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Microsoft has supplied some customers with a beta version of its Windows Server 2003 operating system for systems using Advanced Micro Devices' 64-bit Opteron chip.
The beta version of Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems is available now to Microsoft Developer Network subscribers. It will become available "soon" to the general public, says Dennis Oldroyd, a director in Microsoft's Windows Server Group.
Microsoft also announced Wednesday the release of a beta version of a Standard Edition of Windows Server 2003 for 64-bit Intel Itanium-based systems.
Pricing, Configuration
Pricing for all 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 will be the same as for the corresponding 32-bit versions of the products: $999 for Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, which includes five client-access licenses, and $3999 for Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, which includes 25 client-access licenses, Oldroyd says.
The three general editions of Windows Server 2003 are Standard (the simplest), Enterprise, and Datacenter (the most sophisticated and robust version). Unlike the other two, Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2003 aren't sold as stand-alone products; instead, they're bundled with systems from hardware makers. Right now, no hardware vendors are planning a server running Opteron and Windows Server 2003 Datacenter edition, Oldroyd says.
Other Plans
When it ships in the second half of the 2004 calendar year, Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems--intended for use on Opteron systems--will be available in Standard and Enterprise editions, Oldroyd says. Microsoft does not currently have plans to create a Datacenter edition.
Microsoft initially shipped a 64-bit version of Windows 2000 Advanced Server Limited Edition for the Itanium.
Microsoft already ships Enterprise and Datacenter versions of Windows Server 2003 for this Intel chip, which competes directly with AMD's Opteron. The beta version of the Itanium Standard Edition of Windows Server 2003 is available now to MSDN subscribers. General availability is slated for the second half of calendar year 2004.
