Microsoft posted its Windows Server R2 Release Candidate 1 software for public downloading. This is the last version before the real one, which is due sometime before the end of this year. Compared to the previous major version, which was Windows Server Service Pack 2, this one runs on a wider variety of servers, has more branch office options, includes identity and access management, and has revamped storage management. For support, there’s an active R2 newsgroup.

For more on the latest test version:
– check out this eWeek article

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