Windows XP SP3 completes Microsoft's NAC architecture
Microsoft says it will release Windows XP Service Pack 3 by the end of the month, dropping the final shoe needed to complete its NAC architecture, which it calls network access protection (NAP).
The NAP client software is already part of Windows Vista, which is not as widely distributed as XP, so releasing the new service pack will boost the number of NAP-ready endpoints in corporate networks.