Microsoft today also supplied me with the following announcement:
Today Microsoft reached another milestone, Release Candidate (RC0) for Windows Server 2008, which will be available for download within the next 24 hours. With this release, Microsoft’s partners and customers can download and experience a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Server virtualization. For more information, please see our PressPass feature.
Additionally, Microsoft announced the availability of the Windows Media Services 2008 RC0 and Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7) Media Pack CTP. Windows Media Services 2008 provides 2x scalability over Windows Media Services 9.0 and now supports a Server Core installation, enabling reduced footprints for fixed-function streaming server scenarios. With the new IIS7 Media Pack CTP, customers benefit from dynamic per-file “bit-rate throttling,” which saves network bandwidth while preserving the fast start-up experience for end users. Windows Media Services 2008 RC0 will be available for download at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=7436557; the IIS7 Media Pack CTP will be available at http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7376760.
I had been briefed about RC0 weeks ago and have written up a Windows Server Virtualization Preview that might be of interest.