Windows Home Server

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Windows Home Server
(Part of the Microsoft Windows family)
Screenshot
Screenshot of Windows Home Server
Developer
Microsoft
Web site: www.stopdigitalamnesia.com
Release information
Preview version:	Beta 2 (2007-02-12) info

Windows Home Server is an upcoming home server operating system from Microsoft. Announced on January 7, 2007 at the Consumer Electronics Show by Bill Gates, Windows Home Server is intended to be a solution for homes with multiple connected PCs to offer file sharing, automated backups, and remote access. It is based on Windows Server 2003 SP2.

Windows Home Server is currently in beta testing, with the final release planned for later in 2007.

Contents 1 Features 2 Interface 3 Technology 4 Remote Access 5 Compatibility 6 Pricing and Availability 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Features

• Centralized Backup - Allows backup up to 12PCs 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.

[edit] Interface

While the underlying operating system is built on Windows Server 2003 SP2, the configuration interface is designed to be user friendly enough that it can be set up without prior knowledge of server administration. The configuration interface (called the Home Server Console) can be accessed from any Windows PC on the home network and is delivered as an RDP application. The server itself requires no video card or peripherals; it is designed to require only an Ethernet card and at least one other Windows XP or Windows Vista PC.

[edit] Technology

Windows Home Server is built on the same codebase as Windows Server 2003 SP2. It includes almost all technologies found in Windows Server 2003 SP2 but has been limited in some areas to remove unneeded complexity. It also includes some new capabilities not found in Windows Server 2003 SP2:

Windows Home Server Drive Extender is a file-based replication system that provides three key capabilities:

• Multi-disk redundancy so that if any given disk fails, data is not lost
• Arbitrary storage expansion by supporting any type of hard disk drive (Serial ATA, USB, FireWire etc.) in any mixture and capacity
• A single folder namespace (no drive letters)

Users (specifically those who configure a family's home server) deal with storage at two levels: Shared Folders and Disks. The only concepts relevant regarding disks is whether they have been "added" to the home server's storage pool or not and whether the disk appears healthy to the system or not. This is in contrast with Windows' Logical Disk Manager which requires a greater degree of technical understanding in order to correctly configure a RAID array.

Shared Folders have a name, a description, permissions, and a flag indicating whether duplication (redundancy) is on or off for that folder.

If duplication is on for a Shared Folder (which is the default on multi-disk Home Server systems and not applicable to single disk sysems) then the files in that Shared Folder are duplicated and the effective storage capacity is halved. However, in situations where a user may not want data duplicated (e.g. TV shows that have been archived to a Windows Home Server from a system running Windows Media Center), Drive Extender provides the capability to not duplicate such files if the server is short on capacity or manually mark a complete content store as not for duplication.

Windows Home Server Computer Backup automatically backs up all of the computers in a home to the server using an image-based system that ensures point-in-time-based restoration of either entire PCs or specific files and folders. This technology uses Single Instance Storage technology that works at the cluster level to minimize the amount of data that travels over the network and is stored on the home server.

[edit] Remote Access

The system also offers an SSL secured web browser based interface over the Internet. The release version promises access to the web interface via a free Windows Live-provided URL. The web interface also allows the uploading and downloading of files from the content stores and remote control of supported PCs on the home network.

The system also acts as an RDP gateway, allowing remote control over the internet of supported internal machines on the home network. Currently supported systems are those which would normally support Remote Desktop, Windows XP Professional, Tablet and Media Center editions and Windows Vista Business and Ultimate editions. The web interface also supports directly connecting to the server itself, providing the same RDP application as the client software install provides.

[edit] Compatibility

Windows Home Server features integration with Windows XP and Windows Vista through a software installation. It can also be used with Time Machine, an upcoming feature in Mac OS X Leopard. "We're a great back-end store for Time Machine," Microsoft product manager Todd Headrick told Paul Thurrott. Files stored on Windows Home Server can also be available through a Windows share, opening compatibility to a wide variety of operating systems.

[edit] Pricing and Availability

HP will release a Home Server (currently called the "HP MediaSmart Server") in Q2 of 2007. It features a 64-bit AMD processor under the AMD Live! brand, and can be expanded to include as much as 6 terabytes of storage space. It also includes four internal HDD bays and four USB 2.0 ports.

In a Channel 9 video interview, Windows Home Server General Manager Charlie Kindel said that early Home Servers will cost about the same as a low-end PC, or around $500.

[edit] References

• Stop Digital Amnesia (Microsoft viral marketing site). Microsoft (2007-01-07). Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
• Microsoft press release announcing Windows Home Server. Microsoft (2007-01-07). Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
• Bill Gates keynote at the International Electronics Show 2007. Microsoft (2007-01-07). Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
• Paul Thurrott (2006-01-07). Windows Home Server Preview. Windows SuperSite. Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
• Vince Veneziani (2006-01-08). Windows Home Server: Up Close and Personal. CrunchGear. Retrieved on January 10, 2007.
• HP MediaSmart Server. HP. Retrieved on January 10, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Official support forum for Windows Home Server
• Demonstration of Windows Home Server at Microsoft's on10.net
• Overview of Windows Home Server at Microsoft's Channel9.com.
• Product information page for the first Windows Home Server from HP
• Windows Home Server website
• Windows Home Server product team blog
• Blog of the General Manager for Windows Home Server