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Several business-related Windows 7 features are dependent on a Windows Server 2008 R2 environment, such as Direct Access, which gives remote workers access to the corporate network without a VPN.

However, in a briefing with PC Pro today, Microsoft admitted that it couldn't guarantee Windows 2008 R2 will be released with the client OS.

Windows Server product manager Gareth Hall said the Server team is aiming for the first half of 2010. Windows 7 is widely expected to be released late this summer, although Microsoft is yet to confirm an official release date.

"We want to be very clear with partners and customers about what they can expect and have that disclosure up front," Hall said. "We're having that dialogue with customers and partners early."

"Yes, there are interdependencies," Hall added. "Customers will have to make

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a decision on how they're going to roll them [Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2] out."

Microsoft admits that many businesses won't be prepared to gamble on beta Server software, but says R2 "isn't a revolutionise your world release" and that it is "architecturally very similar" to the original Server 2008 code, making it easier for companies to run test deployments for early adopters in their organisations.

New features

Hall claims Direct Access is the new feature of Server 2008 R2 that businesses are keenest to get their hands on.

The feature, which will only work with Windows 7 client PCs, allows employees to securely access the corporate network over the public internet, using IPv6 over IPsec. It does away with the need for dedicated VPN software for remote workers. "It removes a complexity barrier users found really irritating," Hall claims.

Direct Access won't be extended to Vista or XP clients, but Microsoft denies it's a ploy to convince businesses to upgrade to Windows 7. "Rewriting a networking stack for an [existing] OS is fraught with difficulty," Hall argues. "It's the sensible thing to do."

Server 2008 R2 also includes enhanced virtualisation features, including live migration. "You can move a running virtual environment from one physical host to another without disrupting user connections," claims Neil Sanderson, virtualisation product manager at Microsoft.