With beta testing under way for Windows Service 2003 Service Pack 2, which also is designed for Windows XP x64 edition, Microsoft is providing a bit more details about the impending upgrade.
Windows Server program manager Ward Ralston says SP2 will be much less painful than SP1.
“I know SP1 to Windows Server 2003 made some pretty big changes to the way we do security and it introduced a cycle of application testing and some compatibility issues….this was, however, a necessary evil needed to address server security,” Ralston wrote on his teams blog.
Now that the groundwork has been laid with SP1, Microsoft is planning a more conventional service pack for SP2.
It will consist of all security updates, all individual hotfixes released to customers and fixes to reduce top customer support issues.
SP2 will also include some additions to support Windows Vista, Microsofts next Windows client release due out in early 2007. Some new features will make the cut as well, although Ralston calls them “limited” in scope.