Windows Home Server Operating System

Inferno · 08/10/2007, 01:44 AM

TechReviewSource.com - Your One-Stop Source for Technology Reviews - Windows Home Server

Quote:

Windows Home Server is just one of the many operating system products that Microsoft has been working on for the past few years and now they have released a public beta to try out before it makes its retail release this fall. It is meant to be installed on an old PC and is designed to run "headless" (without a mouse, keyboard, or monitor). It is basically a home server that automatically backs up your home networks' computers and allows you to store your digital media and files on the server to access them from a centralized location on your network.

Windows Home Server (WHS) is actually built off of Windows Server 2003's codebase, so you know that it's a really solid operating system and has lots of administrative features for networks. What Microsoft has done is made it so you don't have to ever touch the server computer after you install the OS because you administer the server from the Windows Home Server Client Console from a client PC connected to the network. From there you do everything from create user accounts, manage the servers's storage, and use WHS add-ins. The console's interface is really sleek and easy to use.

For those of us that likes to blow through reading, this is not the successor to Windows NT/2000/Server 2003. Consider it a stripped down Windows Server 2003 with Vista visual style, used solely to backing up your machines on the network. Hopefully they can keep the price close to $100, this could be very useful installed on an older machine that you don't use anymore.

Stan · 08/10/2007, 08:22 AM

I guess that's cool... but I bet they try to charge like $250 for it.

tracer bullet · 08/10/2007, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inferno

For those of us that likes to blow through reading,

You're right, it is an interesting alternative for an old PC. I set one up just a month or two ago with XP, it's done what I need, but this would have (probably) been easier to manage remotely.

Vicious · 08/10/2007, 09:15 PM

So what's so great about this thing? I already have my old computer running windows xp and I can backup all my stuff through my wireless.

Inferno · 08/10/2007, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicious

So what's so great about this thing? I already have my old computer running windows xp and I can backup all my stuff through my wireless.

Simplicity.

Bitter · 08/11/2007, 12:26 AM

i'd be interested in "buying" it

linux is sort of a pain in the ass, since i cant write to my ntfs drive and windows doesnt like to write to linux partitions.

Anus! · 08/30/2007, 01:25 PM

FAQ and Known Issues - Windows Home Server

question I have is how do you know if your mother board is APCI compliant? I have an oldER Dell desktop that I'd like ot use for this. I just have to replaced the hard drives but I'm not sure if the mother board has the windows 2003 server drivers or not.

scoliosis · 08/30/2007, 02:06 PM

Weren't they saying this is only available as an OEM product? HP has a product out there that is suppose to run this like a NAS thingamy I think.

Anus! · 08/30/2007, 02:35 PM

I'm not sure. I'm liking that little HP server they have in the one video. that would be great if it's somewhat cheap.

Bitter · 08/30/2007, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anus!

FAQ and Known Issues - Windows Home Server

question I have is how do you know if your mother board is APCI compliant? I have an oldER Dell desktop that I'd like ot use for this. I just have to replaced the hard drives but I'm not sure if the mother board has the windows 2003 server drivers or not.

iirc if its within the last 4-5 years and has the energystar, a soft power button, and supports things like suspend, sleep, or spinning the drives down, then its compliant. the only boards i've seen that werent were some OLD socket 7s,8's, 486's, etc. they all were AT boards, my old P2 board from a gateway was APCI,

Tearstone · 08/30/2007, 10:39 PM

Try Ubuntu.

Bitter · 08/30/2007, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tearstone

Try Ubuntu.

what i want is to be able to remotely power my system on and off and logon remotely. tell me how to do that on 6.01 and i'll walk to florida and juggle your nuts.

Anus! · 08/31/2007, 08:43 AM

the home server will work great for me. see this is my main plan for network achitecture and backup.

I will have one or two desktops at home along with the server. the server will probably have the system drive and two 750Gb WD drives. the desktops will have a single 74Gb raptor or maybe a 150Gb raptor drive for gaming purposes.

then I have my laptop which will travel with me where ever I go.

then I will have my 320Gb external drive strictly for backing up my photos and music. I still have 200Gb left on that drive so it's way more than enough. that drive will stay at work.

now, I take photos, upload them to the server on the shared folder which can be accessed by any computer on the network. the server backs up every computer each night or once a week (I don't make many changes so once a week would be fine) with the dual 750's it's backed up so if one drive fails I still have all the data. then for photos and/or music I can access the server remotely from work and copy the new files to the external drive at work so that if something happened at home (break in, flood, fire) the important files are still safe on the external drive at work.

Phinhead54 · 08/31/2007, 08:59 AM

Throw a DVD backup in there every once in a while and you'll be set!

LuxoDave · 08/31/2007, 01:46 PM

This is cool.

