Bob Muglia and Fred Weber: 64-bit computing (May 5, 2005)

Published: May 11, 2005

Please note:Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity

Introduction

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Welcome to today’s chat with Bob Muglia, Senior Vice President of the Windows Server Division of Microsoft and Fred Weber, Chief Technical Officer of AMD, to discuss the development and plans for enterprise-ready, high-availability systems for which the AMD Opteron processor based on AMD64 technology is optimized.
We will try to answer as many questions as we can today. Participants should type their questions, click “Submit a question,” and click “Send.” Those posts will go into a private queue, from which our experts will draft answers and repost questions in the upper window with their answers. (To confirm: if you clicked “Submit a question” when you posted, you don’t need to resubmit. We’ll get to them as soon as we can before the end of the chat (3p Pacific Daylight Time).
We will post a transcript of the upper window within a few days at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/chats/trans/default.mspx.
We are pleased to welcome our experts for today. I will have them introduce themselves now.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Hello everyone - I am Margaret Lewis, Commercial Software Strategist at AMD :D

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Hi, I am Fred Weber AMD's CTO.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Hi, I'm Bob Muglia - I am the SVP of the Windows Server division here at MS.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
I'm an AMD Fellow & have been working on 64-bit SW architecture issues at AMD (OS, Compiler, BIOS, etc) since 2000. AMD is a cool company and I work out of my home in Olympia, WA. I've been doing computer architecture stuff since '84 (ip)

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
I am Bill Laing and work in the Windows Server Group at Microsoft focused on server platform architecture

Grace_MS (Expert):
Hi, I’m with the Platforms organization @ Msft. I manage the Msft-AMD alliance.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Greetings - I'm Clyde Rodriguez and I ran the Windows x64 Project; joining you from an AMD64 Laptop running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Introduce yourself :D
A: This is Barry Crume, Alliance manager for the Microsoft relationship from AMD.

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Let's start the chat!

Start of Chat

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is there any plan for ISVs from AMD and MS on 64 bit computing?
A: We have held a number of events focusing on the ISV community for over two years actually.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: How come it took so long for MSFT to come out with x64 editions? Were you waiting for Intel to catch up?
A: Sigh, it did take a long time. We weren't waiting for Intel, we were busy focusing on ensuring that the security of our OS was as good as it could possibly be. In particular, XP SP2 was the major focus for the Windows organization through the summer of last year. Once we shipped that, we were able to put our energy onto Server 2003 SP 1 and 64-bit. We are very pleased by the end-result. 64-bit is awesome!

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: When can we get a list of the apps that are supported by x64 from MSFT?
A: We are working on our x64 roadmap but I can tell you that we have a number of teams already porting their applications to x64, including SQL Server, Visual Studio, etc. Various other teams are working on their roadmaps and as we have more information from them you will see us post information about them on microsoft.com

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Clyde, are you still wearing the x64 VIP launch jacket?
A: As we speak :)

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: When will AMD support FBD?
A: I assume by FBD you mean Fully buffered DIMM. We see fully buffered DIMM as a good technology for large multiprocessor servers. The biggest advantage of FBDIMM is to provide more memory capacity since it supports 16 DIMMs in about the same number of pins as DDR supports 2-8 (depending on speed). It also provides some additional bandwidth per pin. But, this comes at a cost of $$$ and latency (the most important memory measure). Like with all memory technologies we will introduce support when the technology becomes available, stable and affordable. That is likely to be in 2007.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Are the AMD desktop x64 chips dual core?
A: AMD mentioned on Apr 21, 2005 that we will have dual-core AMD64 processors -- the X2.

Grace_MS (Expert):
Q: When will Intel begin support for x64?
A: Intel does support x64

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Can we get 64bit Media Centers with Media Centre Installed From Microsoft!
A: Yes. We are working very closely with both OEM's and IHV's to get drivers writting for 64-bit. We'll see the ecosystem move to 64-bit most quickly on the server as more apps take advantage of the extended memory. We'll see growing adoption in both client and server - but in Longhorn, we still expect most client PC's to run 32-bit OS's. For Longhorn server in 07, we expect the default to be 64-bit. I am now talking about 32-bit applications as "legacy"... :)

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is there any set timeframe where we can expect to see 64bit Tablet PCs?
A: Today you are already seeing the mobile form factor move to x64 with laptops (in fact, I'm on one at the moment). As far ast Tablets go, we do not have Windows Tablet Edition on x64 today but it is a platform we are evaluating closely for our future releases.

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: HELLO where can i find help with a sys admin ( a place where i can chat)
A: Sorry, this chat is about 64-bit computing. You can try the newsgroups at http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: what are the steps to be taken to add a Windows NT Client to a Windows 2003 Server Domain
A: The process is identical to what you might already know today on a 32-bit Windows sytem. Some steps:

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: When will the X2 ship?
A: Athlon 64 X2 will ship mid-2005 (June)

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Dell sells more x86 boxes than anyone and is a staunch supporter of Microsoft, yet Dell publicly refuses to sell AMD products. Does Microsoft plan on applying pressure to Dell to selling AMD products?
A: No. OEM's including Dell make their own decisions on who to purchase components, including CPU's from.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: when can we expect to see all apps multi-threaded? When will Outlook/Exchange/Office support x64? And what is the expected benefit?
A: The office applications today run on x64. Many application, particularly server ones are multithreaded, but we will see more and more applications being design to exploit multiple threads over time.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Can we get 64bit Media Centers with Media Centre Installed From Microsoft!
A: Not for awhile. The 64-bit drivers to support media devices are not yet available.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: whats it the biggest difference between the opteron dual core, and the intel hyperthreading. And do real world apps really take advantage of this?
A: The Opteron and Athlon64 dual core processors implement two complete microprocessors on a single piece of silicon. Because of this, on problems that are parallel (either multi-task or multi-thread) these processors deliver significant performance boosts at about the same level as you would have seen in the past from a dual processor (two socket) workstation. Performance gains vary depending on application but generally range from 50-85%. By contrast hyperthreading and other "threaded processor techniques" try to improve performance by time sharing a single processor at a fine grained level. This technique can work well if the programs sharing the processor each don't do much work. But, if both threads are compute bound threading adds little value.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Are we expecting any AMD 64 built in Tablet PCs?
A: These are still being evaluated

