The Differences between TFS Trial and RTM

I received a comment on my blog asking about the differences between TFS Trial and RTM. Here are some highlights:

 

  • Bits are 99.99% identical
  • Trial has the same process guidance version of MSF (4.0), however, there are some known issues that exist with broken links in the Trial version of TFS (KB articles to be posted along with a patch to fix the issue)
  • Trial version expires after 180 days
  • You can upgrade the Trail to Retail though the setup UI
  • Only those covered under the MSDN Universal/Premium solutions have access to the Trial version and Workgroup Edition

If you wish to purchase TFS you can do that with Microsoft directly with a Volume Licensing Agreement (https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/default.mspx) or directly from a reseller.

Additional information about RTM and purchasing FPP or VLA editions can be found on Eric Lee's blog "Why can't I buy Team Foundation Server right now?"