Microsoft Corp has released details of a new Microsoft Systems Architecture (MSA) program designed to increase the take-up of its Windows 2000 Server operating system in data center environments.

The Microsoft Systems Architecture for Internet Data Center is the first in a planned series of architecture guides for enterprise-level Windows deployment to emerge from the MSA program.

Announced with the support of a host of storage and server companies, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft's new MSA includes prescriptive architecture guides based on preconfigured, built and tested systems architectures together with documentation, a services model for supporting customer implementations, and a support model for superior support from associated vendors.

The Internet Data Center guide is available free of charge to Microsoft customers and includes information from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young SA, Cisco Systems Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co, Microsoft Consulting Services and Nortel Networks Ltd. It can be downloaded from Microsoft's TechNet web site.

The first partner-led architecture guides are also now available from Unisys Corp, EMC Corp, Nortel, Emulex Corp, Dell Computer Corp, Avanade Inc and Brocade Communications Systems Inc, while additional partners developing architecture guidance include Hitachi Data Systems Corp, IBM Corp and IBM Global Services, Siemens Business Services GmbH & Co, Fujitsu Siemens Computers BV, Accenture Ltd, NEC Corp and NetIQ Corp.

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