I didn't realize when I got a Windows Home Server that I would not be able to take advantage of several of its features, only because I run Windows Vista Home Premium edition on my laptop:
- I can't remote in to my laptop via WHS (when it's plugged in at home that is), and
- I can't automatically synchronize files and folders between my laptop and WHS (using "offline" files).
I learned that these features are available in Vista Ultimate edition - and even in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 - but not Vista Home Premium, which I suspect is what most users of WHS would be running.
This is a huge oversight on Microsoft's part, and one I fully expect them to fix without forcing me to shell out an extra $200 for upgrading Vista to Ultimate edition.
I think it should be a fairly simple fix to send out an update for the WHS Client Connector for Vista Home editions that enables the remoting and file synchronization features in Vista, or to implement these directly in the Client Connector.
If Microsoft is serious about selling Windows Home Server and pushing Vista onto users despite all the bad (and undeserved) publicity, this is something they must fix without question.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Got My WHS On
I finally received my HP MediaSmart Home Server (1 TB edition). Setting it up really is as easy as they say. I plugged it in to my wireless router (it has to be hard-wired via Ethernet, it unfortunately but understandably isn't wireless-friendly), plugged the power cable into my UPS, and pushed the power button on the back.
Next, I popped the software install CD into my Vista-based laptop. It installed some HP update utility - which seems to be integrated nicely and kept low-key - then installed the WHS client software. Immediately after, it connected me to the Home Server console and asked me some basic setup questions, and then ran automatic Windows Updates.
The first nightly backup took a long time (for about 65 GB of data, it was still running at 8:00 AM), but the following backup was fast, since the server only backs up changed files. I've started moving my photos and music over, and plan to use Vista's offline synchronization to keep copies locally.
No problems so far (unless you count cable-wrangling), and the only minor complaints I have involve the fan noise is a bit higher than I would have expected (but it's still acceptable and tolerable). Overall, I'm already pretty happy.
The next steps are to install the client software on my girlfriend's laptop to enable access for her, and to get her laptop backed up nightly as well, and then do the same for my media centre PC. After that, I think I'll check out some of the available add-ins to see what's cool.
Next, I popped the software install CD into my Vista-based laptop. It installed some HP update utility - which seems to be integrated nicely and kept low-key - then installed the WHS client software. Immediately after, it connected me to the Home Server console and asked me some basic setup questions, and then ran automatic Windows Updates.
The first nightly backup took a long time (for about 65 GB of data, it was still running at 8:00 AM), but the following backup was fast, since the server only backs up changed files. I've started moving my photos and music over, and plan to use Vista's offline synchronization to keep copies locally.
No problems so far (unless you count cable-wrangling), and the only minor complaints I have involve the fan noise is a bit higher than I would have expected (but it's still acceptable and tolerable). Overall, I'm already pretty happy.
The next steps are to install the client software on my girlfriend's laptop to enable access for her, and to get her laptop backed up nightly as well, and then do the same for my media centre PC. After that, I think I'll check out some of the available add-ins to see what's cool.
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