Windows Home Server
Category None
I've been playing with the Windows Home Server Release Candidate and I have to admit so far I like it. I decided to try the software out by installing it into a VMWare session, that isn't supported but I did manage to make it work quite happily.
There were a few things I had to do, with making it work with VMWare, making sure I made the drive 65GB, SCSI and use the key thing was to use the VMWare SCSI Disk Driver which is downloadable from http://www.vmware.com/download/ws/drivers_tools.html otherwise Windows wouldn't see it. The the install was basically answering a few questions, a couple of reboots and the server was setup. During one of the install reboots you see a screen for Windows Small Business Server 2003 so I'm guessing that is the core of the product.
Once you've installed the server, you can basically forget about needing to look at it's screen again, as all management is now carried out from a client application. The Release Candidate includes another CD which you install in your client machine (Windows only currently) which installs .net 2.0 if not already installed and then the Windows Home Server client. The client lets you configure machines for backup to the WHS, enable remote access to your home machines from the web, enable access to your files on your machines from the web etc. all useful services that I currently use logmein.com for.
Why I like it? well for a while now I have had my linksys NSLU2 (aka slug) which I have used as a server to backup to. But I never got around to hacking the linux kernel to enable it for media sharing etc. With my Playstation 3, it has the ability to stream music, photos and videos from media servers that support Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) which Windows Media Player 11 does, as does the Windows Home Server.
So with Windows Home Server, I have a device that can be setup to work with my Windows PCs so that they are automatically backed up, a device that can serve up my centrally stored/managed media, and a device that allows me when I am travelling to access any files, or remote desktop control of any PC I may have located at home. Although the device is title Windows Home Server, I personally believe this will be a great play with Very Small Businesses, 1-25 employees. Microsoft are currently running a development competition for the device and it's going to be interesting to see what addins and hardware comes out for this software.
If somebody comes out with this software running on a device with the form factor of the Linksys NSLU2 device this could be a winner.
I've been playing with the Windows Home Server Release Candidate and I have to admit so far I like it. I decided to try the software out by installing it into a VMWare session, that isn't supported but I did manage to make it work quite happily.
There were a few things I had to do, with making it work with VMWare, making sure I made the drive 65GB, SCSI and use the key thing was to use the VMWare SCSI Disk Driver which is downloadable from http://www.vmware.com/download/ws/drivers_tools.html otherwise Windows wouldn't see it. The the install was basically answering a few questions, a couple of reboots and the server was setup. During one of the install reboots you see a screen for Windows Small Business Server 2003 so I'm guessing that is the core of the product.
Once you've installed the server, you can basically forget about needing to look at it's screen again, as all management is now carried out from a client application. The Release Candidate includes another CD which you install in your client machine (Windows only currently) which installs .net 2.0 if not already installed and then the Windows Home Server client. The client lets you configure machines for backup to the WHS, enable remote access to your home machines from the web, enable access to your files on your machines from the web etc. all useful services that I currently use logmein.com for.
Why I like it? well for a while now I have had my linksys NSLU2 (aka slug) which I have used as a server to backup to. But I never got around to hacking the linux kernel to enable it for media sharing etc. With my Playstation 3, it has the ability to stream music, photos and videos from media servers that support Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) which Windows Media Player 11 does, as does the Windows Home Server.
So with Windows Home Server, I have a device that can be setup to work with my Windows PCs so that they are automatically backed up, a device that can serve up my centrally stored/managed media, and a device that allows me when I am travelling to access any files, or remote desktop control of any PC I may have located at home. Although the device is title Windows Home Server, I personally believe this will be a great play with Very Small Businesses, 1-25 employees. Microsoft are currently running a development competition for the device and it's going to be interesting to see what addins and hardware comes out for this software.
If somebody comes out with this software running on a device with the form factor of the Linksys NSLU2 device this could be a winner.
| Permalink | 
Comments
The combination of slug, unslung, and twonky is brilliant, it just sits in the corner of the room and works...
If you look on my blog there is details of the setup and some help documents I used
Posted by Neil Gower At 12:09:05 PM On 06/18/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Carl Tyler At 01:35:55 PM On 06/18/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Neil At 05:28:55 PM On 06/18/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Craig Wiseman At 10:50:27 AM On 07/06/2007 | - Website - |