Microsoft improves Windows 2000 SMP support

In a move designed to appease high-end hardware makers such as Compaq, Microsoft has upgraded the multiprocessing support in each of the Windows 2000 Server family of products. Revealed in a so-called "final packaging" announcement, the change basically doubles the number of processors that are supported in Windows 2000 Server, Advanced Server, and DataCenter Server. Windows 2000 Server will now support four processors, up from two. Windows 2000 Advanced Server will support eight processors, up from four. And Windows 2000 DataCenter Server will support up to 32 processors. The change doesn't affect Windows 2000 Professional, which still supports two processors.

"We are delighted to announce the final packaging for Windows 2000, providing our customers with the infrastructure to keep pace with the changing marketplace and to maintain a competitive advantage," said Deborah Willingham, vice president of the Business and Enterprise Division at Microsoft. "This packaging enables customers to choose the product best-suited to their specific business needs, provides a road map for growth, and optimizes for the latest industry-standard hardware advances."

Final pricing for Windows 2000, which will ship later this year, has yet to be announced.