From MS:
One more quick reminder about two significant beta programs we"ve got coming up. Both are shaping up to be very cool - we are doing a lot of things we"ve never done before. For instance, we"ve got a "testing cookbook" written by the leads in the development team that highlights what"s changing and how to test it! This is something that won"t be available after the beta!
SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3)
It"s almost time for the newest Service Pack for SQL Server 2000, and you don"t want to be caught unprepared for this one. In addition to the normal QFE fixes, the top service pack requests from our PSS organization and the latest security fixes, this service pack will be shipping with MDAC version 2.7 SP1. You"re going to want to be involved in this service pack beta! This beta is scheduled to start October 1st but we"re inviting beta customers to review the testing cookbook and Fix List right now!
SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) Beta 2 codename "Liberty"
We successfully released SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) Beta 1 last February, and now we"re almost ready to test the latest improvements. Liberty Beta 2 will incorporate all the updates of SQL Server"s Service Pack 3. Furthermore, Liberty Beta 2 will be optimized for the newest addition to Intel"s Itanium® Processor Family, the Itanium® 2 processor. If you"ve been considering the move the 64-bit platform, SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) is the platform you need to begin building and testing your mission critical applications on. This beta is scheduled to start in October. Note: Liberty requires 64-bit hardware with an Intel"s Itanium® or Itanium® 2 processor and will not run on standard 32-bit machines.