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How to get a free copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2

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Mark Wilson

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I blogged a couple of months back about how Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 service pack 1 (SP1) has been repositioned as Virtual Server 2005 release 2 (R2), effectively meaning that existing users need to re-license to take advantage of the new features. There may, however, be a glint of hope for some of us in that I heard a rumour recently that registered Virtual Server 2005 SP1 beta testers will get a free copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2 when it is released.

You can register (using a Microsoft passport) at Microsoft Beta Place, providing vssp1BetaTester as the guest account (this must be entered exactly as shown) and then self-nominating for the MS Virtual Server 2005 with SP1 program. You should receive an e-mail notice when you’ve been accepted into the program.

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4 responses to “How to get a free copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2”

  1. Mark avatar
    Mark

    Sometimes the rumours I hear turn out to be true (this one should have done as it came from a Microsoft employee) and a few days back I received this e-mail from Microsoft:

    Dear Virtual Server Beta User,

    Thank you for participating in the Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Beta program. This email provides a status update of the Beta program as well as exciting news regarding the upcoming release of Virtual Server 2005 R2.

    BETA PROGRAM
    The Virtual Server 2005 R2 Beta program has come to a close. We thank everyone who has taken the time to download and use the Beta build and we appreciate all the feedback that you have sent us. We hope that when you receive the final release version, you’ll like it as much as we do.

    PRODUCT NAME CHANGE
    As you might have noticed, we’ve changed the product name from Virtual Server 2005 SP1 to Virtual Server 2005 R2. When we sat back and took a look at all the new functionality we added in this release, we realized that it was much more than a typical service pack. Some of the key features of this release are:
    · High Availability
    · Clustering virtual machines across hosts
    · Host clustering support
    · Greater Scalability
    · 64-bit (x64) host support
    · Improved Performance
    · Up to 50% drop in CPU utilization
    · Improved Manageability
    · PXE network boot support
    · Better Interoperability
    · Linux guest support

    FREE COPY OF VIRTUAL SERVER 2005 R2
    As a gesture of our appreciation of your efforts associated with this Beta program, we will be offering every Beta user a free copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition (both x86 and x64 editions). Full information on how to obtain your free copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition will be emailed to you within the next few weeks.

    Thank you for your participation in the Virtual Server 2005 R2 Beta program!

    Sincerely,

    The Virtual Server 2005 R2 Team

  2. kevn avatar
    kevn

    So when do we get this?? I havnt gotten any more info on this since the original email

  3. Mark avatar
    Mark

    Me neither – guess we just have to wait for another e-mail from Microsoft…

  4. Mark avatar
    Mark

    Registered beta testers should now have received instructions from Microsoft on how to obtain their complementary copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition (32-bit and 64-bit versions).

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