Windows .NET Server RC1 Set to Ship

Beta testers of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows .NET Server received notice this past weekend that Release Candidate 1 would soon arrive in the mail. "In the coming weeks, we will be shipping your Windows .NET Server RC1 kit," beta coordinators wrote in an e-mail. "A definitive delivery date is not available. Inquiries regarding a ship date will not receive a response."

Along with the announcement, Microsoft issued interim build 3660, a "checkpoint to ensure that no new, major issues have been introduced." All beta testers are encouraged to install the build, which may serve as the final pre-RC1 release if all goes well.

Initially released alongside client versions of Whistler, which became Windows XP, server editions were renamed last June to reflect different shipping schedules. Windows .NET was originally slated to ship at the end of 2001, but numerous delays forced Microsoft to move RTM to the end of this year and a public debut to early 2003.

Windows .NET will ship in four flavors: Web Server, Standard Server, Enterprise Server, and Datacenter Server. Microsoft has set up a Web page to explain differences in each version. All releases will include IIS 6.0, ASP.NET and the .NET Framework.