Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server Beta 3 will be available tonight on the MSDN subscriber download center.  We finalized the bits a couple days ago and they should be propagated to servers and be ready for download this evening.

 

This release of TFS is feature complete and high quality (ready for operational deployment).  The only feature additions now will be via customer driven feedback. Several things you should know about this release:

  • This release of TFS works only with Visual Studio 2005 Release Candidate 1 that we made available to MSDN subscribers and PDC attendees last week. 
  • This release is based on the September SQL Server 2005 Community Technology Preview also made available to PDC attendees last week. 
  • TFS Beta 3 includes a Go-Live license as well as product support (details below).  Users may sign up for a click-through Go-Live license (which will be available w/in a couple days… still waiting for final legal approval).
  • TFS Beta 3 will not be localized into languages other than US English.
  • Anyone who "goes live" with TFS Beta 3 will need to update their server and client deployments to the TFS Beta 3 Refresh when it’s available because TFS Beta 3 will not work with the final RTM bits.  You will need the TFS Beta 3 Refresh to work with the RTM bits.

TFS Beta 3 Refresh

 

We will release a Beta 3 Refresh which synchronizes TFS with the final RTM bits of VS/SQL.  This release will be available to MSDN subscribers for download from the MSDN download center.  It will also be available in the Visual Studio 2005 Team System Trial Edition kit that will be available beginning with our November 7, 2005 launch.  It will also be available to all users of the Team System client products. 

 

The TFS Beta 3 Refresh will be available in localized languages at the same time as the Team System products are themselves available in other localized languages.  The English Beta 3 Refresh bits will be available in about a month or so, coinciding with the release of the final RTM version of Visual Studio 2005 (because the server needs to sync with the final RTM versions of SQL Server 2005 and VS 2005).  TFS Beta 3 Refresh will also include a Go-Live license and product support. 

 

In addition, all data stored in TFS Beta 3 will migrate seamlessly and in-place to TFS Beta 3 Refresh and then to the RTM version of TFS.

 

Product Support

 

Product support for TFS Beta 3 and the TFS Beta 3 Refresh is available for MSDN Universal and Enterprise customers as well as those customers who purchased (or upgraded to) any Visual Studio Team System client product with an MSDN Premium Subscription.  Note: it’s important to remember that while we will encourage customers to “Go-Live” on TFS Beta 3 and TFS Beta 3 Refresh, the Go-Live license does not confer a license to the final version of TFS…  you still have to purchase licenses for the RTM version of the server.  Just want to be clear on that.

 

$64,000 Question

 

Of course, the question everyone wants to know is, are we still on track for Q1 2006.  The answer is yes.  Releasing a high quality, feature complete TFS Beta 3 was a critical step in being ready for Q1 and we still feel good about that commitment. 

 

-Rick