Windows HPC Server 2008 Beta 2 is available on Microsoft Connect and Ryan Waite goes into detail on much of the new stuff. I'm really excited to start seeing scientists utilize and evaluate the new version - I think many of the new pieces especially Network Direct, PowerShell integration, and the HPC Basic Profile will surprise users. The other piece I'm looking forward to is the release of the next Top500 list in June...
We completed a few great Top500 runs in the last few weeks. We can’t talk about the numbers until the International Supercomputing Conference in June but it looks like Beta 2’s new MPI stack and new Network Direct RDMA interface are starting to hum. Windows HPC Server 2008 Beta 2 is Here