By Rob Helm [bio]
Posted: May 24, 2004

• Sidebar: What's New on the Windows Roadmap
• Illustration: Windows Roadmap Overview
• Sidebar: Windows Server Feature Packs
• Chart: Past Windows Server Versions
• Chart: Past Windows Client Versions
• Chart: New Product Support Life-Cycle Phases

The following is the full text of an article published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. Each month we make one or more key articles available to non-subscribers.

Improved remote access and simpler installation of existing capabilities are among the goals of a Windows Server 2003 release code-named R2 and planned for 2005. R2 introduces some important new capabilities for hosting extranets and business-to-business Web services, and it could raise the visibility of Windows Server's capabilities for portal and team Web site hosting, document security, and much more. Other changes to the Microsoft Windows product roadmap include the addition of at least two years to the Mainstream support phase of Windows XP, from the end of 2006 to at least the end of 2008, and the addition of three years of Extended support to Windows 2000. These changes, and the announcement of R2, could have important implications for companies currently running Windows NT 4.0 and 2000.

(See the illustration "Future Windows Releases".)

Update to Windows Server in 2005

An update to the current version of Windows Server is planned for late 2005. The update will add some new features and roll together several of the numerous feature packs that add capabilities to Windows Server. Following R2 will be a major release of the server OS that will support the next full Windows client release, Windows Longhorn Client, and bring together the Windows client and server code bases.

The most important future Windows Server versions currently include the following:

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack (SP) 1. In addition to completely tested fixes for known security vulnerabilities and bugs, this service pack will contain some security improvements also delivered in Windows XP SP2 (such as a more secure remote procedure call service) and a role-based security lockdown wizard. Windows Server 2003 SP1 will likely become the new baseline OS shipped to the channel. Estimated release date: Late 2004.

Windows Server 2003 R2 update. This code-named release will deliver Windows Server 2003 with SP1 1 preinstalled (slipstreamed), together with an update disk that provides new features. The new features are designed to simplify remote access to applications running on Windows Server, to support remote users and business-to-business application integration. The release will also include new capabilities for managing branch offices from a central site. Among the new features are the following:

• A federated identity component, code-named TrustBridge and announced in 2002, which will enable organizations to selectively grant access rights to external users who have no local security account, but who have been authenticated by one of the organization's trusted partners or customers
• A new remote access service that enables applications inside an organization to expose data to authorized external applications over the HTTP protocol; this is similar to the way that Exchange 2003's RPC over HTTP system supports external access today
• A new version of File Replication Services with a more efficient file replication protocol, which will make it more feasible for organizations to maintain files at a central location and replicate them to branch offices.

In addition to new features, R2 will deliver a single package with many of the various Windows Server feature packs for portal and team Web site hosting, document security, Unix emulation and migration, identity management, and other tasks. (See the sidebar "Windows Server Feature Packs"). Microsoft hopes that rolling the feature packs into R2 will make them more accessible to customers, which in turn will help differentiate Windows Server from competitors such as commercial Linux distributions that lack comparable capabilities.

The R2 update will also likely deliver the .NET Framework 2.0, a future version of Microsoft's run-time system, which will include the ASP.NET 2.0 Web programming framework. ASP.NET 2.0, a major upgrade, will probably be a prerequisite for future Microsoft Web site management products.

According to Microsoft, customers who have upgrade rights on Windows Server through Software Assurance will be able to upgrade to R2 at no charge; others will need to purchase R2 licenses. Microsoft intends to retire support for R2 at the same time as Windows Server 2003. Estimated release date: Late 2005.

Windows Longhorn Server. This major server release will provide some support for features introduced with Windows Longhorn Client, such as the Indigo messaging service and the WinFS file system. However, the company has not yet determined what that support will be. For example, Longhorn Server might not support the Avalon graphics subsystem of the client, and the WinFS file system might only be accessible to applications running locally on the server, not to remote clients over network file-sharing protocols. Longhorn Server should, however, support the new systems management infrastructure being developed under the Dynamic Systems Initiative, which enables organizations to automatically monitor and configure software on servers using "system definition models" built into the software.

In addition, Microsoft says that when it releases Windows Longhorn Server, it will have unified the Windows code base across client and server. A single code base would simplify maintenance for both Microsoft and customers. For example, it would enable Microsoft to release Windows service packs that apply to both client and server, something it can't do today with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Estimated release date: Six to 12 months after Windows Longhorn Client (late 2006 or 2007).

As for existing Windows Server versions, NT 4.0 is approaching its final support dates, and Mainstream support for Windows 2000 Server ends in 2005. (See the chart "Past Windows Server Versions".)

Going forward, Microsoft will continue to release specialized Windows Server editions for specific server roles, similar to Windows Server Web Edition (for Web servers) and the Windows Storage Server platform (for file servers and network-attached storage devices). For the core server OS, Microsoft hopes to deliver new features roughly every two years, alternating between updates (such as R2) and full platform releases (such as Longhorn Server). The company plans to deliver fewer individual feature packs, focusing instead on putting new features into updates and full releases. The company hopes to restrict service packs to bug fixes, security features, and small feature improvements that don't impact application compatibility or require changes to the OS kernel.

If followed, this philosophy could make life easier for customers by separating service packs, which customers require for stability and security and which should require less pre-deployment testing, from releases that deliver new features and so require more scrutiny. However, the company has promised to keep features out of service packs in the past, only to subsequently change its mind.

