Microsoft WinHec 2008 sessions

Microsoft WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) 2008 starts November 5th (05/11/08) and as with the PDC, Windows 7is a big focus. WinHEC attendees will also get an alpha copy of Microsoft’s next desktop OS, but WinHEc is fast becoming the forgotten sibling!

The Session list for PDC gave us some interesting tidbits to speculate over such as Windows Strata, so I’m hoping the WinHEC listing will too. Here’s what I’ve spotted so far:

Windows 7 Device Experience Overview – CON-T531:

It summarizes the new Windows features for portable devices such as mobile phones and cameras, printing and imaging devices, and networked consumer electronic devices like media servers and digital picture frames.

Windows 7 Device Services for Media Transfer Protocol – CON-T568:

“Device services are the building blocks that enable new extensibility opportunities for Windows-compatible portable devices and align new experiences for portable devices in Windows 7″

The two sessions above give a good indication of some of the new features, and the general direction, of Windows 7.

The Manycore Shift: Microsoft Makes Parallel Computing Personal – COR-T522:

“We’ll highlight efforts in Visual Studio and Windows as examples of how Microsoft is addressing the problems that concurrency introduces through rich support in future tools and operating systems for threading, synchronization, scheduling, and resource management.”

This links in with other info we’ve seen that MS are doing what they can do increase parallel computing in Windows 7 without changing the kernel. Interesting to see Visual Studio mentioned too..

Directions for Virtualized I/O in Windows – ENT-T590:

This session discusses areas of technologies that are being investigated for future Microsoft virtualization offerings. These include PCI Single-Root I/O Virtualization, those technologies that enable it, and their implications to the Windows Driver Model. Improving storage area network (SAN) support and other I/O-related virtualization capabilities are also discussed.

Improving Networking Performance for Hyper-V Virtual Machines – ENT-T589:

Windows Server 2008 R2 will deliver new networking features and enhanced support of stateless and state-full offload technologies to Hyper-V virtual machines.

Microsoft Hyper-V – ENT-T587:

This session includes highlights of “selected features in the next release of Hyper-V.”

The three sessions above all point towards there being a clear(ish) definition of the features for Hyper-V R2..I’ll be interested to see what these are and how much closer Hyper-V gets to VMWare in terms of enterprise features…Live migration ala VMotion anyone?!

**Update** Seems everyone’s wish is coming true..it looks that Hyper-V 2.0 will have Live Migration…see more here

Windows Server Support for More than 64 Logical Processors – ENT-T554:

This session discusses the architecture and support of more than 64 logical processors in Windows Server 2008 R2.

This is a big advance for the Enterprise level/HPC end customers.

Windows Boot from One Image Format – ENT-T606:

“This session discusses native support of VHD in Windows Server 2008 R2” which “creates opportunities for lowering operational costs by enabling customers to use a single image creation, deployment, and maintenance process and toolset across virtual and physical environments.”

Windows 7 Network Optimization for Branch Offices – ENT-C659:

“..new capabilities in Windows 7 that reduce wide area networking link usage and provide the potential reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO) by reducing WAN link usage, providing faster downloads in the branch office, and requiring no networking infrastructure changes”.

This is an interesting sounding sessions and I’d bet that these features will speed up the adoption of WIndows 7 into corporate environments upon it’s release.

There are also a number of sessions about Multi-Touch.