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Do you consider any of your processors to be fast enough for Longhorn and if so which ones?
A: The simple answer is that all AMD-64 branded processors are fast enough and have the functionality to run both 32 and 64 bit operating systems in the Longhorn timeframe. For entry-level, 32-bit operating systems, the PC must be able to support the minimum system requirements as stated by Microsoft. Many, and probably most AthlonXP systems should also have this capability, but you've got to check on things like memory and graphics capability.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: as new drivers are released, will they be added to Winx64 (Like in Sp1 or later)
A: Yes, absolutely

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Where should IT Pros go to stay current on X64 announcements? What x64 blogs do you recommend?
A: Technet is a good source of information and has pointers to blogs. http://technet.microsoft.com/

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Where should IT Pros go to stay current on X64 announcements? What x64 blogs do you recommend?
A: In addition to Bill's answer, a great place to visit is http://www.microsoft.com/x64

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: When will AMD stop to produce 32bit processor?
A: AMD will stop producing 32-bit processors when market and customer demand dictates. Right now we see customer demanding growing for 64-bit in most markets. On the value end of the market - we still see demand for 32-bit processors.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Does x64 ship with a 64 bit version of the .NET Framework?
A: the current x64-system we're shipping has a 32-bit implementation of the .NET framework. When Whidbey (visual studio 2005) ships later this year, the 64-bit version of the .NET framework will be available. We'll include this in Windows Server 2003 R2 when that ships in Q4 of this year and of course, it will be in Longhorn, both client and server.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: How much faster will the dual core 64bit processors be compared to those currently available?
A: It depends on your workload. We designed our dual-core parts to fit into the power envelope of our single-core 95W parts. This means on Rev E boards that you can pull out a single-core and plop in a dual-core and with a BIOS reflash you are on your way. In order to fit in that power envelope, we clock the dual-cores at slightly lower freq than single-core. (say 1.8GHz/2.2GHz vs 2.4GHz/2.6GHZ). But, for many folks that are trying to run multiple programs at the same time, like doing outlook and watch dvd at same time, the dual-core processor gives better multi-task, multi-threaded performance.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Is there any plans to simplify creating clustered solutions ? Make systems interconnect part of default architecture ?
A: Cluster interconnect is an area of strong innovation at present with 10G ethernet, Infiniband, custom solutions like those from Pathscale and new solutions from traditional players like Myrinet evolving and bringing new value at a rapid pace. AMD's direct connect architecture and Hypertransport bus provide a low latency open bus interface directly into the system to allow the interconnect specialists to innovate. We will be spending most of our energy to continue to innovate in enabling larger and higher performance glueless MP systems and provide better and better interfaces through HT improvements to enable traditional and new cluster suppliers.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Does x64 ship with a 64 bit version of the .NET Framework?
A: x64 current has the 32 bit version of the .NET framework. Visual Studio 2005 will come with the 64 bit framework

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: having worked at Fab 25 as a contractor how detailed questions are yall willing to answer??
A: Have a look at the other questions and answers. Most folks are interested in capability of current, past and future CPUs to run Microsoft x64 OS or Longhorn. We will not be revealing any internal design secrets, or unreleased info on future CPUs.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: How AMD is handling its growing number of Linux deployments vs. Windows?
A: ;-) For us, we let our customers choose what software they want to run and we just make great processors to run it. More customers buying AMD processors always makes us happy.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: If so will current .NET application automatically take advantage of 64 bit?
A: .NET applications will need to be compiled with the next version of Visual Studio to take full advantage of 64bits

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Also, something is puzzling me. Given that all the hardware in most ppl's PC's are designed around a 32-bit world, as in a hard drive, will that have an effect on useability? Or will 64-bit drivers take care of that?
A: One of the design goals of Windows x64 was to ensure it had great usability parity with 32-bit Windows so that customers do not have to relearn to use the OS. So the learning curve is virtually flat. The key challenge is as you correctly indicate the drivers question

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Hi. Im arriving late. What or when can users expect full 64-bit driver support?
A: "Full" is a big word. We shipped Windows x64 with over 16,000 drivers - but there is a lot of hardware out there. We'll get very broad coverage on the server before the desktop, but both will happen over the coming years. Eventually, we'll phase out the 32-bit version of the OS.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: given the pace of technology. and moores law, are we still on for a quad core in early 2k8??
A: For the next 6-8 years it looks like Moore's law will continue to allow doubling of transistor density every 2 years or so. With each doubling of transistor density it becomes reasonable to double the number of cores. The actual pace of number of cores may differ (somewhat faster or somewhat slower) due to various design decisions. For instance in a particular design or timeframe it might make sense to provide a larger cache or more FPU performance rather than more cores. Or, it might make sense to deliver twice as many lower performance cores. However, in general the average point is likely to be a doubling of the number of cores in each new technology generation for the next few generations

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Clyde - you answered drivers will be added to x64 (like in sp1 or later). Isn't it MS policy not to add drivers into service packs.
A: We will work with vendors to make drivers available throughout all our future releases; you're correct that we do not typically add new drivers to a service pack, but in conjunction with each release we expect drivers to be made available through other channels

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can you use the current developmental version of SQL 2000 64 bit compatible with Server 2003 AMD version?
A: SQL 2000 64bit is for Itanium. SQL 2000 runs on Server 2003 AMD version and can use up to 4GB of address space. The next version of SQL available later this year will have full AMD 64 bit support.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: What does AMD/Microsoft use for x64 processor/platform virtualization (eg. Simics)?
A: SIMICS is a great tool for AMD64 simulation. We also have an internal tool, very platform-specific modelling tool called SimNOW.