Service Pack, Longer Support for Windows XP

On the client side, Microsoft continues to focus on Windows XP SP2, which has many characteristics of an interim release. Microsoft has pushed out the next full client release (Longhorn) to the first half of 2006, but the product could slip beyond that date. However, the company has also announced that it will fully support Windows XP for at least two years beyond the release of Windows Longhorn Client; full support was previously due to end in 2006.

(See the chart "New Product Support Life-Cycle Phases" for an overview of Microsoft's new product support life-cycle policies and their effect on Windows XP.)

Repeated rumors have suggested that a "Windows XP Reloaded" would ship between SP2 and Longhorn. However, according to Microsoft, this code name refers only to a marketing project within the Windows client organization to boost Windows XP sales, particularly by making consumers more aware of existing features (such as the built-in firewall service).

Based on Microsoft's statements and the challenge presented by Longhorn, corporate customers should not expect any major Windows client updates between SP2 and Longhorn. The only software associated with the Reloaded project might be a build of Windows XP SP2 for PC manufacturers that includes links to the forthcoming MSN Music service and new versions of some client components (such as the Windows Media Player) that will also be available separately.

Announced future releases include the following:

Windows XP SP2. In addition to completely tested fixes for known security vulnerabilities and bugs, SP2 will make significant changes to Windows XP to improve e-mail and browser security, reduce opportunities for buffer overruns and other network-based attacks, and add features such as pop-up blocking in the browser and better support for wireless protocols. The security features disable some services by default and thus could affect application compatibility. Estimated release date: Summer 2004.

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. Code-named Lonestar, this refresh of the Tablet PC platform is intended to improve pen input, integrate better with applications such as Office 2003 and OneNote, and offer improved developer APIs. It will ship with Windows XP SP2. Estimated release date: Summer 2004.

Windows Longhorn Client. As the next major Windows client release, Longhorn will fundamentally change the way that developers create applications for the first time since the introduction of Windows NT and the Win32 API. Microsoft hopes the changes will spawn a new generation of applications that will convince users to upgrade.

With Longhorn, Microsoft is introducing the following new subsystems, described by their code names:

• Avalon, a new graphics system
• Indigo, which offers improved Web services and other types of communications between applications
• WinFS, which incorporates technology from SQL Server, the NTFS file system, Windows SharePoint Server, and other Microsoft products to provide a new store for user data.

Developers, including Microsoft’s Office and other product teams, will reach these subsystems through a new set of APIs, called WinFX, which significantly extend the .NET Framework and move it into the OS. Estimated release date: 2006.

As for existing versions, Windows 98, 98 SE, and Me will see no development effort other than security hotfixes, as Microsoft focuses on more recent Windows versions. No support other than paid support and security fixes will be available for these products through Dec. 31, 2006. (See the chart "Past Windows Client Versions".) The most recent Windows client, Windows XP, was released in Sept. 2001 and is scheduled to exit Mainstream support two years after Windows Longhorn Client ships. That implies full support through the first half of 2008 at least.

New Milestones for Migration

The new roadmap suggests some considerations for organizations that have not yet migrated to Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.

In particular, organizations on Windows 2000 Server or earlier should seriously consider moving to Windows Server 2003 SP1 after it becomes available, because such installations can go forward with minor changes for some time. Windows Server 2003 will be fully supported at least through the first half of 2008, with paid support and free security hotfixes into 2013. Furthermore, organizations will be able to apply all R2 enhancements to existing Windows Server 2003 SP1 installations. (There will probably be additional licensing fees for R2 on installations not covered by Software Assurance.) Finally, Longhorn Server is not due until 2007 at the earliest, so organizations will not have a major server platform release until then.

Similarly, on the client side, Windows XP SP2 offers significantly stronger security than the initial version of Windows XP, which in turn was more secure and offered improved administration (through features such as Remote Assistance) over Windows 2000 and NT 4.0. Moreover, under Microsoft's new life-cycle policies, Windows XP will be fully supported for at least two years after the release of Windows Longhorn Client, which implies through at least the first half of 2008, with paid support and free security hotfixes into 2013. Companies currently on Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 could thus deploy Windows XP SP2 and wait for the unified Longhorn code base (promised for Windows Longhorn Server in 2007 or 2008) before making their next move.

Resources

For a convenient reference to enterprise software releases and retirements, see the Directions on Microsoft "Enterprise Product Roadmap".

Windows XP SP2 is explained in "XP Service Pack Needs Significant Testing" on page 3 of the May 2004 Update and "XP Service Pack Highlights Security Dilemma" on page 3 of the Jan. 2004 Update.

Windows support for the two 64-bit architectures is described in "" on page 4 of the May 2004 Update.

The goals of TrustBridge are outlined in "TrustBridge to Simplify Resource Sharing" on page 13 of the Aug. 2002 Update.

Remote access to Exchange over HTTP and other Exchange Server 2003 features are summarized in the July 2003 Research Report, "Exchange Server 2003, Outlook 2003 Enhance Mobility, Scalability, Security."

Likely features of Longhorn are previewed in "Longhorn Preview Focuses on Developers" on page 3 and "WinFX: The .NET Framework Takes Center Stage" on page 18 of the Dec. 2003 Update.

The Windows 2000 retirement schedule is detailed in "Windows 2000 Life Cycle Finalized" on page 7 of the Feb. 2004 Update.

For an overview of Microsoft's product life-cycle support policies, see support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh%3Ben-us%3Blifecycle.

Support life-cycle dates by product are listed at support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];complifeport.

Supported service packs and their release dates appear at support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];lifesupsps.

Service pack release histories for many products are at support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];sp&.