The Web's Largest Dedicated Windows Home Server Resource by Microsoft MVP Philip Churchill.
Microsoft Windows Home Server - WHS will automatically backup and restore your PCs and allow you to share and access files from any machine in the house as well as giving you remote access to those files and PC’s as well. This site will guide you on your journey of discovery with WHS.
Will Windows Home Server be Microsoft’s next flop? That’s the title of a blog entry on ZDNet about our loved home servers by David Berlind. I think somewhere along the line his got the wrong end of the stick..How can you compare a Linux server to Windows Home Server?
If you have some spare dosh at the ready then Microsoft are offering an online self-paced course entitled “Course 7044: Setting Up Windows® Home Server for a Consumer Technology Solution”
Taking approximately 2 hours to complete the objective is that at the end of the course, students will be able to set up Windows Home Server in a connected home.
Microsoft’s description is:
In this online course, you will learn the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively install, configure, and maintain a Windows Home Server in a Microsoft Consumer Technology solution. To begin with, you will learn how to install Windows Home Server on the dedicated home server PC. Next, you will learn how to configure the Windows Home Server PC, including setting up a data backup and restore system and troubleshooting networking issues with the Home Server. You will also learn how to maintain the other networked PCs in the Consumer Technology Solution. This online course will help you prepare for certification exam 70-625. This online course is composed of a rich multimedia experience coupled with comprehensive technical labs. This course will also help you prepare to become a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist. To get the most out of this course, it is recommended that you have a broad working knowledge of how PCs interoperate with numerous consumer electronics offerings such as Televisions, Audio Equipment, Portable devices, Peripherals, and Entertainment services found in customers’ homes.
The modules and lessons include an overview, Setting Up Windows Home Server for a Consumer Technology Solution, Installing and Configuring Windows Home Server, Maintaining Networked PCs in a Connected Home with Windows Home Server, a Managing Windows Home Server Lab and a Glossary.
The price is $39.99 (£26.29) and the subscription lasts for 3 years. Hopefully you will complete it long before then?
More details at Microsoft’s E-Learning website.
It is now available and I have just installed the 17.8MB High Priority Update for Windows Home Server. It says on the Windows Update site that this update improves the user experience during initial Windows Home Server configuration and backup and there is also a link to a Microsoft Knowledge Base article which explains that this update package improves setup and configuration of Windows Home Server-related products such as Windows Home Server Connector and Windows Home Server Remote Access. Additionally, this update package changes the way that home computer backup technologies handle network interruptions.
This update package includes the following improvements:
As you can see within the console the User Accounts Tab now has details on what you should know before adding a user account.
Resources within Settings now shows that Windows Home Server Backup & Restore has been updated to version 6.0.1500.6. All the other modules are at 6.0.1500.0, why? I am not sure. I would have thought that the others would have shown 6.01500.6 also since in the accompanying Knowledge Base article it shows at the bottom under File information all files updated to the latest version number.
After installation the update is listed on the server in Add or Remove Programs as “Update for Windows Home Server (KB941913)” when Show updates is ticked.
As with most Microsoft products, updates to Windows Home Server will be delivered throughout the lifecycle of the product and as promised the first update to Windows Home Server is due today. The update will enhance the usability and improve the out-of-the-box experience for end users. In addition to delivering the update to existing Windows Home Server customers via Windows Update, the updated software has been made available to OEM and distribution partners as well.
Windows Home Server has come a long way from its inception, and these enhancements will help people to use and enjoy the full range of the product’s features.
Functionality improvements in the update include:
The out-of-the-box experience warns users not to reboot Windows Home Server while updates are being downloaded and applied. A text message has been added to the “Windows Home Server Update” step of the home server setup explicitly instructing users to not reboot their home servers.
Windows Home Server Connector Firewall Blocking Issues. The installation of the Windows Home Server Connector software can fail due to firewall software installed on a home computer. The Windows Home Server Connector software and corresponding help files have been updated to help further identify and troubleshoot issues with firewall software or incorrect proxy server settings on home computers.
Remote Access Configuration and Troubleshooting. Remote Access configuration steps and corresponding help files have been enhanced to help a user better understand and troubleshoot issues with their home network router/firewall and broadband provider’s offering.
Users and Passwords. Based on feedback from our customers and partners we have made changes to provide additional guidance on creating user accounts and passwords on Windows Home Server. The User Accounts tab in the Windows Home Server Console has been improved to provide additional information and user education about user accounts and passwords to first-time users of the product.
Improvements in Home Computer Backup technologies. Network interruptions may occur in a home network environment because of some connectivity problems. This update enhances the backup technologies in Windows Home Server, helping customers backup a home computer if a network interruption occurs.
Using Single File Restore no longer asks users to reboot when driver is installed. The file system driver installation required to mount a backup on a user’s home computer incorrectly reports that it requires a reboot to complete installation. A text message has been added to the Opening Backup dialog to ignore the reboot request.
OEM product users are no longer asked to enter a product key during initial setup. Our OEM hardware partners pre-configure and pre-activate their offerings with a Windows Home Server product key. In the initial release, users were asked to enter a software product key, which was an unnecessary step. Customers who purchase non-OEM built systems will still be required to enter their software product key.
Well there we have it the first update for Windows Home Server. If you configured your home server to automaticly install updates from Windows Update then no user intervention is required, but if you set it to not check for updates then you will need to log on to the Console, go to Settings and on the General tab under Windows Update click Update Now.
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