Windows Feature Pack for Storage

Microsoft's "Feature Pack" blitz continues. This one will include, among other things, support for Blu-Ray content. Note, of course, that this won't be something you download and install manually. Instead, it will ship with whatever hardware devices in the future.

Welcome to the Microsoft Connect web site for the Windows Feature Pack for Storage.

Please read the Welcome Document Announcement first. This will give you required installation instructions as well as great information on known issues and testing scenarios. There are also instructions on how to file a bug available for you.

This beta contains downloads for the 3 technologies below for the following operating systems: Windows Vista, Windows Vista SP1,Windows Server 2008, Windows XP SP2+, Windows Server 2003 SP1+.  Smartcard on XP is only available in 32 bit.

There are 3 technologies available for this  Pre-Release-
Each will have its own installer:

· Active Storage Platform: This pre-release package enables the Windows platform to restrict access to portable devices (such as a USB Flash Device) via a certificate or password authentication based on the IEEE 1667 standard specification.

· Image Mastering API update for Blu-Ray media: This feature enables the Windows platform to do master style optical burning on Blu-Ray media.

· Smart Card Driver: This release provides support for new form factors, such as ICCD/CCID.

Important thing to note, some of these technologies require new hardware that may not be available. The beta is being released in order to get coverage on any legacy scenarios and install/uninstall scenarios.

Discuss this Article 4

Waethorn
on Aug 19, 2008
The Blu-ray stuff is interesting albeit useless until Blu-ray burners come down into that consumer-friendly commodotized price range. Now that the WHS storage bug has been squashed, how about adding the same redundant storage technology to other server OS's....or maybe even desktop OS's....
Loiosh
on Aug 19, 2008
Waethorn, do you mean the files copied across HDDs that WHS does or something else? All of the other features WHS has are already in Vista such as file-based backup images and sequential backup storage.
Waethorn
on Aug 19, 2008
"do you mean the files copied across HDDs that WHS does or something else?" Single-instance, multi-location storage. You could say that storage consists of a proprietary JBOD array but with the single-instance thing. A couple questions I've wondered about WHS: a) Does it compress files beyond the single-instance-storage job? Does it use NTFS (or other) compression on the FS? b) Has Microsoft ever related the WHS storage FS to WinFS concepts?
dugbug
on Aug 20, 2008
Waethorn, the bug was related to shared folders with data on multiple drives (not the regular storage backups which didn't have any issues). The shared folders use regular NTFS from the user's perspective (there was a great article detailing it somewhere). The storage backup area is opaque. This technology is not related to WinFS. Wish my mac would use it as it is a DAMN cool device... apparently there is a reason timemachine cannot use a networked device. You can use that app. to remove the restriction, but risk kernel panics. -d

Please or Register to post comments.

IT/Dev Connections

Las Vegas
September 30th - October 4th

Paul ThurottYou'll have the opportunity to experience:
• 120 Technical
Sessions
• Networking with Peers
• Expert Speakers


Come See Paul Thurrott & Mary Jo Foley in Person!

Register Now

Office 365 InfoCenter

Get the latest insight and info from Paul

Read Now!

What I Use