14 DAY TRIAL // On June 9, 2008, Charlie Kindel, Windows Home Server General Manager, announced that the first public Beta Build of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 is available for download via Microsoft Connect. Release Candidate of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 (Build 1771) is up for grabs after an extensive period of private beta testing. Kindel pointed to the Home Server page on Microsoft Connect as the ideal place for all those interested in participating in the Beta program to register and get the bits.
"There has been a huge amount of testing applied to Power Pack 1 already and we have high confidence that Power Pack 1 solves the data corruption bug that was first identified late last year (Knowledge Base article #946676). We are running this public beta with the aspiration that we will get thousands of beta testers to help us prove that we not only have fixed 'the bug', but have significantly improved all parts of Windows Home Server," Kindel stated.
According to Microsoft, Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 will bring to the table support for computers running the 64-bit edition of Windows Vista along with a set of new features. Power Pack 1 will perform backups of home server Shared Folders, and will enable users to take advantage of streamlined and improved remote access functionality. Enhanced capabilities will not stop with remote access, as the Redmond giant also tweaked performance and increased the energy efficiency. With Power Pack 1, Windows Home Server will be made available in localized versions for the Chinese and the Japanese markets.
"We will not ship the final release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 until the community has validated our work. In the Release Documentation for Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 we outline a number of specific test scenarios," Kindel said, adding that Microsoft would only release Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 to manufacturing following extensive testing involving specific scenarios as well as regular home server operation from a large number of Beta participants. "The Windows Home Server Customer Improvement Program allows us to track metrics on product usage and we are anxiously watching how the product is used to gauge when we've hit our target... so we can begin the final release process."
Kindel revealed that the response to the Power Pack 1 public Beta program had exceeded Microsoft's expectations. Although he failed to disclose the actual number of participants that had signed up for the Beta, Kindel referred to it as fantastic. "We've posted both an update package that can be applied to existing Windows Home Servers as well as updated DVD and CD ISO images of an evaluation version of Windows Home Server with Power Pack 1. If you choose to run the Release Candidate on a 'production' home server you should make a backup of everything prior to getting started. Make sure you read the Release Documentation to see what's new and updated," he said.