Microsoft this week offered a release candidate  of its Windows Server AppFabric technology for caching of Web applications. A general release is planned for next month.

Microsoft Thursday detailed two key pieces of its strategy for helping developers build applications for the Web and private cloud networks, with a heavy focus on using existing components to build composite applications and services.

Microsoft will ship on Monday BizTalk Server 2009, an upgrade to its system integration software featuring virtualization and backing for recent software packages like Windows Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.

Microsoft will offer on Monday the first public beta release of its BizTalk Server 2009 enterprise connectivity software, which can take advantage of virtualization and enhanced failover clustering featured in Windows Server 2008.

Microsoft Friday renamed the next major release of BizTalk server and committed to releasing major updates to the business process management server line every two years or less.