WSUS SP2 Beta - available for public consumption on Connect

WSUS SP2 Beta is now available for evaluation on Connect.

Here's an overview taken from the WSUS Product Team Blog:

WSUS 3.0 SP2 Beta Overview

New Windows Server and Client Version Support
·       Integration with Windows Server® 2008 R2

·       Support for Windows 7® client

·       Support for the BranchCache feature on Windows Server® 2008 R2

WSUS Beta Feature Improvements and Fixes
Auto-Approval Rules
·       New functionality lets you specify the approval deadline date and time.

·       You can now apply a rule to all computers or to specific computer groups.

Update Files and Languages
·       This release provides improved handling of language selection on downstream servers. A new warning dialog appears when you download updates only for specified languages.

Cross-Version Compatibility
·       The user interface is compatible between Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 for WSUS 3.0 on both the client and the server.

Software Updates
·       Stability and reliability fixes for the WSUS server, such as support for IPV6 addresses greater than 40 characters.

·       The approval dialog now sorts computer groups alphabetically by group name.

·       Computer status report sorting icons are now functional in x64 environments.

·       Fixed setup issues with database servers running Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008.