14 DAY TRIAL // Users should not expect a public trial release of Windows Home Server 2011 RTM because there are no plans in Redmond to provide one. Instead Microsoft has worked to supply customers with the next best thing, an online evaluation experience of Windows Home Server 2011 RTM.
The Windows Home Server 2011 RTM online evaluation site is now live, with the software giant promising that it’s capable of delivering a hands on experience of the product.
The Redmond company revealed that focus test areas include: adding a user, using the client Launchpad, managing PCs to ensure its health and security, protecting the server and PC’s data, adding server storage capacity and using Remote Web Access.
It “provides customers the ability to walk through both client and server interaction freely, or follow a suggested demonstration path with the evaluation manual which will also launch with the online experience. Available 24 hours per day, it provides a super simple way to experience WHS without the need for hardware,” revealed a member of the Windows Home Server Team.
Microsoft will also work to upgrade the WHS ms.com website in the next few weeks. The updated site will offer additional information related to the company’s OEM partners supplying Windows Home Server 2011 solutions, as well as highlight the online experience made available for the latest iteration of the software giant’s home server product.
Windows Home Server 2011 was released to manufacturing at the end of March 2011. Microsoft did provide the RTM bits for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, but it won’t do the same for consumers.
“We are not currently planning to release a downloadable evaluation version. Some of the embedded third-party codecs we use within WHS 2011 do not allow us to provide a trial version due to licensing agreements,” the WHS team representative noted.
“As a result we can only offer an online experience. We are still working with many of our OEM’s on additional evaluation experiences and may have more information in the future on other ways to trial WHS 2011.”