Windows 2000 to Enter Beta 3
Microsoft Corp. confirmed that the third beta version of Windows 2000 Server is on target to be released this month.
REDMOND, Wash. – Microsoft Corp. confirmed that the third beta version of Windows 2000 Server is on target to be released this month.
The only major feature new to beta 3 is fully integrated Terminal Server functionality, which was included with Release Candidate 0 when it was given to beta testing sites in December last year. Windows NT Terminal Server Edition will no longer be sold as a stand-alone product, but will be part of the Windows 2000 Server operating systems.
"In beta 2 we had to make sure that we got a lot of the plumbing right, such as Active Directory," says Jeff Price, Microsoft’s lead product manager for Windows NT Server. "But beta 3 includes the finishing touches and wizards."
Unlike previous betas, this version will include internal configuration wizards, such as a wizard to ease the initial configuration of servers. Beta 3 will also include the utilities for a resource kit.
Microsoft maintains that no new features are likely to be added between beta 3 and the final version. "The functional completeness is essentially there," Price says.
After the beta 3 release, all that remains is fine-tuning and the fixing of bugs that emerge in testing. Officials won’t give a specific release date for the final version beyond saying it is still slated for later this year.