More partner momentum around Microsoft RemoteFX in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Beta

Hi, Max Herrmann here again, and today I am writing to you from our Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington D.C. where we are talking to 9,000+ partners about the public beta release of Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. Check out Oliver's blog about SP1 beta and download the code to evaluate the new features and benefits that SP1 can provide for server and desktop installations.

Partner support and momentum for Microsoft RemoteFX is heating up. Back in March, when we first disclosed Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, a number of hardware and software partners   expressed their future support for this exciting, new set of technologies that will enable a local-like, media-rich desktop experience for users of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment. Since then,  software and hardware partners have accelerated their RemoteFX-related developments, and today several partners made statements around products that you can use today to set up and experience RemoteFX in your own beta test environment:

• AMD in their blog today explains how RemoteFX allows virtualization to go visual, and highlights the compatibility of AMD's ATI FirePro professional graphics cards with the rich media enhancements enabled by RemoteFX.
• Nvidia has also posted a blog today about how Microsoft RemoteFX and Nvidia Quadro server-discrete GPUs allow the corporate desktop to move into the server room while enabling the full Windows 7 desktop experience from low-cost access devices.
• Dell's blog is providing guidance regarding offerings from Dell that have been tested with SP1 beta code and which can be used for beta installations. Dell is pointing out several configurations for RemoteFX, including a high-availability configuration that adds details on rack and blade server options from Dell.
• And of course HP, which has also been engaging with the RemoteFX team at Microsoft for quite some time, has tested both servers and thin clients to ensure they "speak RemoteFX" - and provide a great platform for beta evaluations of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and RemoteFX. Jeff Groudan, from HP's commercial desktop and thin client team, commented on how HP is supporting today's RemoteFX beta launch: "Today's beta release of RemoteFX is bringing HP that much closer to delivering the most advanced remote computing experience to our joint customers, plus exciting new opportunities for expanding the client virtualization market with a new generation of simple, high-performance, low-cost access devices. HP's innovativet5740 Flexible Series Thin Clients and industry-leading ProLiant servers have been tested and proven to support an amazing RemoteFX experience today. Building on our more than 20-year history of joint innovation, the two companies will continue to engineer complete, pre-defined, scalable reference architectures including hardware, software and services to reduce the complexity and risk of deploying client virtualization."

With the help of our partners, RemoteFX is coming along nicely, and really offer great value-add for folks looking to deploy server-hosted desktops in the datacenter.  I would strongly encourage you to download the SP1 bits and take RemoteFX for a ride - I am sure you will like what you will see.  And please make sure you check the RDS blog site tomorrow where we will provide additional guidance for beta deployments of RemoteFX.

 Max