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Is the 939-pin the only processor you suggest buying from now on?
A: We are phasing in the 939-pin CPU into all Performance, Enthusiast and commercial desktop systems over time, and phasing out the 754-pin in these market segments. If you are a performance user, you'll want the 128-bit memory controller and the extra power/ground pins delivered in the 939 product line-up. Also, as we introduced on April 21st, the 939 socket will support the upcoming dual-core CPUs in Mid summer.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Does Microsoft Prefer Intel or AMD chips? (Answer honestly since the Amd guys wont mind too much ;))
A: We love 64-bit chips... :) Honestly, we use both internally.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: What is the main differentation between 2-4-8 way Opteron machines and 2-4-8 way Xeon from a application-server perspective using MS server products?
A: One way to answer this is scalability and latency. In the AMD Opteron with Direct Connect Arch, you can add cpu and memory together in a logical manner. Also the integrated memory controller really cuts down on latency in such systems. The other difference is that MS has great support for our CCNUMA arch and you can see the benefits to that at an App level.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: X64 is looking great a platform for the next generation of Very Large SQL Servers. IMHO, the bottleneck has now moved to the PCI bus. How does AMD see the PCI bus evolving to help take advantage of x64? Are we going to see more motherboard with x16 PCIE
A: Thanks. we agree that the X86 architecture has opened up a new class of application performance for large database apps. And, as you state, these large systems need to have a balance of CPU performance, memory capacity and bandwidth and IO capacity and bandwidth. The beauty of the Opteron direct connect architecture is that it naturally scales all these parameters together. For IO in particular PCI-express is a great step forward in IO subsystem performance and you will see more and more systems with more and more PCI-Express slots with Opteron processors. With DirectConnect architecture we can connect many PCI-Express segments each to its own HT pipe.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Can SQL 64 bit be ran on Server 2003 for AMD?
A: See reply to earlier question

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: What are AMD's plans to further the x64 market share, and make it more widely known by users?
A: With the availability of Windows x64 and the growing number of applications AMD is working with MS and our OEM partners to promote the benefits of 64-bit computing to markets that can gain an immediate advantage - for example, database, terminal serving, and engineering and graphic design workstations. You will see more benchmarks, customer success stories, white papers, and general awareness activities such as web chats :D increase

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Bob, you said that 64-bit is awesome. But what about the drivers? For example I have a MS Fingerprint Reader that is useless in 64-bit environment.
A: I don't know when that specifics of when the fingerprint driver will be there - but the Windows team is pushing hard to get support across the industry - including our own teams.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: So the SQL 2000 64 bit is currently only available in Itanium?
A: Yes

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Any reason why there is no parity for driver support in W2K3 x64 and W2K3 x86? The fast-track deployment to x64 has been sidelined since systems already built to and certified to 32-bit out-of-the-box is not implemented in x64?
A: We are working very closely with all our IHV partners to improve the driver parity question. We shipped with something like 16,000++ drivers inbox and already we see excellent movement from our IHV partners to port drivers.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: And lastly, I just want to say I love AMD. You guys rock. And I'm not jaded by your lack of Ghz- to Ghz against Intel - benchmarks show your chips often outperforming Intel designs in many area. Kudos to AMD.
A: Thanks - appreciate the support :D

Grace_MS (Expert):
Q: Is this chat just about AMD, or will you answer questions about Intel x64 support (not Itanium)?
A: This is a AMD-Msft focus Web chat. The Intel-Msft web chat took place a couple of weeks ago. Sorry.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Will AMD license VT from Intel? What is AMD doing with Pacifica?
A: Pacifica is an AMD designed virtualization hardware layer that we are implementing in future AMD processors. It has been designed - like the AMD x86-64 architecture - in close collaboration with our customers and key ISVs and experts in the field. And, like with x86-64 we are publishing our spec openly to enable others in the industry to consider adoption of it.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: As a follow up, will those 16,000 drivers be generic, or mnfg. drivers? HP doesn't offer me a 64-bit driver for my Printer/Copier/Scanner so as of now, it's useless in a 64-bit world
A: They span a broad variety of device categories. I'd strongly encourage you to contact HP to inquire about their driver port for your specific scanner.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Doesn't Intel have an advantage with multi-threading since they've been doing it for a number of years now, just like AMD jumped on the 64-bit x86 b'wagon.
A: No. And thanks for the troll ! ;-)

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Any plans for joint MS/AMD ISV enablement activities to hel developers take advantage of dualcore etc.?
A: We're working across the industry to help developers build multi-threaded apps. while issues exist both client and server, it is a much bigger challenge on the client as server-apps are inherently throughput focused.

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Hi, how would you see the chanced for Operon v.s. Intel Xenon MP now Opteron has Dual Core and Intel is releasing this end of the year?
A: The Opteron CPU has been a very successful introduction into the server market in the last 24 months. In 4P and 8P configurations, the Opteron's Direct Connect Architecture provides for excellent scaling as CPUs are added. Check out the published benchmarks and you'll see just how well these CPUs scale. We think the future is bright for Opteron and the Dual Core with its leverage of Direct Connect Architecture, makes it even brighter.

