Countdown to 64-bit Windows

The RC2 (Release Candidate 2) version of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Enterprise Edition no longer bears the shaky feel of a work in progress. Contrary to the belief that AMD Opteron’s and Intel Xeon EM64T’s 64-bits can be exploited only by Linux and Unix, Windows Server 2003 x64 is the real deal, 64 bits all the way to the core. Web applications, file sharing, Active Directory, Terminal Services, clustering, and other standard Windows Server services get an out-of-the-box kick in capacity. In addition, systemwide refinements in scheduling, memory management, and device I/O extend to 32-bit applications that are completely unaware of their 64-bit host.

It’s clearer in RC2 than in prior previews that Microsoft’s x64 implementations -- an x64 edition of Windows XP is also in public beta -- will be operationally indistinguishable from their 32-bit counterparts. The inclusion of a prerelease Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 in RC2 bodes well for the likelihood that 32- and 64-bit Windows Server editions will stay in perfect sync.

A 32-to-64 Windows migration won’t be a downhill coast for everyone. Although RC2 lengthens the list of supported devices, it also extends the list of incompatible applications. System components and peripheral hardware require true 64-bit device drivers; there’s no cheating on this point. Applications that rely on architectural assumptions about Windows and 32-bit host hardware are going to break. Third-party utilities and system-level services such as anti-virus and firewall may be incompatible.

Apart from some missing and inaccurate documentation, RC2 has all the hallmarks of a shippable product. Microsoft should be proud that most customers won’t know how hard it was to bring Windows back to the 64-bit realm after a 10-year absence.

Windows Server 2003 x64 Enterprise Edition
Microsoft
Cost: To be determined
Available: First half of 2005