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Another really awesome feature is the remote access ability that comes built-in to WHS. From any browser from anywhere, you can remotely connect to your server and access your files shares and even remotely connect to your individual network PCs as long as your PC's operating system supports it. Microsoft even provides you with a subdomain of your choice at https://xxxxx.homeserver.com to remotely connect to your server using your user name and password. (Microsoft requires you to have a Windows Live ID, which are free, to sign up for the free domain.)

scoliosis · 08/31/2007, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bitter

what i want is to be able to remotely power my system on and off and logon remotely. tell me how to do that on 6.01 and i'll walk to florida and juggle your nuts.

Have a system that has Wake On Lan capabilities and you can run whatever OS you want. You power on the system by sending it a magic packet (non internet routeable so you'll need a bounce box or a router that lets you login and send magic packet. Power it off using the OS. Unless there's anything physical, I don't think the OS can make the machine come on by it's own.

Tearstone · 08/31/2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bitter

what i want is to be able to remotely power my system on and off and logon remotely. tell me how to do that on 6.01 and i'll walk to florida and juggle your nuts.

Read scoliosis's post. What kind of remote login are you looking to do? You should be able to ssh into your box.

08/11/2007, 12:26 AM	#6 (permalink)
Bitter Zoom FTW Join Date: May 2004 Location: Homewood, Il Vehicle: 2007 Camaro Posts: 27,708	i'd be interested in "buying" it linux is sort of a pain in the ass, since i cant write to my ntfs drive and windows doesnt like to write to linux partitions. __________________ bosorio187: dude bosorio187: the streets are my race track bosorio187: i am tardo 1993 Geo Prizm 7A-FE/A245E with 130K miles. K&N drop in, deleted intake snorkel, +15 degrees base timing, Ebay Header, no rear muffler=zoom zoom peppy :) - still need to do the tbelt +10k miles overdue.

08/30/2007, 02:06 PM	#8 (permalink)
scoliosis &quot;I dunno&quot; guy Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Seattle Vehicle: Audi A4 2.0t Quattro Posts: 1,016	Weren't they saying this is only available as an OEM product? HP has a product out there that is suppose to run this like a NAS thingamy I think. __________________ My Blog

08/30/2007, 10:39 PM	#11 (permalink)
Tearstone tearstone.com Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Vehicle: 02 EclipseGT 91 MR2 Turbo Posts: 13,545	Try Ubuntu. __________________ Russ Sanderlin rsanderlin@tearstone.com 2006+ Eclipse Performance and Tuning Forums - Mitsubishi Owners Association Mitsubishi Owners Association of the Mid Atlantic - Mitsubishi Owners Association of Florida I have disabled my PMs, please email me at rsanderlin@tearstone.com

08/10/2007, 08:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
Stan It's TEE not TE, wtf Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Syracuse, NY Vehicle: 08 Mitsu Lancer Posts: 3,667	I guess that's cool... but I bet they try to charge like $250 for it.

08/10/2007, 09:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
Vicious Sometimes Happy Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: MI Vehicle: GTS 03 Posts: 1,439	So what's so great about this thing? I already have my old computer running windows xp and I can backup all my stuff through my wireless.

08/30/2007, 01:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
Anus! I Wangs Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 1-888-9-ASSHOLE Vehicle: duh Posts: 32,676	FAQ and Known Issues - Windows Home Server question I have is how do you know if your mother board is APCI compliant? I have an oldER Dell desktop that I'd like ot use for this. I just have to replaced the hard drives but I'm not sure if the mother board has the windows 2003 server drivers or not.

08/30/2007, 02:35 PM	#9 (permalink)
Anus! I Wangs Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 1-888-9-ASSHOLE Vehicle: duh Posts: 32,676	I'm not sure. I'm liking that little HP server they have in the one video. that would be great if it's somewhat cheap.

08/31/2007, 08:43 AM	#13 (permalink)
Anus! I Wangs Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: 1-888-9-ASSHOLE Vehicle: duh Posts: 32,676	the home server will work great for me. see this is my main plan for network achitecture and backup. I will have one or two desktops at home along with the server. the server will probably have the system drive and two 750Gb WD drives. the desktops will have a single 74Gb raptor or maybe a 150Gb raptor drive for gaming purposes. then I have my laptop which will travel with me where ever I go. then I will have my 320Gb external drive strictly for backing up my photos and music. I still have 200Gb left on that drive so it's way more than enough. that drive will stay at work. now, I take photos, upload them to the server on the shared folder which can be accessed by any computer on the network. the server backs up every computer each night or once a week (I don't make many changes so once a week would be fine) with the dual 750's it's backed up so if one drive fails I still have all the data. then for photos and/or music I can access the server remotely from work and copy the new files to the external drive at work so that if something happened at home (break in, flood, fire) the important files are still safe on the external drive at work.