Grace_MS (Expert):
Q: Is this chat just about AMD, or will you answer questions about Intel x64 support (not Itanium)?
A: A follow up to this Q - if you want the transcript for the Intel-Msft webchat in April. go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/chats/trans/default.mspx

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: When will future CPUs support OS Virtualisation (VMWare / Virtual Server) natively in hardware ?
A: We call that AMD Pacifica. We have said we will be introducing this hardware virtualization technology in 2006.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: How is AMD x64 fitted in MS OS-es, its now one CD for Intel and AMD, is there a switch in installation-time, eg is postboot the same x64 kernal installed? (e.g. if I move a HDD from an Intel installation to AMD or vice-versa will it boot and run or not)
A: The same kernel is used on AMD and Intel, however if you move the disk between machines there may be restrictions on driver availablity, just the same if you moved the disk between two different Intel machines

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: When will Microsoft begin to promote 64 in the media with TV commercials?
A: TV is a pretty broad-based vehicle to advertise on so it'll be awhile before x64 solutions are featured there. We certainly need to have very broad driver coverage first - and that will take a few years.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Hey does anyone know if windows server 2003 works with fronpage and extensions?
A: Yes it is a built in features and has been for a number of releases.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Is there anywhere to find a cumulative list of apps (at least ms apps) that are multi threaded
A: Unfortunately there is not a list that identifies multi-threaded applications. However, there are classes of applications that are multi-threaded - like database servers and web servers - and the movement to multi-threading has been going on in the server and workstation world for while since many users have moved to multiprocessor systems.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Why not all drivers for systems are available on WindowsUpdate / Add/Remove hardware Connect to Internet wizard and requere users to visit vendor websites ?
A: The presence of drivers on WU will improve over time; for now you are correct that the best recourse for now is to contact device vendors.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: the faster and more powerful the chips get, dont we start to require more and more cooling?
A: There are many physical limitations to processor performance. These include die size (if we could build a 1 square foot chip it would be more powerful than a 1 square centimeter chip), current supply, heat dissapation, etc. Each of these is taken as a constraint that moves up over time as new techniques (like better fans) become available. For the server market segment about 50-200W is a reasonable range to design processors to. We use many techniques including clock-gating, voltage management, control of speculation, etc to control power. With our introduction of dual core processors we were able to provide 2 processors in about the same power envelope as we previously provided only one. We accomplished this by slowing down the clock just a bit, carefully managing power consumption in our design and tuning our process.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Any plans on releasing Virtual PC x64 (guest and host) to enable rapid prototyping and testing?
A: We recently announced that Virtual Server will support x64 hosts (but not guests) later this year. We don't have any specific announcements yet on VPC, but we are certainly looking at adding this capability in the future.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: What are most AMD proc. made out of?
A: Silicon.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Follow up to virtualization question - Portions of SimNOW were being ported to GNU/Linux, do you have a status on this?
A: SimNow has been completely overhauled and greatly improved by Rob Bedichek and his team. It runs on Windows and Linux. We are figuring out if and how we get this to outside devs.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will Windows 2003 Standard and XP Pro install on a dual socket dual core motherboard (4 Processors) or is Windows Enterprise or datacenter required?
A: Windows licensing is based on processors (sockets) not cores therefore Windows 2003 is support up to 4 sockets (even if they are dual core) and XP Pro supports 2 sockets.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: When will you stop using PR-rating on AMD CPUs?
A: We are evaluating but at this time don't have a plan we can discuss

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Today (i heard) Service Pack 4 will be released for SQL 2000 - the only non beta MS-SQL out there - and SP4 has limited support for X64 (Opteron) what's the support and how can one expect for king of gain/advantage compared to using SQL 2000 SP3 now?
A: SQL 2000 can use up to 4GB of virtual address space. The next version of sql available later this year will support 64 bits.

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Hi Opteron 2+ Ghz supports PC2700 memory to 6 banks, while with DDR333 it supports 8 banks, what's the reason and why is there a relation to the Opeteron type/speed?
A: We suggest that systems vendors test and spec their own memory support tables. I will add, however, that the faster the memory is clocked, the fewer DIMMs we can support. Most servers can support 4 DIMMS at any available speed. Some Servers have up to 8 DIMMs per socket and will only support slower memories in all eight slots, but can support 4 DIMMS at higher speeds, with 4 DIMMs unused. I suggest that you check out the OEMs sites for official speeds per system. Also, previous versions of CPUs (like rev C, etc) don't have the recent memory controller updates which limits their speed/number matrices.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Will the x2 be compatible with current motherboards?
A: Visit AMD.Com and clink on the multicore - we have a multicore home page that provides details on compatibility with current systems

Grace_MS (Expert):
Q: When can we expect Microsoft marketing to support 64-bit computing?
A: Msft is very active in envangelizing overall 64-bit computing, including x64. Please feel free to visit http://www.microsoft.com/x64

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: I didnt notice an answer but Ill repost. I had serious execution problems because of DEP when I installed Service Pack 2 for XP Pro. Is this an issue? Or an isolated problem for me?
A: This doesn't sound like a 64-bit question. If it is, please clarify/repost. Thanks.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: I have an AMD processor and when I installed SP2, that DEP thing really made work unproductive and I had to roll back to SP1. Has this been identified as an issue? Or is it just me?
A: There were some updates from MS for a few anomalies with certain drivers. You should try it again. Also, assume you are using an AMD Athlon64 or Opteron to really get the most benefit out of this (it has NX support).

