11/1/2000 -- Scott Bekker of ENT Magazine reports that Microsoft this week has sent Whistler Server Beta 1 to a select group of testers.

Bekker reports that Beta 1 doesn't contain any significant enhancements this time around. Features like Active Directory pruning and grafting capabilities, Internet Information Services 6.0, and Microsoft Office server extensions will appear in subsequent beta releases. One major feature included with Beta 1: an Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in that has drag-and-drop capability and customizable multiple user objects.

According to Mark Hassall, Microsoft's lead product manager for IT server infrastructure, the release of the business and consumer client versions of Whistler is slated for summer 2001, with the server flavors--Whistler Server, Whistler Advanced Server and Whistler Datacenter Server--expected in late 2001.

ENT Magazine has a full report and a list of the Beta 1 features at http://www.entmag.com/breaknews.asp?ID=3603. Microsoft has issued a press release on Whistler Beta 1 at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2000/Oct00/Whistler1PR.asp. -- M.D.

Reprinted from MCPMag.com (November 2000).