Windows Server 2003 gets second update
Microsoft has quietly released a second service pack (SP2) for its popular Windows Server 2003 operating system.
The hefty update -- at least 350MB depending on the processor architecture -- includes a large number of bug fixes, as well as new features such as:
- The new Scalable Networking Pack that increases network and performance
- Better deployment services for remote installation
- Improved IPSec manageability
- Support for version 3.0 of the Microsoft Management Console
- Virtualisation and SQL Server performance enhancements
- Support for the WPA2 wireless security protocol
SP2 will patch both the R2 and non-R2 versions of Windows Server 2003, in addition to Windows Service Pack 1 boxes. It comes in German, French, Korean, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified, Spanish, Italian, Russian and, Portuguese (Brazilian).
Microsoft has also released a "Hotfix Scan Tool" intended to be used with SP2 deployment. The tool is used to scan for hotfixes that could potentially regress to their unpatched state after SP2 is installed.
Windows Server 2003 SP2 is available on Microsoft's Web site.