TFS & Visual Studio ALM – by Neno Loje

Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Visual Studio 2005 clients and Team Foundation Server is scheduled to release somewhere around beginning 2007 depending on the feedback of the public beta, which is available to download (see links at the bottom of this post).

What’s on the agenda for SP1?

Here’s a short compilation on fixes, improvements and new features I read about for SP1:

Highlights

• Work Item Tracking – Custom Controls
• Merge History in Version Control API
• VPN-less remote connections to the TFS though an ISAPI filter
• Possibility for a separate Data Warehouse SQL Server
• MS Excel and MS Project 2007 Integration
• Support for Web Application Projects

Note: A more comprehensive list with explanations by Brian Harry can be found here and the one by Rob Caron is located here.

Bugfixes

A list of bug fixes of SP1 can be found here.

The KB Hotfixes included in SP1 are listed at the bottom of this post.

Visual C++ developers find the list from the C++ team right here.

Team Build

As Buck Hodges (MS) says: “For Team Build users, I’ll spare you the suspense and tell you that there are no meaningful changes in Team Build itself in SP1.  There are changes in other parts of the system, though, that will be of some benefit.“

Managed Code Analysis

A list of Managed Code Analysis fixes that made it into Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 Beta (or will make into the RTM) can be found here.

What about compatibility to non-SP1 client/servers?

Marcel de Vries writes “you also might want to know is that the TFS SP1  is 100% compatible with non SP1 Visual Studio installations. So there is no issue in SP1 clients connecting to non SP1 servers and visa versa.”. [read]

What about upgrading to SP1 RTM later?

Again, Marcel de Vries writes “you can install the beta of the service pack without worrying about the fact if you can install the RTM version later. The RTM can be installed after uninstalling the beta.” [read]

Download Links

• Download: Visual Studio SP1 Beta
• Download: TFS SP1 Beta
• Link: SP1 Beta – Readme
• Link: SP1 Beta – Known Issues
• Feedback: Report your opinion on SP1

Do you know more? Feel free to leave me a comment.