In a quite surprising move, Microsoft announced today the public beta of Hyper-V, its hypervisor-based server virtualization technology. Surprising, because Microsoft previously scheduled the beta for the first quarter of 2008.

Actually is the second time in last then a week, when Microsoft delivers a product ahead its schedule. Earlier this week Microsoft launched the Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Office 2007. But let’s go back to Hyper-V. The beta for the x64 Enterprise Edition in English is available for download here.

Hyper-V will be a feature of Windows Server 2008 and Microsoft said the final version remains on target for release within 180 days of the RTM of Windows Server 2008.

Hyper-V is designed to provide a broad range of customers with familiar and cost-effective virtualization infrastructure software that can help reduce operating costs, increase hardware utilization, optimize infrastructure and improve server availability, Microsoft claims.

"Delivering the high-quality Hyper-V beta earlier than expected allows our customers and partners to begin evaluating this feature of Windows Server 2008 and provide us with valuable feedback as we march toward final release," said Bill Laing, general manager of the Windows Server Division at Microsoft.

The new beta includes expanded features and capabilities not previously available in the September 2007 Community Technology Preview of Hyper-V, such as Quick Migration, high availability, Server Core role and Server Manager integration.

Hyper-V will compete directly with the virtualization applications delivered by VMWare. In fact, shares in VMware, the world's fourth-largest publicly traded software maker, fell as much as 7 percent and Microsoft shares rose as much as 2.8 percent after Microsoft's announcement.

The virtualization software concept refers to software allowing companies to run more than one operating system on their individual computers. That will mean boosting the companies’ productivity, but without increasing the overhead costs.

For Microsoft the release of the Hyper-V beta marks another significant milestone for Windows Server 2008 as it approaches final release by the "Heroes Happen Here" launch in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2008. The launch, featuring Windows Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, will mark the largest enterprise launch for the Redmond, Wash.-based company and is just one of many events planned for a worldwide rollout.