Opportunity for HTG members with Cougar

Greetings from the Cougar Team
Microsoft is looking for qualified partners to join the Windows Server Code Name “Cougar” Beta program. Beta 2 will be ready to test any day now. This is a limited invitation to qualified partners in HTG. We are looking for Quality, not Quantity.

The SBS Cougar Development team are the point in their release cycle, where they are broadening their exposure to our customers, particularly our most engaged partners. They are trying to balance this need to get more feedback against keeping the beta Confidential. No NDA is required, but all applicants are required to agree to the terms of confidentiality in this beta in order to be accepted. So, the more care we can get from our partner group leaders in only recommending the most trusted people in the community the better.

Details of the Program
If you meet the following requirements and want to be in the program, please visit this URL and answer a few simple questions so we can get you in the system.
This Beta 2 release is designed for evaluation and feedback purposes only and is not designed to be run in a production environment. The SBS Cougar Team will be providing support through a Beta Newsgroup only.
· The minimum system requirements to run Cougar Beta 2 are :
o The time and resources to install and test (4-5 hours per week to test) the product. We have a fixed number or slots and if you can’t deliver, we lose that opportunity for feedback which could affect product quality.
§ It’s important that you realize that you need a X64 Server and the time to install and report bugs and feedback
o Agree to the confidentially of the BETA agreement per MS Connect.
o A Server: X64 Intel or AMD PC
o 2.66 gigahertz (GHz) processor
o 4 GB of physical memory
o DVD drive
o Single network adapter
o At least 60 gigabytes (GB) of free disk space
o A display adapter with 128 megabytes (MB) (for Windows Aero compatibility)
o An broadband externally visible Internet connection
o A router
o A domain name
§ The domain name can be an existing one that you own or you can use the Get a Domain Name wizard technology within Beta 2 to purchase a new Internet domain name.
o A client computer running Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Microsoft Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, or Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise.
o A copy of Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2003 (from your Action Pack).

Next Steps
Once you fill out the Survey Monkey form, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ogR7mrwxSpJNS1YJEz4TBA_3d_3d
you will be contacted with information on the SBS Cougar Techbeta program hosted on MS Connect from either Kevin Beares (kbeares@microsoft.com) or Microsoft Connect (MsftConn@microsoft.com). Please make sure you add these two accounts to your trusted email recipients so they do not resolve as spam.