MS Windows Home Server

If you missed the Windows Home Server Add-in Webcast by HP and Microsoft then it is available for replay from here.

It was good to see what the highest rated add-ins were under the following categories: 

Website Creation and Customization:

• Whiist
• WHS Customiser
• Add Website

Media and Streaming:

• TiVo Publisher
• Media Connect Controller
• WebGuide for Windows Home Server

Power Management:

• GridJunction
• AutoExit 2008
• LightsOut

Home Server Management:

• WHS Disk Management
• Advanced Admin Console
• Remote Notification

The main features which are included in Power Pack 1 were discussed:

• 64-bit OS support
• Overall performance improvements
• Remote access enhancements
• Backup to external Hard Drive
• Hard drive removal improvements
• International localization (Japanese & Chinese)
• Bug Fixes

And the HP MediaSmart Server Software Update was also discussed. As we already know, to be included in this update is:

• Enhanced media streaming experience (Packet Video) - Provides Photo thumbnails and album art across multiple DMAs (xBox360, PS3 etc).
• Server-side Anti-virus - Scans and protects data stored on the server.
• Vista 64-bit Support

But the big news from HP is that the update will be available at the same time as Microsoft’s full public release of Power Pack 1.

The webcast ended with a special offer from New Egg, which enables you to save $75 on the purchase of a HP MediaSmart Server, which is good for either the EX470 (500GB) or the EX475 (1TB). During the checkout process enter the following code HP75MS, but hurry as the offer ends 8th July 2008.

illustrate the people behind the dBpoweramp software are making the transition from a software only company to one which offers software & hardware. Their first new product is RipNAS: dBpoweramp Ripper + NAS + Windows Home Server

When tasked with building a ripping appliance, high design goals were set, resulting in:

dBpoweramp CD Ripper: securest of the secure
Case: winner of Intel’s SFF design contest
PerfectMeta™: using 4 metadata providers: AMG, GD3, MusicBrainz and freedb simultaneously
Laptop 2.5″ hard drive(s): 3.5″ drives are too noisy for the living room!
Windows Home Server
Streamable to uPnP, DAAP (iTunes) and SqueezeCenter (Slim Devices)

What it Does

CDs are loaded one at a time into the slot loading CD drive, RipNAS retrieves the highest quality metadata through PerfectMeta (being headless means no user overview of metadata, PerfectMeta was designed for hands off Metadata retrieval), and ripping takes place to a lossless format. When completed the CD is ejected and audio is shared over the network, ready to be shared and streamed to one of the many network audio players (Sonos, Slim Devices, etc). Quality is assured through the use of AccurateRip.

If ripping in secure mode, any in-secure tracks are separated out to highlight them as having errors.

And of course having Windows Home Server onboard, RipNAS can backup and be used as a data store.

Audio Formats Supported
It is clear the audio world is split into different camps, depending upon which devices are being used on the Network, these 4 main modes are configured with ‘command CDs’, allowing configuration changes with out the need to connect a computer to the RipNAS:

• FLAC: main choice and supported by most network audio players,
• Apple Lossless: first choice for any Apple based player,
• Windows Media Audio Lossless: Microsoft based players (XBox 360)
• mp3: devices with no lossless audio support

The RipNAS is due to be available from early august as two models:

• RipNAS Secure: features as above, in 320GB, 640GB and 1TB models. Optionally the 640GB and 1TB models will offer RAID 1 mirroring across 2 drives (actual storage space available will be 320GB and 500GB). Pricing is expected to start from $999++
• RipNAS Value: the value series will use a different case, be active cooled and traditional 3.5″ drives in 500GB and 1TB models. Ripping will not include a secure mode. Pricing++ will be competitive with the HP Media Smart in consideration of the addition of Ripping abilities

More information is available in the following forums at illustrate.

As well as the free HP MediaSmart Webinar this Wednesday (25 June), Microsoft has announced two further webinars. The first is scheduled for July 22nd and is on digital photography with the MediaSmart Server and the other is mobile warriors with the date to be announced.

More details are available from here.

If you are testing Power Pack 1 Public Beta it is important that your bug reports (if any) go to the right place. The bug reporting form on MS Connect should be used for this, as this is the only way that the Home Server team can track and subsequently fix any issues that you bring up.

