Microsoft reaches Windows Server 2008 milestone

Microsoft has reached another milestone on the road to the release of Windows Server 2008.

On Wednesday, the company made available the Release Candidate 1 version of the software and promised the final version will be ready in time for the product's launch on the 27 February. Microsoft plans to launch the product, along with SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, at an event in Los Angeles.

The event is themed 'Heroes happen here' and is planned as a love-fest celebrating all the work done by the IT crowd. The software maker also said it will spend more than $150m worldwide to help market and build demand for the new products.

Microsoft VP Andy Lees said in a statement: "This is the largest enterprise launch in our history and both Microsoft and many of our industry partners are making a significant investment in a worldwide rollout."

Microsoft originally planned to have the operating system completed by the end of the year, even pulling out some key virtualisation features to try to meet that deadline. However, it announced in August that the product would not be finished until early 2008.

Ina Fried writes for CNET News.com