Microsoft Releases Windows Server, Windows 7 Updates To Manufacturing

Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 are now available for OEM partners, the company said, and will be generally available for customers to download on Feb. 22.

Microsoft shipped the final beta releases of the two products in October.

Microsoft is especially playing up the new RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory virtualization features in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, which the company said are part of the company's broader desktop virtualization strategy.

Dynamic Memory fills a gap in Microsoft's virtualization capabilities by allowing memory on a physical host to be distributed to virtual machines running on that host. RemoteFX is a set of desktop virtualization features that allow video and other rich content to be delivered to desktop, laptop and thin-client devices.

Microsoft also announced Windows Thin PC (WinTPC), an upcoming software assurance benefit that provides a smaller footprint, locked down version of Windows 7 that allows organizations to repurpose their existing PCs as thin client devices.

Microsoft also is developing Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM), a new tool for managing the BitLocker security feature in Windows 7. Microsoft said MBAM is in response to customer feedback calling for an easier way to manage BitLocker. The beta of MBAM is expected to be available in March.