It's the second release of this handy tool, and it comes with a number of major improvements for enterprises managing numerous Microsoft virtual machines.

According to Microsoft, this new revision is a complete revamp of the first version of the Offline Virtual Machine Servicing Tool. And it adds important new support for Hyper-V, Virtual Machine Manager 2008, and Windows Server® 2008. In addition, version 2 of the tool supports System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2, and Windows Server® Update Services 3.0 SP1.

It's all too easy to create new virtual machines. And many can end up dormant for days, weeks, months, and when they're spun back to life, for whatever reason, they're likely to be cluttered with un-patched software and operating system vulnerabilities. Oh yeah, they probably won't have anti-virus or anti-spyware updates, either, when they're awoken from their digital coma. In short, they're likely not compliant, and a big risk.

That's where the Offline Virtual Machine Services Tool can help, by applying updates to dormant images. It's available here for download.