Following up on their previous beta release in April, Microsoft has just released Beta 2 of their Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1. For complete details and to download the software, the usual applies - sign up at Microsoft Connect using your Windows Live, MSN, or Windows Passport account.

The Beta 2 release introduces a few new features. Along with the hardware assisted virtualization support for Intel's Virtualization Technology (Intel-VT) previously added, Beta 2 now introduces support for AMD's Virtualization Technology (AMD-V), formerly known as Pacifica. Check the release notes for more information. If you are running an x64 version of the Windows operating system on an AMD machine, you will need to download and install a hotfix before installing Beta 2.

This release also introduces another highly anticipated feature - support for Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). This will add the ability to perform snapshot backups.

Beta 2 adds other features, such as the ability to mount virtual hard disk files (VHDs) offline as well as adding Active Directory integration using service connection points. A technical white paper explaining how to perform host clustering has also been included.

Remember to shutdown or save the state of your virtual machines before you upgrade your host server to the latest Beta release. Enjoy!

Posted by David Marshall on August 31, 2006 04:38 AM