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: I noticed that the HP DL585 (opteron) is a very popular product, are there more examples of popular servers based on AMD CPUs that you see as good representatives of AMDs intentions on servers?
A: We are very pleased with the popularity of Opteron processors with the Teir one OEMs and with end users. Over 55% of the F100 companies have deployed Opteron based servers and we have solid systems in 2P, 4P, blade and other formats from HP, SUN, IBM, Egenera, Supermicro, Cray and many others.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: What are the plans for AMD/MS to help developer to take advantage of the new dualcore/multicore architectures?
A: We're working with ISV's and corp developer to teach them to write multi-threaded apps. This is a tough thing, especially on the client. For many business apps, the scale-out, message based architecture supports mutli-core quite well.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: what is the actual state of industry regarding x64 driver updates? is the industry moving or is just there waiting for a final push to star migrating their drivers and platforms? :)
A: There is excellent movement - we have been in contact with our IHV partners and see very strong movement to port drivers.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: What latency ram have you found to be the best with the AMD 64 bit processors?
A: You should see www.amd.com for details, but I recall that CL 2.5 seems most tested.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Repost: DEP (Data execution Prevention) on AMD 64'bit chips, also known as (No execution) on Intel 64-bit chips. Enabled by Win SP2 has caused my serious prog. execution problems. Is this an issue or an isolated incident for me?
A: Thanks for the question - we have not heard pervasive problems with this feature.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: What size of 64 bit AMD processor do you think would be needed for a developer on Longhorn?
A: IMHO, any AMD64 processor with discrete graphics solution will be adequate for Longhorn development.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: will/does Datacenter Server support 128 cores?
A: Not yet. We only support 64-threads of execution, this means a maxium of 32 dual-core chips. We're looking at expanding this in the future, but we don't have anything specific to say yet.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Can we see any price drops with the current AMD 64 CPUs? :$
A: If you go to AMD.com - we just posted a press release about some price adjustments for our desktop processors :D

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Will we be seeing a new AMD mascot anytime soon? Maybe someone to compete against ATI's Ruby and NVIDIA's Nalu/Dawn?
A: AMD will be introducing new consumer ad campaigns to coincide with back-to-school and holiday purchase cycles. Of course, these campaigns will focus on our new products and the benefits they bring. I don't believe you will see any recurring characters in these campaigns, but they will leverage our 64-bit campaigns of recent years.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: What are the benefits of Dual Core to the general User?
A: Anytime your computer is doing more than one thing at once there is a benefit, encoding a media file while play audio or browsing the web

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Is there a way to open up the additional 8 memory pathways on the 64-bit chip with a 32-bit OS?
A: Umm, I don't understand the question. The dual-channel mem controllers are used by teh HW independent of the bitness of the OS.

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: I bought a computer at a yard sale with win XP pro installed on it and I cant logon on to windows, can some one help me out please?
A: Sorry, this is a chat about 64-bit computing. You can try the newsgroups at http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: You guys seem to flaunt the DCA, but then I'm locked into your ancient memory architecture. How come I never see you guys talk about the limitations of the DDR memory architecture?
A: Memory architecture transitions are a very interesting subject. Usualy the trajectory of a new memory architecure is "early excitement -> slow adoption and high prices -> drop in price of the old memory -> drop in price of the new memory -> mass market adoption of the new memory". We are seeing exactly this trajectory with DDR2. The most important feature of any memory for performance on most applications is latency, not bandwidth. Usualy (and with DDR1->DDR2 this is exactly the case) the new memory starts first with more bandwidth but no better or maybe worse latency. Since DCA provides plenty of bandwidth this allows us to take advantage of the latency advantages of "older" memory and move to a newer memory only when the latency and price make it a desirable transition. Bus based architecutres with their inherent bandwidth limitation force an unnaturaly fast transition.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Which major computer manufacturers can we expect to be early adopters of the amd dual core chips
A: When AMD introduced dual core technology - we had IBM, HP, Sun and about 12 system builders who joined us - announcing systems that would support AMD Opteron dual core technology. This included 2P, 4P servers and blades and 2P workstations. AMD.COM site has a complete list of launch partners - and I might add Microsoft was also a launch partner!

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: What is the TDP of the dual core Opteron? I heard it was 95W, but someone said that it was 68W.
A: AMD offers Opteron processors at a number of different TDP points appropriate for different applications. Our mainline processors are offered in the general range of 89-95W (90nm Opteron including dual core are 95W). Our high efficiency processors (HE) are at, I believe, 55W and our extreme efficiency Opterons (EE) are at 30W.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: can you allocate the seperate cores within oracle, or to different virtual servers (using msvs2k5)
A: In Windows it is possible to set the affinity of processes to cores, it usually depends on the appliction, such as Oracle, to set the affinity of threads to cores.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Why are OEM's not supporting the upgrade to XP Pro 64 bit? (i.e. installation voids any support with the PC manufacturer per the disclosure on MS's site)
A: Please see http://www.microsoft.com/x64 for more information about the Technology Advancement Program

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Can microsoft plug my website in this chat? It's a Microsoft Featured Community, that is dedicated to Windows x64. We have blogs, and support forums 8-| http://www.extended64.com/
A: OK.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is Msft going to certify applications that support x64?
A: We are working on a Windows Logo program for x64 applications

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: When will AMD support OS X?
A: That is a decision to be taken by the owners/developers of OS-X

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Sorry if this has been asked: what are the core diffs between the amd64 and the em64t? What makes the amd64 better? Is there the sense that Intel is going after the same target market?
A: I will stick to the tech differences. With AMD's support of SSE3 in our Rev E processors, there is little meaningful ISA differences between the two. The big differences are micro-architectural. We have integrated memory controller that supports 40-bit PA and PAE40 mode; Intel's first em64t apparently do not have either. Since the MS compiler emits code that runs on both and the OS code works on both, there is little difference except AMD's is faster and been out longer to be validated longer. I will defer to the the psychic hotline for comments on Intel's strategy.

