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Microsoft's Service Pack announcement came in the context of a TechEd 2010 keynote speech this morning by Bob Muglia (right), president of the company's Server and Tools business. TechEd, staged for both developers and enterprise customers, runs through Thursday in New Orleans.
According to Microsoft, the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 service packs will include a series of incremental updates that have already been delivered via Windows Update. But they'll also include new virtualization tools, a new Dynamic Memory feature, and RemoteFX technology for improved remote access, the company adds. (See later in this story for background).
July's Windows 7 Service Pack will not be directly relevant to the operating system's embedded cousin, Windows Embedded Standard 7, since Microsoft's embedded OSes are updated on their own schedule, and often under the control of OEMs. However, the fixes and new technologies -- especially a client for RemoteFX -- being offered are sure to migrate to Windows Embedded Standard 7 quickly.
In addition to the forthcoming Service Packs, Muglia announced the following:
Posting on Microsoft's Windows Blog back in March, Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc characterized the forthcoming Windows 7 SP1 as mostly providing "only minor updates, among which are previous updates that are already delivered through Windows Update." But, he added, one key feature will be an updated Remote Desktop client, adopting a set of multimedia-centric enhancements collectively known as RemoteFX.
SP1 of Windows Server 2008 R2 will also support RemoteFX, LeBlanc added, and will add a new Dynamic Memory feature to the operating system's Hyper-V virtualization technology. It's said that with Dynamic Memory, administrators will no longer need to assign a static amount of memory to each virtual machine, potentially wasting resources. Instead, Hyper-V will pool all the memory available on a physical host and dynamically distribute it as required.
According to a separate posting by Max Herrmann on the Windows Virtualization Product Group blog, RemoteFX stems from Microsoft's 2008 acquisition of Calista Technologies. Rather than being a new standalone product, RemoteFX describes a set of enhancements -- most prominently graphics virtualization and the use of advanced codecs -- that is being added to RDP, he explains.
Microsoft claims that with RemoteFX, users will be able to access virtualized workspaces remotely using thin clients, PCs, and other devices "with the fidelity of a local-like performance." The technology will support the Windows Aero desktop environment, full-motion video, 3D, plus Silverlight and Flash applications, the company promises.
RemoteFX's capabilities resemble those already touted for Citrix's HDX technology, offered as part of its XenDesktop and XenApp products. Microsoft says it has allied with Citrix "to enable the high-definition HDX technology in Citrix XenDesktop to enhance and extend the capabilities of the ... RemoteFX platform," but did not offer further details.
In a March article for The Register, Timothy Prickett Morgan suggested that HDX will be modified to incorporate RemoteFX, making use of its capabilities when available. RemoteFX will be used on servers and end points working over a corporate LAN, but HDX will be used for devices hooking into virtual desktops from other networks, he theorized.
Gordon Payne, senior vice president and general manager of Citrix's desktop division, stated in March, "By joining forces in desktop virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft can provide customers of all sizes with groundbreaking solutions that are profoundly simpler, richer and more cost-effective. Today's announcements mark a historic milestone in our 20-year relationship that will dramatically simplify desktop computing for years to come."
Separately, HP and Wyse have pledged support for RemoteFX and said they will produce thin clients incorporating it.
Curt Schwebke, Wyse's chief technology officer, stated, "With the Wyse support for RemoteFX, users will benefit from a full, rich media experience while maintaining the energy (Green IT), TCO and security benefits of a VDI environment across multiple client solutions. The combination of these benefits is yet another reason that we see thin clients -- paired with cloud computing and virtual desktops -- becoming the standard for business large and small."
Further information
More information on Microsoft's ongoing TechEd 2010 conference may be found on the company's website, here. A related Twitter feed may be found here.
The March postings by Brandon LeBlanc mentioned in this story can be found on the Windows blog, here and here. Max Herrmann's posting about RemoteFX may be found here.
Timothy Prickett Morgan's item for The Register may be found here.
