When SQL Server 2005 was released, I was caught unprepared by all of the new features in the release.  I didn't have the time or hardware resources to test the new version before it was released and didn't want to fall behind other colleagues taking advantage of the new functionality 2005 provided.  Many DBAs have shared with me a similar story and I found this to be a common problem for the busy DBA.  With this in mind, PASS and MaximumASP wanted to create an environment where SQL Server professionals could preview the new features of SQL 2008 without having to take the time and resources to set up a test environment of their own. 
 
However, creating a test environment that could support thousands of users and databases was not a simple task.  Fortunately, Dell and Intel were able to assist in creating an infrastructure that could easily handle the needs of SQL Server Beta.  To avoid users having to install pre-release client tools on their local machines, we set up a Microsoft Hyper-V environment on a Dell 2950 with dual quad core Intel processors and 64 GB of RAM.  This server hosts several terminal server machines that provide access to the latest release of SQL Server Studio Manager and Business Intelligence Development Studio.  Even with this server supporting all client access, we soon found it was performing better than we expected and wanted to expand our offerings by adding 2 more virtual machines instances to host our SQL Server 2008 Reporting Servers.  A duplicate Hyper-V Server provides redundancy. 
 
When sizing the SQL Servers, we made a few assumptions on how users of the Beta would behave.  We expected to see periods of moderate resource activity while new users tested the new features of SQL 2008, followed by periods with little activity as users became more familiar with the release.  We wanted to have enough resources that multiple users could experiment with the server simultaneously.  We settled on Dell 2950s with Dual Quad Core Intel Processors with 32 GB of RAM  and an AIX150 storage solution.  With this hardware, we have been able to allow users of the Beta to intensely test the new features of SQL 2008.
 
The Beta has proven to be very popular since we publicly launched in November 2007. To date we have 2,500+ sign-ups and we plan to continue offering  free hosted Beta accounts of SQL Server 2008 until the final release.