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: As we know AMD CPU is better, but sometimes the bridge chips shipped on AMD mainboards are not stable and reliable so people will not be willing to use AMDs. Do you know about it and any solutions?
A: Thanks for recognizing our CPU leadership. In the recent past, we have worked very hard with our chipset partners to add support for HyperTransport and upgrade their reliability and quality. We are very proud of their progress and our recent design wins with corporate desktops and world-class gaming machines shows the new market breadth we can now service. If you have not experienced our systems recently, have another look -- we're winning awards and making headlines again. Also, don't forget how much our desktop CPUs and chipsets benefit from our Server CPU success and design methods.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Ok, I have to ask this. is AMD hireing any old CMP Techs with 8+ years experence anywhere in the world. unfortantly on 300 mm havn't gotten to play with the pizza wafers yet. ??
A: You should check out AMD.com HR site - we have a current list of open jobs. AMD is a great place to work!

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: we're running a marketing campaing for the pre-realese of the new Star Wars movie, who can we contact to get some marketing support from MS and AMD? We know SW EP3 was fully rendered on a beta version of Windows x64... :)
A: this is cool stuff. Lets take this offline.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is there currently any incentive for Manafacturers of hardware to get on the x64 bandwagon and create drivers?
A: Yes, our hardware partners have told us that they also share our excitement for the power 64-bit computing brings to the industry. That alone is a profound incentive, but at the same time they are also hearing from customers themselves that they want their devices supported on x64. Overall we see very good momentum

Grace_MS (Expert):
Q: Are there anymore Microsoft/AMD partnership conventions etc planned to push x64?
A: AMD will be participating in Msft's WinHEC Taipei (5/17-5/20), TechEd US (6/5-6/10) and TechED Europe (7/5-7/8), and PDC (9/12-9/16). 64-bit computing will be address @ these events.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: when will we start to see AMD support for EFI?? so we can start getting rid of the 20 year old technology still in the PC platform??
A: We are definitely in support of Unified EFI and are a founding member. We see that UEFI is going to be a big deal in servers. We demo'd prototype UEFI implementations for dual-core AMD64 at WinHEC. Did you see that session ;-)

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Would I have to buy additional xp license to upgrade to a Dual Core processor ?
A: No you do not need to buy and additional xp liceses as Microsoft software is licensed by processor (sockets) not cores.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is there any x64 logo program from MSFT?
A: Yes, we are working on both hardware and software logos.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: When will AMD support two PCI-X bridge segments coming off each opteron. Right now you show it in the block diagram, but don't support it.
A: Our Golem and Pogo (sorry I only know the code names) PCI-X bridges support dual independant PCI-X segments from each chip. And, they support a hypertransport tunnel allowing the board designed to daisy-chain multiple bridge chips to provide even more segments. In general we have found that since each Opteron has an HT port most board designs choose to put the PCI-X bridges on independant HT busses to give the best latency and bandwidth. The total number of PCI-X slots is usualy limited by the board and can be met without daisy-chaining. So, boards that actually do daisy chaining are rare. However, we have had a number of embedded customers use this feature and it is fully supported

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Would I have to buy additional xp license to upgrade to a Dual Core processor ?
A: No. AMD and MS worked out the licensing such that Modern MS OSes license by processor/socket and not by core.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Can the people at AMD say hi to Tracey Rains and Mark Welker on behalf of Extended64.com? :) They did a great job representing AMD at WinHEC 2005
A: Absolutely! Thanks for the kind words!

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: There have been a number of issues (check the 64bit NG!) with the Technology Advancement Program. Any hope of some improvements from the third party doing this?
A: Hey Charlie, we are evaluating feedback from our customers about this program. Please see http://www.microsoft.com/x64 for more information.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: If the driver module os being changed for Longhorn, ehy would developers want to create drivers for x64 knowing LH x64 is only a year away?
A: XP 32bit and 64bit drivers will be compatible with Longhorn. There is a new driver model but existing drivers are supported.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Can the people at AMD say hi to Tracey Rains and Mark Welker on behalf of Extended64.com? :) They did a great job representing AMD at WinHEC 2005
A: Thanks - I will make sure to tell Tacey and Mark hi - they did work hard to make WinHEC successful

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Which OEMs do you think offer the cheapest AMD 64bit Hi-Speed processor?
A: All of them ;-)

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: The suggestion to hussle OEM's to x64 drivers has not worked, common response is that x64 is small potatoes (< 5%) and that driver support will only be provided once critical mass is achieved, maybe in a few years. What is the deal?
A: We are pushing really hard on this. On the server, we're going to see very broad support by the time longhorn server ships in 07. On the, client it will take longer as the breadth of devices is so high. But we don't see this as a niche - it is the mainstream future. In general, most OEM's and IHVs are receptive, but again, it will take some time. Also, hardware suppport will clearly be targetted at new devices - not the installed base.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: What are recomended Dual/Quad socket motherboard vendors for AMD Opteron systems ?
A: See www.amd.com/multicore we should be posting the boards that we test and recommend

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: AMD, have you gotten Windows XP x64 running in SimNow?
A: Yes, quite often.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: I thought Intel worked out the licensing?
A: Can you clarify the question?

