 | ISSUE DATE JUNE 2011
This quarterly newsletter brings you product support news, guidance, updates, and community resources related to Microsoft Support Lifecycle. To subscribe to this newsletter and receive it directly in your inbox, click here. If you have any questions about the information in this newsletter, please contact your Microsoft Sales Account Manager, Technical Account Manager, or Microsoft Partner. | | | NOTES FROM THE EDITOR | 
| |  Hello,
My name is Kathy Fedor, and I am very pleased to have been appointed as the new leader of the Microsoft Support Lifecycle team. After several years of leadership, former editor Jared Proudfoot decided to accept a new challenge.
I have been with Microsoft for 18 years. Having worked in many different groups across the company—including Customer Service and Support, Microsoft Learning, Finance, and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Operations—I have a broad view of Microsoft and look forward to adding to this experience. In this role, my goal is to continue to build on the value that we deliver to our customers through our Support Lifecycle policies and programs and to enable them to maximize their investments in our products and support.
This is an exciting quarter for us. In April, we launched the Ask Support Lifecycle Virtual Chat Agent, which will provide customers with quick answers to frequently asked questions. The tool is currently available on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website, so please review additional details provided in our Spotlight section. In this newsletter, we also cover the Microsoft .NET Framework Policy Updates and review the available support options.
Additionally, please keep in mind that in July both Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Office XP will reach the end of support. If you are still running either of these products, now is the time to upgrade to a newer version to ensure that you continue to receive support from Microsoft.
Finally, I want to thank you for participating in our customer satisfaction survey! Your feedback will be invaluable in helping us improve our program and policies.
Thanks again for subscribing to the newsletter! We hope that you will continue to encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the newsletter and visit our blog on TechNet.
Thank you,
Kathy Fedor
Senior Director, Microsoft Support Lifecycle, Microsoft Services | | | SPOTLIGHT |
| | vChat for Microsoft Support Lifecycle is Live!
The Microsoft Support Lifecycle team is excited to announce the launch of the Ask Support Lifecycle virtual chat (vChat) agent for our customers and partners.
Launched in April 2011, vChat makes it possible for customers visiting the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website to find the information they are looking for quickly and easily. With vChat, site visitors can get immediate answers to common customer questions about the Microsoft Support Lifecycle. The tool also directs customers that require additional information to other solutions and resources, such as Windows Online, Knowledge Base articles, etc.
By providing direct answers and guiding users to specific sections of the web site most relevant to them, vChat reduces the need for our customers to search through our web site to locate applicable information. vChat is currently available in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
We are very pleased to make vChat available for our customers and believe it will enhance their experience with the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website. | | | POLICY UPDATES |
| | .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 becomes a Component
We frequently receive questions about support for Microsoft .NET Framework versions across various Windows OS platforms. The information below provides further clarification on support scenarios for the Microsoft .NET Framework.
Overview
The Microsoft .NET Framework was originally released in 2002 as a Major Product. Microsoft .NET Framework versions 1.x and Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 follow the Support Lifecycle policy for Major Products.
With the release of Microsoft .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1), this Support Lifecycle policy was modified. Starting with the release of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, this release and later releases are now considered Components of the Windows operating system. For complete information on this change, please visit the public announcement page.
As per the Support Lifecycle policy for Components, support for .NET Framework versions 3.0, 3.0 SP1, 3.0 SP2, and 3.5 ends on July 12, 2011. Customers are advised to move to Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 or later versions prior to this end-of-support date. Microsoft had originally established April 12, 2011, as the end-of-support date, but extended it to July to avoid leaving Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 RTM without available .NET security updates.
Please note: Installation of the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 on Windows 7 is blocked by design because Windows 7 ships with .NET Framework 3.5.1. The Component can be added as a Windows feature available via Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
Read More
| | | OFFERINGS UPDATE |
| | Retirement of Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Savings Time Offering
Prior to January 1, 2010, customers running products in the Extended Support phase of the support lifecycle were only eligible to receive Daylight Savings Time (DST) and Time Zone (TZ) updates by enrolling in Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Savings Time (EHS for DST).
Microsoft revised that policy effective January 1, 2010, by making cumulative DST/TZ updates and out-of-cycle DST/TZ hotfixes, available at no-charge via Microsoft Update, Windows Update, and/or the Microsoft Download Center.
When Extended Support retired, customers enrolled in Custom Support for the associated product could request these updates and pay the associated per hotfix fees.
Extended Support for the last product affected by this policy, Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, ended on January 11, 2011. Therefore, Extended Hotfix Support for Daylight Savings time was retired on May 1, 2011.
| | | Thank You for Your Participation in Our Survey!
In the February 2010 edition of our newsletter, we announced that, as part of our efforts to continually refine our policies and programs based on the needs of our customers, the Support Lifecycle team was conducting a qualitative and quantitative survey. This survey focused on assessing customer satisfaction levels with major aspects of the Support Lifecycle policies and offerings.
We have received more than 8,000 completed surveys from over 50 different countries. We are excited with the success of this undertaking and want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU! Your feedback will help us evolve our policies and offerings to keep them competitive and to serve you better.
Please stay tuned for future editions of our Support Lifecycle newsletter, where we will surface and share some of the highlights from the research. | | | | | |
