Microsoft delivers a new test build of key private-cloud building block
Microsoft is making available for download on May 20 the Release Candidate (RC) test build of Windows Server AppFabric, a key piece of its private-cloud infrastructure. The final version of Windows Server AppFabric will be out in June, officials said.
Microsoft also is making available a first public beta of its BizTalk Server 2010 integration server today. The 2010 BizTalk release adds support for Windows Server AppFabric and will be released to manufacturing in the third calendar quarter of 2010, the Redmondians said.
Microsoft will be highlighting the role of these two products as part of its evolving private-cloud strategy via an “Application Infrastructure Virtual Launch Event," which kicks off today at 11:30 a.m. (ET). There will be webcasts and a virtual trade show highlighting Windows Server AppFabric, BizTalk Server 2010 and related infrastructure wares.
Windows Server AppFabric is the new name for several Windows infrastructure components, including the “Dublin” app server and “Velocity” caching technology. Microsoft is touting Windows Server AppFabric as providing elasticity and high availability for Web applications, as well as delivering more development and management of on-premises Windows apps. Windows Server AppFabric requires Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 and will be free to customers with Standard and Enterprise editions of those products.
In April, Microsoft made available the final version of Windows Azure AppFabric, which is the new name for Microsoft’s .Net Services (the service bus and access control services pieces) of its cloud-computing platform.
I thought Microsoft might use today's Webcast to share more details on some of its other cloud and cloud-infrastructure products, like its plan for providing customers with their own, customized datacenter containers -- or the "Project Sydney" public-private cloud networking and federation technology Microsoft officials mentioned late last year. But Microsoft officials said no more information on either of these efforts will be made available today.
In related news, Google yesterday announced a roadmap for a business-centric version of the Google App Engine -- its competitor to Microsoft's Windows Azure.
- Components that are in the Google pipeline include:
- A centralized management console: Private preview available now; no release date available
- Service level agreement (SLA) guaranteeing 99.9 percent uptime: Draft published; available in Q4 2010
- Centralized billing: In development; available in Q4 2010
- Hosted SQL servers: In development; available in Q3 2010
- Custom domain SSL: In development; available end of 2010