MS Windows Home Server

This Technical Brief, “Windows Home Server – Media Sharing” provides an in-depth look at the features and functionality of Windows Home Server Media Sharing.

The 23 page PDF document covers what Media Streaming is and how to enable it in WHS. Supported media file formats are listed for photo, audio and video formats. It shows you how to view photo slide shows stored on Windows Home Server using a Windows Vista screensaver, an Xbox 360 or by using a digital picture frame. Next up, is streaming music, and many options are discussed including using again Windows Media Player, an Xbox 360, a Windows Media Centre Edition PC and Microsoft Zune to play your music from WHS over your network. Finally streaming video content and playlist setup is also discussed.

Download the PDF Technical Brief for Windows Home Server Media Sharing.

The Knowledge Base has been updated with article 943903.Information about when to use the backup feature in Windows Live OneCare or when to use the automatic backup feature in Windows Vista or in Windows Home Server.

1. First off, COMPUTERWORLD have a comprehensive 5 page Windows Home Server review by Preston Gralla who states:
   “For once, Microsoft hasn’t ‘dumbed down’ a software package“.
2. Next, HelpWithWindows.com, who take us through the features of WHS in this 3 page review.
3. Site Digital trends also have a great write up on why we should use Windows Home Server when natural disasters like the California fires can happen to any of us. WHS and off site backup solutions are discussed. The post also seems to be duplicated here on tgdaily as well.
4. Gadget site Gizmodo have a great Windows Home Server review using the Norco DS-520.
5. And finally Channel 10 show the un-boxing of the Tranquil PC T7-HSA.

Blogger Andrew Dugdell has just posted live from the Windows Home Server Session in the States presented by Todd Headrick and Joel Burt. He has posted a list of snippets which he learned from the event there, but the one’s that caught my eye were the following:

• Largest known home server storage to date is 25 drives with 12 Tb of storage
• Apple Macs can use the home server as a file server
• The guys are thinking about writing a backup for Mac, nothing to report yet, but there are a few members of the Home Server Team that have Macs at home.
• If your machine is asleep during the backup, Home server can wake it up, back it up, and put it back to sleep.  They don’t use WOL, it’s done using a hidden scheduled task on each of the home PCs
• There will a minor release (as a free download) be 1st Half of 2008 that has the Vista 64 connector.
• The guys are working on something cool, to get rid of that certificate error when you log in.
• At the moment it is not supported to use one home server to back up another home server.   …yet.
• Someone tried to install Sharepoint Server on Home server – it broke it, they had to reinstall.
• It runs IIS, some people have had success installing SQL Express and adding extra websites.
• When the next Home Server is released, they’ll probably update the underlying OS.
• 2010 is too far away for the next major version of Home Server, so the team is looking at 2009
• They guy’s are thinking and considering all the ways that Virtualization could be integrated into the product in the future

The full list can be found at Andrew’s post on his site, Dugie’s Pensieve.