Alongside the announcement of a Windows 8 Release to Manufacturing (RTM) in August, Microsoft also revealed this week that the company will finalize its Windows Server 2012 at the same time. Although Windows 8 won't be publicly available until late October, Windows Server 2012 customers will be able to obtain the software "through multiple channels in September."

The server counterpart to Windows 8, available in four editions, will include a redesigned Server Manager and features the new Metro user interface as a Start Menu replacement. Windows Server 2012 also includes Microsoft's new Resilient File System (ReFS) to provide resiliency to corruption across shared pools and large volumes. ReFS is only available in Windows Server 2012, but Microsoft has said previously that it plans to make it available to Windows 8 client editions at a later date.