Next Generation Evaluation – Microsoft VHD Test Drive

Over the years I have evaluated (played with) lots of different software products. One of the reasons I believe that desktop software took off was that it was easy to evaluate. There was no need to have lots of expensive hardware available, you could just stick it on your PC and see whether it did what you wanted it to do,and whether it looked nice.

Server software is more difficult to evaluate, because it requires a server. The problem with much Microsoft software is that it is becoming increasing interlinked. All of this interlinking means that you don’t just need one server, you need a few. thankfully operating system virtualisation came to the rescue and allowed us all to run multiple server instances on one piece of hardware, but there was still a huge investment to be made in maintaining this environment.

Over the last few days Microsoft have provided some assistance to all of us testers by making a whole set of evaluation Virtual Hard Disk images available via the VHD Test Drive programme. The theory here is wonderful for anyone who evaluates server software. Instead of me having to create a set of server images, deploy all of the pre-requisite software and then finally get around to looking at the application I actually want to look at, I can download some images, start them in Virtual Server and then get straight into the evaluation.

Beyond that Microsoft are working with other vendors to get their software available via the same route.

“We expect more than 20 partners to begin distributing their software via the VHD Test Drive Program later this quarter, including Altiris, BEA Systems, Check Point, Citrix, CommVault, Dell, FullArmor, HP, Network Appliance, Platespin, Portlock, Quest Software, SourceCode Technology Holdings, Symantec and UGS.”

I have a few reservations. If I’m evaluating software I do like to get into the nuts-and-bolts of how the software is installed and configured. You need to trust that the vendors have delivered their software in a standard way and that the VHD hasn’t been heavily customised. The other issue is that the evaluation period on some of the products is a bit stingy.

The big change to come, though, will be the availability of software for production use via this route.