Every submitted bug report should include accompanying CAB numbers so that the Home Server team can look at the logs and try to help resolve the issue.  Depending on whether you are experiencing an issue related to your home server, your home computer, or both, you need to submit the logs and the CAB numbers for your home server, your home computer, or both as well. 

This CAB number can be obtained once the Windows Home Server Toolkit has been installed. More information on how to install the Toolkit, and how to get a CAB number from your home server or home computer are available from Pages 21 and 22 of the Release Documentation that is downloadable from Connect.

On thing to note is if you are using the Vista 64bit version of the Windows Home Server software then the Windows Home Server Toolkit can not be installed on it. In this case Zip the following folder and upload it with your bug.

XP Machine:
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Home Server\logs

Vista Machine:
%SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Home Server\logs

Home Server logs:
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows Home Server\logs

The Home Server Show Podcast number 6 is available with the latest in Home Server news. This weeks show details lots of great add-in’s and is available from here.

The Windows Home Server Disk Management Add-In may have compatibility issues with Power Pack 1 (PP1).  The Windows Home Server partner team  is working with the add-in author to identify and resolve the potential compatibility issue.

In the meantime it is advised that you refrain from using this add-in in conjunction with Power Pack 1.

UPDATE: For those of you enquiring what the compatibility issue is: When using the Disk Management Add-in to “remove” or “rename” a disk, the drive no longer shows up in storage. Since this can have a severe impact on a Home Server we wanted to let people know as soon as possible.

Now available on the download section of Microsoft’s Connect website is the just released German version of Power Pack 1. Both the update package and full ISO’s of Power Pack 1 German edition are available for download.

To give you some ideas on how to test Power Pack 1 (PP1), the Windows Home Server Team is posting weekly Feature Focus documents on Microsoft’s Connect website. Posted last week was Feature Focus of the Week - PC Applications. And this week the second feature focus of the week, Backup and Restore was published as well as the third one; Disk Removal. All three documents are available in .doc, .docx or PDF formats.

Gaen Smith posted the following in the Windows Home Server Forums - One man’s experience with Power Pack 1:

I have had nothing but positive results with PP1!!!  I am running a homebuilt WHS with a Intel 3210SL Server Board, Dual Core Xeon Processor, 4 GB of DDR2 800 memory, 12 Seagate 500GB HD and 3 VFD displays (to monitor system states 24/7).  I have over 1TB of uncompressed DVD’s (I own em) 500GB of Windows Lossless Audio Files, and over 500GB of system files.  I have added an extra 2 500GB drives using eSATA connectors.  When the corruption issue first raised it’s ugly head it hit me pretty hard, so I reloaded and only had one drive for WHS and shared the others using standard share practices and over the last week have been copying then migrating my disks.  I also backed up over 300GB worth of files at a time to my two external SATA disks and not one hitch!!  I have 6 computers doing full backups and sharing audio and video files with the OS’s ranging from WINXP Pro, WINXP Media center 2005, Vista Home Premium, and Vista Ultimate.  As a test I even had all 6 running uncompressed HD movies simultaneously and not one hiccup.  My Roku is also performing flawlessly.  My hats off too the WHS team, this is what a good product is about and now I am pushing it to family and friends.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!

In a new market research study, senior analyst and author of the new report Ted Theocheung of the diffusion Group (Dallas) states that the home server is poised for significant growth. Below are highlights from the report:

• The big winners in this emerging product category being consumers and not PC companies.
• The Windows Home Server will initially gain acceptance from a small group of enthusiasts, with consumer companies dominating this area with more user-friendly products in the long term.
• Home server shipments have been forecased to rise from 1.2 million this year to 90 million in 2015.
• Early adopter enthusiasts, like us are using PC-based systems, but CE devices will bring home servers to the mainstream.
• A new wave of home servers from CE companies will hit in 2010 that challenge the PC products. And by 2012 the CE devices will make significant strides against the PC models.
• Ultimately service providers will become a main conduit for providing the CE systems, outpacing retail sales of PC-based systems.

More details on the report are available from here.