By Philip Churchill on September 11th, 2008
Add-In: WHS Outlook
WHS Outlook is now available for public release with the Beta 2 version 1.0.2.26 now available for download.
The add-in integrates Microsoft Outlook with the Windows Home Server Console which allows the following benefits:
- Allows a single installation of Microsoft Outlook to be shared by up to 10 different client PC’s via the WHS Console.
- By using the Remote Access features of WHS, you can even gain full access to all of your Microsoft Outlook e-mail, contacts, calendar, etc. from anywhere in the world that Internet access is available.
- Works with Microsoft Outlook 2007, 2003 and 2002/XP
The add-in is priced at $24.95 for a single server licence and a 21 day trial version is available for download.
More information is available from the WHS Outlook HomePage.
Share this WHS Article with Others:
Why would anyone want to pay another $24.95 dollars, when they already had purchased Microsoft Office 2007?
This really just proves how much more Windows Home Server cost money, having the same programs charge you twice!
WHS is nothing by itself, requiring third party add-ins, that are all unfinished production ready applications, that require tinkering around with all the time.
You would think by now, Microsoft would have offered such basic functions in it’s PC client operating systems, rather than to sell all the same crap over again just for a server system!
Is it any wonder why everyone is going open source code now, being how you can do everything and more than WHS can provide for FREE!
Yes, I do think paying $25 dollars more just to download your email is total crap!
Outlook isn’t even a email server, just your basic POP3 go fetch application too!
I still cannot find any good reason to use WHS, unless you just want to waste your money and time playing around with this product.
Nobody wants a broken server plagued with data corruption, nor constant beta quality missing plug-ins never done right, and costing more money for what should have been provided in the first place.
A server that doesn’t serve… no email server! Imagine that!
It doesn’t “prove” anything if it’s a completely optional add-in.
Barry,
IF WHS is so bad, why are you spending your time keeping track of it and spending the time to keep putting it down?
I really doubt if anybody that follows this thread cares about anything you say at all as it is all negative and to use your word – CRAP.
I have used WHS for about 1 1/2 years now, have 6 client machines, and love it. I have used it many times to recover data and rebuild machines and never had an issue with it at all.
Some of the third party software definetly needs work, but that is not part of WHS. They are written by folks that have an idea and maybe not so good programming skills.
I think it was good of Microsoft to provide the add-in capability in WHS so third parties could add features that others might want.
Life it too short to be made at something all the time. Move on to something that you enjoy…
>>Some of the third party software definetly needs work, but that is not part of WHS. They are written by folks that have an idea and maybe not so good programming skills.<<
Hmm… I really hope this one wasn’t directed at WHS Outlook (and me). If so, then I’m really sorry that you feel that way.
As for Barry… I think DaHoServer got it exactly right. Seems very odd to complain so loudly about software you’ve never seen/used for yourself. To each his/her own I guess.
— MIKE
Tragically, some people out there seem to think that they’re on some kind of crusade for open-source software, or against all things Microsoft, or both. I don’t think I’ll ever understand people who take it to the level of religiousness, so much that they troll blogs like this one – run by pretty much one independent guy – waiting for their opportunity to “shoot down” a Microsoft product, or anything said that is pro-Microsoft in any way. I hate to think about what happens when these guys get real jobs in IT.
I may be a little thick here, but could someone tell me why I’d want to do this? What does having Outlook on WHS do for me?
While I agree with others that Barry’s post is somewhat of a rant, I can’t help but agree that this simple functionality ought to have been included with WHS.
Think about it this way: The person needing this integration is likely to have more than one machine running Windows ($), has already paid for Office 2003/2007 (more $), has already paid for WHS (even more $$$)…and to make matters worse, the remote access functionality of WHS is basically hobbled for all but the “Ultimate” versions of Vista ($$$$$)….is it too much to ask that, once the user has paid the price of admission for all of the above, hosting email be included as a “freebie”?
I don’t know how MS expects WHS to take off for the “everyman” user, but at the same time requires one to buy “ultimate” versions of OS’s and then pay additionally for something as simple as hosting email. This module can and should be free, and making it free would be a service to Microsoft in that it is one more check box feature to woo early adopters as well as the “everyman”. WHS has a few great things going for it, but I don’t think the task of tying together all this functionality and truly integrating one’s “digital lifestyle” on an MS platform has been accomplished.
It’s 2009, and having bought WHS, Vista Ultimate in 64 and 32 bit flavors, and Office 2007, I shouldn’t have to pay for and/or look for 3rd party applications to be able to check and organize my email and update my Outlook calendar remotely, in a convenient way. As far as I’m concerned, that should have been job #1 of any package of this sort.
There is more than one of these outlook add ins. Which one are you most pleased with?
Casey
WHS is usefull as a small (Home) server. Primary tasks: store files (and backups, which again are files). In addition I have used it as a printer server for an old not networked printer.
Most of the other features you can better leave to dedicated devics (i.e. the media player overloads the processor in my asus homeserver).
The benefit of having all your e-mail accessed in an outlook version on your home server from anywhere in the world sounds nice, but what benefit? All the e-mail accounst I use have a webversion, which is on mucho more bandwith then my homeserver. The remote acces feature of the webserver never worked properly anyway 🙁
By the way folks,
ever tried to simply install Office (or at least Outlook) on your Windows Home server and then access it using the “remote desktop functionality”. It should also work over Internet (secure??). Something worth trying when I have some time available.
Alternatively, consider buying a Windows 2008 R2 server and configure exchange and office on it. Is not that hard to do 🙂
Greetz, Anton