Archive for the 'Digital Home' Category

Windows Home Server install

Published
by
Tim
on March 6, 2007
in Digital Home and PC
. 0 Comments

Whs 03A couple of days ago I got an invite from Microsoft to join the Windows Home Server Beta program, so last night I setup a test server.A couple of days ago I got an invite from Microsoft to join the Windows Home Server Beta program, so last night I setup a test server.These are the main features of the new server:

  • Centralized Backup - Allows backup up to 10 PCs using Single Instance Store technology to avoid multiple copies of the same file, even if that file exists on multiple PCs.
  • Health Monitoring - Can centrally track the health of all PCs on the network, including antivirus and firewall status.
  • File Sharing - Offers network shares for commonly used files like MP3s and videos with network-attached storage.
  • Printer Sharing - Allows a centralized print server to handle print jobs for all users.
  • Previous Versions - Takes advantage of Volume Shadow Copy Services to take point in time snapshots that allow older versions of files to be recovered.
  • Headless Operation - No monitor or keyboard attached to the device itself, much like a firewall or router.
  • Remote administration - Provides a client UI to remotely perform administrative tasks. Also allows Remote Desktop connections to the server.
  • Remote Access Gateway - Allows access to any PC on the network from outside the home.
  • Media Streaming - Can stream media to an Xbox 360 or other devices supporting Windows Media Connect.
  • Data redundancy - Guards against a single drive failure by duplicating data across multiple drives.
  • Expandable Storage - Provides a unified single and easily expandable storage space, removing the need for drive letters.

I didn’t want to spend money on this as I’ve no idea if Im going to use it long term, but luckily Becca had a work PC that we can test things out on. Unfortunately its a small desktop with only 2 molex connectors on the PSU so I could do much for the time being. I replaced the internal HD and optical drive with a 250gb and 180gb drive I had spare and used an external DVD drive to install the OS. It took a loooonnnggg time to install on the test hardware, but it seems quite good now that its finished. It created a 400gb disk which will expand when I add more external drives, and will allow me to have redundancy with my important data.I will post more when I get to play with it some more and mix with our Macs, media center and xbox.