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: using 64 bit architecture....would you expect improved performance for 32 bit apps as well ?
A: Our goal for the OS was to ensure customers expereinced excellent 32-bit performance under x64 Windows. We've seen that on a machine with 512MB or more, 32-bit apps run slightly faster than under x86. The performance boost comes from the fact that the x64 architecture offers more virtual memory per 32-bit process and also additional registers that are not present under 32-bit native.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Do AMD plan to keep the current performance ranking isntead of branding with the Mhz amount? or is this designed so that people will buy for the performance instead of the sheer speed?
A: The performance ratings we have used in the client (Athlon) market segment has proven to be a very popular mechanism for helping users understand the true performance of processors. Mhz is a very poor measure of processor performance (like RPM in a car) as can be seen in the fact that AMD processors outperform competing processors at much higher MHz. We believe that our PR rating system is a valuable tool providing more useful information to the consumer than simply a MHz number or a model number unconnected to performance. In addition many other features are just as important as raw performance. These include power consumption, media processing capability, server scalability, etc. To help distinguish these characteristics we use our brand names of Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron, Turion, Geode, etc.

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Does AMD have plans to go up against Intel in terms of Ghz as well as simply processing power?
A: Our CPU architecture uses a fairly short pipeline that does not need the highest frequencies to achieve leadership performance. This has been a very good technical decision on our part and we don't plan to change it. A significant benefit of this design choice is our new Opteron Dual-core CPU. It uses two, 2.2 GHz cores and can fit into existing 940-pin sockets, and existing power infrastructure. Remember, frequency is not a good measure of performance anymore when you are comparing CPUs from different companies.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Looking out 5 years, what do you think your market share for processors will be. Maybe 25 to 30%?
A: Our plans are to grow our market share - hard to say exactly what it will be - but our intentions is to get to the 25%+ mark

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Does AMD have plans to go up against Intel in terms of Ghz as well as simply processing power?
A: No. Ghz is not an important measure of much of anything. It is much like RPM of an engine. What really matters is MPH, gas milage, loudness, etc. The race for GHz is in fact a bad thing since at very high GHz values processors waste power and produce excess heat. Better processors run at lower GHz and yet higher actual performance.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: using 64 bit architecture....would you expect improved performance for 32 bit apps as well ?
A: Depends on the app. If a 32-bit app is Virt Mem constrained, then moving to a 64-bit OS can imporve perf. This is because the OS has vacated the 32-bit VA address space and any 32-bit app that is large-address-aware can now use nearly 4GB of VA space. Also if there are multiple instances of the 32-bit App, the 64-bit OS can use more physical memory to statisfy each app with less Phys mem contention.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: How soon you considered x64 will be widely used in the world?
A: The answer is different for client and server. We're seeing quick uptake on the server and by 2007 when Longhorn ships, it will be completely mainstream. On the client, it will take a couple more years before OEM's default install 64-bit Windows on PC's that ship. But it will happen!

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Does Clyde own a stainless-steel fridge?
A: Uh, no.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: How soon you considered x64 will be widely used in the world?
A: What, aren't you using it now ;-)

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Does Clyde own a stainless-steel fridge?
A: I don't either \ :D

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: What fault tolerant technologies can be used with AMD64 ? Hot plug PCI and memory ? CPU mirroring like one from Stratus ?
A: This is more a capability of the OEM platform than of the AMD processor. AMD platforms already supoprt PCI Hot Plug.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: CAn an AMD Expert give a link for support on their AMD 64 Processors? I'm having tech support issues on a system.
A: Here is the URL http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/AboutAMD/0,,51_52_3592_712,00.html

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: the AMD processor I got at WinHEC was DOA, is there a way to get a new one? :P
A: We'll follow-up. Thx

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: When can we expect multi core processors from AMD?
A: Our multi-core Opteron processors are launched and being sold today. Our Athlon64 dual core processors will be available this quarter

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: How much performance improvement would Virtual-Server 2005 sp1 bring in 64bit mode on an AMD64 when running a 32-bit guest in it?
A: The performance benefit will come both from the faster processor and more significantly from increased memory supported on x64.

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Q: Thanks.. greatly appreciated
A: No problem. You're welcome.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Does intergrated memory controler support hot-plug memory ?
A: Our current memory controllers do not support hot plug memory.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Bob, how do you portait MS x64 migration for the next 2 fiscal years? :)
A: In terms of our server apps, we first are doing broad testing to make sure that the 32-bit apps run correctly onto 64-bit Windows. Most server apps (and business client as well) are supported this year. Some apps (most notably exchange) are going directly to x64 support - and this happens in 06. By 2007, our focus is to get complete support for native x64 across our server application product line. You'll see progress on the client as well, but it will take a little longer (+ it's less critical as 32-bit client apps like Office run great on 64-bit Windows).

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Here is a question that has always been plagued for an answer.....I talk to AMD gamers who say that their games are faster on AMD rather than INTEL..visa versa for Intel gamers..my question is that of speed comparison..can you compare them appls2appls?
A: If you stick to Frame-rate and scene complexity, yes there are absolute metrics for comparison. Problem is, how many folks play like the actual game benchmarks that the industry uses?

