New Demo Showcase 2008 Preview Now Available
It hasn't been that long since Demo Showcase 2007 came out (July) but when you have a significant product launch like Windows Server 2008 it made sense that we create new scenarios to support our partners in understanding and demonstrating the new products.
Six new scenarios have been created and are available through the Partner Portal for download. The scenarios are in English only and available as simulations instead of the heavier virtual machine environment. The simulations are a quick download of 85mb that includes the scripts, simulations and Getting Started document. These 6 new scenarios are in addtion to the 24 current Demo Showcase 2007 scenarios. The availability of the 2008 Preview does not mean the 2007 release is going away. Use both!
https://partner.microsoft.com/demoshowcase
The new scenarios include 17 products and 8 of which are new in the Demo Showcase environment. All scenarios were built on the new Windows Server 2008 platform and 3 of the scenarios feature WS2008 prominently. Also included are Groove 2007, System Center Essentials 2007, Performance Point Server 2007, Silverlight, Visual Studio 2008 and more.
There are some new features in the Preview simulations. There is now a Forward and a Backward button, a new Chapter feature that let's you jump ahead or behind to specific sections in the demo and an enhanced Show Me feature that will show the user exactly where to click next along with an explanation. These new features should make the simulations even easier to run and be a great readiness tool. All the simulations are built using Microsoft Expression Blend.
One important thing to know about the new simulations - you MUST have the .NET 3.5 Framework installed on the host computer. The Demo Showcase 2007 simulations require the .NET 3.0 Framework but some addional features in the Preview require the upgrade to .NET 3.5 which can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=333325fd-ae52-4e35-b531-508d977d32a6&DisplayLang=en.
Download the new Preview Simulations now and see how these 17 Microsoft products work together to solve critical business issues.
