Microsoft says its Windows .NET Server 2003 will enter final testing soon with release candidate 2 (RC2, which will probably appear by the end of 2002), and will be commercially available by April of 2003. A new release of Microsoft's Visual Studio .NET development tools will accompany it.

Customers will be able to sign up for the free trial version of Windows .NET Server 2003 RC2 customer preview program download or the CD evaluation copy when RC2 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows.netserver/default.mspx.

In the summer of 2002, Microsoft released Windows .NET Server Release Candidate 1 for download -- see http://Advisor.com/doc/10367.

Microsoft is positioning the product as the natural upgrade for customers running Windows NT 4.0 Server, and promises improved security, performance, and reliability. .NET Server 2003 also includes a set of Web application services designed to help developers launch connected applications quickly.

Windows .NET Server is built on the Windows 2000 Server code base. Microsoft says .NET technology is deeply integrated into the Windows .NET Server family, including native support for the .NET Framework for developing and deploying connected applications and Web services.

Brian Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows Division at Microsoft, says of the product, "It's the foundation through which Microsoft solutions connect information, people, systems, and devices."

With RC2, Microsoft finishes final packaging for each of the four editions of Windows .NET Server 2003:

• Datacenter Edition: Designed for business applications that require high levels of scalability and availability; it will be available in 32- and 64-bit editions.
• Enterprise Edition: Designed for high reliability, performance, and business value; it will be available in 32- and 64-bit editions.
• Standard Edition: The general-purpose server operating system for everyday needs of businesses of all sizes.
• Web Edition: Optimized for serving and hosting Web pages.