14 DAY TRIAL // While it is working to wrap up the first major upgrade for Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft is continuing to make it as easy as possible for customers to try out the RTM version of the product. Exchange Server 2010 VHD is now available via the Microsoft Download Center, offered free of charge of course. This is not the first virtual hard disk image that the Redmond company has releases streamlining testing of one of its latest software products, but it does follow the same recipe as before.
Namely, the software giant has put together a pre-configured VHD which contains an image wih Exchange Server 2010 RTM. All that customers need to do is simply grab the download and run the VHD in a virtual machine.
“Download this fully configured virtual machine of the latest release of Exchange Server 2010. Evaluate the new capabilities of Exchange Server 2010, 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,” Microsoft stated.
“This trial software is intended for evaluation purposes only. There is no product support for this trial. You are welcome to share your trial experience with others and to ask for advice by participating in the forums,” the company added.
The free Exchange Server 2010 RTM VHD can be users for almost two months. As all Microsoft trial releases, the VHD is time-bombed and is set to expire 60 days after the first run. “In order to use this evaluation package you will need to have Microsoft Hyper-V installed on a physical machine. Hyper-V is available on Windows Server 2008 only and the details on how to install Hyper-V can be found here. Details of how to setup the VHDs are included in the Quick Start Guide available on this download page. UserName: contoso\Administrator. Password: pass@word1,” Microsoft added.
At the same time, the Redmond company is providing customers with the possibility of downloading and test driving the first Service Pack for Exchange Server 2010. Exchange Server 2010 SP1 Beta was released at the start of June 2010 and it continues to be available for download even at this point in time. Early adopters interested in getting a hands on experience with the first upgrade for Exchange Server 2010 before the service pack is actually released can download it through the link below.
Exchange Server 2010 VHD is available for download here.
Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta is available for download here.
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