With May 2008 set from the get go as the last month when Microsoft planned to make available CTP builds of Windows HPC Server 2008, fully-fledged betas were the next releases in the evolution of the latest version of Windows for supercomputers. On June 30, 2008, the first Release Candidate of Windows HPC Server 2008 became available for download to all the participants in the Beta testing program through Connect. Windows HPC Server 2008 is the next iteration of Microsoft's Windows platform aimed at the high performance computing market, and the successor of Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003.

"You may now download the Windows HPC Server 2008 Release Candidate via Microsoft Connect. Register for the 'Windows HPC Server 2008' beta program. You'll also want to grab the corresponding SDK. Please do provide usability feedback using the 'Feedback Tool' on the beta program web-site," stated Phil Pennington, from the Windows Server Technical Evangelism team.

Windows HPC Server 2008 is, at this point in time, the last piece of the Windows Server 2008 puzzle that has yet to be completed. At the end of the past month, Microsoft released to manufacturing Hyper-V the hypervisor technology available as a role in the latest Windows server operating system. Now, all that's left for the Redmond company is to wrap up Windows HPC Server 2008.

Based on the 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2008, the next generation of Windows for supercomputers is expected to be made available in the second half of 2008. Microsoft has yet to pin point a specific launch date, but the Release Candidate 1 build signals that the operating system designed to enable cluster-based supercomputing is close to finalization. If you are not a participant in the Windows HPC Server 2008 Beta program, you will be able to sign-in via this link, and test drive the RC1 bits.