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TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

We are rapidly approaching 6 months since TFS released. Yeah, that's right - Isn't it amazing how time flies?  I've started to see a rash of emails from people who are discovering that their TFS trial Edition and Release Candidate installs are expiring.

I'm sad to say that you don't get any warning that this is about to happen.  One day you'll come in and you won't be able to access your source code or work items any more.  Now I don't want that to happen and I know you don't want that to happen.

So, please, please please, upgrade your trial installations to a purchased product before your 6 month trial period expires!  Instructions on how to do this are posted here:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms404844.aspx

 

Thank you,

Brian

Published Tuesday, August 08, 2006 11:59 AM by bharry

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# re: TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 12:41 PM by Optikal
Is there a way to check how long is left if we are using a trial edition?

# Expiring Team Foundation Server Installations

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 12:49 PM by Rob Caron
As Brian Harry notes in his blog post below, we're getting close to the point where Team Foundation Server...

# re: TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 12:53 PM by bharry
Now that's a really good question and deserves a really good answer.  I wish I had one :(  The answer is no, not directly.  The best thing you can do is look at the file date/time stamps on the files to determine when you installed it.

I think we were a bit naive.  We kidded ourselved into thinking 6 months would be plenty of time and very few people would use a trial that long :(

Brian

# re: TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 2:42 PM by Optikal
Well for my situation, we purchased our licenses for TFS, we just haven't gotten around to upgrading from the beta version we have been running on (Beta 3 Refresh IIRC).

I know that eventually I have to devote some time to going through the upgrade process, it's just a matter of finding the time.  I just hope I manage to find some time before it expires...and if I knew the expiry date I could plan appropriately.

I'm sure I can figure out approximately when we installed it.  Was the trial period 6 months as your blog post said, or 9 months as your comment says?  I'm almost positive we installed TFS before x-mas in 2005, so that would be more than 6 months...that must mean the 9 month number is the actual trial length...

# re: TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 3:36 PM by Richard Berg
The RC and RTM trial edition were 180 days.  Beta3 was longer but I don’t remember how much.  I do know the GoLive license expired 30 days after the commercial release, for what that's worth.

# Team Foundation Server Trials: The end is near! (maybe)

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 9:20 PM by Brian Keller: Technical Evangelist for Team System
I hate to just be an echo chamber for Rob and Brian's blogs, but it's important to get the word out to...

# re: TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

Tuesday, August 08, 2006 11:46 PM by buckh
You can use the changeset command to see when the DB was created (tf changeset 1 /i /s:http://yourserver:8080).  Martin Woodward wrote a post about it, as well.  In the MSDN forum, Marc Kuperstein pointed out that what counted was the last time the registry got updated by setup, which may be later than the DB creation if the RTM trial was installed over an RC installation.

# re: TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

Wednesday, August 09, 2006 7:03 AM by bharry
Sorry about the typo of 9 months.  It's 180 days (or about 6 months).  I've gone back and edited the original comment to fix it.

Brian

# VSTS Links - 08/14/2006

Monday, August 14, 2006 10:58 AM by Team System News
Abhinaba on Team Build Ticker - Parting Gift.

Brian Harry on TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate...

# re: TFS Trial Edition and Release Candidate Expirations

Tuesday, August 22, 2006 8:20 AM by bharry
We have built a tool for detecting what version of TFS you have installed.  I'm going to be blogging about it shortly.

# Upgrading TFS From Trial to Production

Saturday, August 26, 2006 7:38 AM by Technical Weblog of Eric Charran
Here is a great article on how to upgrade your (most likely expiring) trial editions of TFS to the full...

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