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Is the plans with WDF slowing down the update of 64 bit drivers as it would be better in the long run for hardware vendors to write wdf drivers to support XP, 2k3 and of course LH.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: To AMD. What do you think about the lack of drivers? Do you think this will be something bad for your marketing pourpose?
A: In the server and workstation world we see a fairly robust world of device drivers. On the client side there are more issues simply because a lot of people really hang on to their hardware devices for a long period of time. AMD continues to work with the community on device driver support

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: wow, thx a lot Bob! you rock! :)
A: hey now, was that ever a question?? :)

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Will I be able to drop a dual core Athlon 64 into my ASUS A8V Mobo once the dual cores are available? (939 pin, and VIA chipset)
A: Have to check the power infrastructure and released BIOSes. Questions to ask: does the board support 95W CPUs, Is a BIOS patch released for it. I don;t know the specific offhand.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
The current driver model will be supported in Longhorn so we are encouraging people to get their x64 drivers done now and they will continue to work in Longhorn.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Is Microsoft planning on releasing a Small Business Edition of Windows Server 2003 x64?
A: Yes, in fact we are currently looking at making the Longhorn version of SBS 64-bit only! (I said this last week at Winhec, and now I'm in trouble with my marketing team, but what the heck.) We've got push this transition forward as quickly as possible.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Is the plans with WDF slowing down the update of 64 bit drivers as it would be better in the long run for hardware vendors to write wdf drivers to support XP, 2k3 and of course LH.
A: The current driver model will be supported in Longhorn so we are encouraging people to get their x64 drivers done now and theyy will continue to work in Longhorn.

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Hey, we're going to wrap up soon. We'll answer only the remaining questions.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: Is the plans with WDF slowing down the update of 64 bit drivers as it would be better in the long run for hardware vendors to write wdf drivers to support XP, 2k3 and of course LH.
A: Not that we can tell. MS has stated support for legacy drivers in LH, and that does help a bit.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Any reason why the processor frequency has not been ramping quickly even though the die shrink has happened? Why just leap-frog Intel instead of pouncing?
A: There are many reasons why frequency increases are coming more slowly than previously. They include: 1. While transistors continue to shrink in size (Moore's law) they are no longer scaling in frequency as quickly as before due to physical limitations of materials. 2. Wire delay between transistors is becoming a more and more important limiter. Wires are not scaling in speed (physics again). 3. Power consumption limits frequency increases, expecially as we move to dual core. Overall we continue to increase processor performance through architectural improvements and move to multi-core but see increasing GHz as a less and less good way to improve performance or the user experience.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: is there any plan to optimize Office 12 apps to be x64 native? :)
A: We haven't announced anything on this yet. Stay tuned.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Good bye. Thanks for the great questions.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Hey thanks everyone for joining. Thanks for all your interest on x64.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: hot plug memory on AMD? Yes/No.
A: The industry is moving toward hot-plug memory in the mainstream server space. As OEMs figure out how to do it, you can expect that AMD will be supported. But, I can't comment on specifics right now.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Q: Why did AMD lock out the multiplier settings on their chips last year or so yet still leave the FX series open? Overclockers want to know! :) Any plans to unlock again?
A: The FX processor is targeted at the enthusiast and over-clocker. So, as one of the value propositions for that product we leave the clock multiplier open.

margaret_amd (Expert):
Q: Should we still expect a PowerNOW! release in 1H '05? I was expecting this to line up with Win 2003 SP1 and Win64 release at WinHec....
A: We have several OEMs that are getting the BIOS enabled for PowerNOW - you should be seeing those systems out during 1H 2005. The OS's are ready - but still working on BIOS

Barry_AMD (Expert):
Q: Does AMD have a plan to support "64-bit communities" on the internet? Microsoft has the Featured Community Program...
A: In the last year, AMD has established a close connection with the Opteron community with our newsletter. We've received suggestions like yours through this community. At this point, our focus will be on developers (at devforums.amd.com), and other focused topical communications. I'll take your suggestion back to the marketing team. Thanks.

ClydeR_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Will we see more flavours of XP x64? Like the current XP how there are other versions, like Home, Tablet, MCE, Pro etc.
A: We are still evaluating future variants.

Bill_MSFT (Expert):
Q: Followup on the SBS x64 Question for Bob, Will Exchange be in SBS 2003 x64?
A: Yes Exchange will be in the Longhorn version of SBS.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Q: Here is a question that has always been plagued for an answer.....I talk to AMD gamers who say that their games are faster on AMD rather than INTEL..visa versa for Intel gamers..my question is that of speed comparison..can you compare them appls2appls?
A: Eventually. By 2007, we'll have broad support for native x64 across all of our products. We'll obsolete the 32-bit versions over time. Some things will go quicker then others. It is easier to do this on things like SQl or exchange then distributed apps like SMS.

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Q: I want to build a new gaming pc...But I don't know which is better for gaming....Intel or AMD....who has the fastest graphics processor/mainboard....I'm looking for benchmarks through the roof.....can you recommend something that will be lightning fast ?
A: Ok, the tech answer. You need to do the research based on your budget for processor, memory, and graphics. There are lots of gaming sites that make recommendations. All I can say is make sure the system is balanced, don;t get cheap gfx with best cpu. From an AMD perspective , AthlonFX is your gaming CPU.

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Cory - yes we will support DDR2 in 2006.

Grace_MS (Expert):
Thanks for participating in today's webchat. Good bye!

Fred Weber - AMD (Expert):
Thanks everyone for the good questions. It was fun.

Bob_msft (Expert):
Gotta go. Thanks for all the great questions!

RichBrunner_AMD (Expert):
Thanks for the great questions.

Anne_MSFT (Moderator):
Thank you for joining us today to chat with Bob Muglia, Senior Vice President of the Windows Server Division of Microsoft and Fred Weber, Chief Technical Officer of AMD, to discuss the development and plans for enterprise-ready, high-availability systems for which the AMD Opteron processor based on AMD64 technology is optimized. We will post the transcript of the upper window for this chat in a few days at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/chats/trans/default.mspx.

Please join us on May 17 at 10a (Pacific) with Stuart Kwan is the Director of Program Management for Identity and Access technologies, including Active Directory, Active Directory Federation Services, and Microsoft Integration Identity Server. As the executive in charge of identity at Microsoft, get all your identity questions answered from Stuart and his team.
Thanks, all!