirection. Because it uses virtualized graphics resources, RemoteFX works on a wide array of target devices, which means you can deploy it over both thick and thin client hosts and a wide variety of network configurations,” Rist added.