Tranquil PC New Edition

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Tranquil PC now have the new SQA-5H-3000 added to their range. Essentially it is the same as the SQA-5H-2000 except it is equipped with the Western Digital Green Power 2TB HDD with a 32MB cache.

These drives are not as cost effective as 2 x 1TB drives, but for those wanting to maximize their storage capacity, they are a very good choice.

The SQA-5H-3000 is available to order now but will not ship until approx 23/24th Feb.

More details here.

12 TB Windows Home Server Build List

Another build list and this one is from Ray who has just built his 12 TB Windows Home Server whilst keeping the costs down.

Read about it here.

WHS Session – British Columbia, Canada

The Vancouver Island Computing Expert (Eclectics) users group, in co-junction with the  Victoria Dot Net group are holding an IT Pro Day where amongst other things there will be a session on Windows Home Server.

The event takes place Saturday February 7th at The University of Victoria in BC, Canada. Doors open at 8:30 am for registration and Windows Home Server will be demonstrated by Microsoft Community Lead Kevin Beares.

More info is available from here.

NOD32 and Smart Security for WHS

Eset Smart Security 4 and Eset NOD32 Antivirus 4 are both compatible with Windows Home Server.

It has just come to my attention that the beta versions of both products can run on WHS. The company issued a press release back in November which stated as well as running on the normal Windows 2000, XP and Vista that Windows Home Server was also supported.

So get testing, and let us know how you get on.

The Home Server Podcast #32

The Home Server Show Podcast

The Home Server Show Podcast #32 has the latest news for Windows Home Server enthusiasts as well as a review of the add-in Recorded TV Manager.

You can catch it here.

Store Windows Live Writer on WHS

If you are a blogger and use Windows Live Writer (WLW) for your postings then Home Server Hacks has a link to a post by Scott Lovegrove on how to get your WLW drafts and published posts stored onto your Windows Home Server. Now this is great when you are away from home and remember that your drafts and posts were originally stored on your PC, but now all you have to do to get them is to remote access to your Home Server.

Read the info here.

Another HP MediaSmart Server EX485 and EX487 FAQ

MediaSmarthome.com have just published an FAQ for the HP MediaSmart Server EX485 and EX487 which is different to the one published on the HP support site and are categorized. Basic information on why you should buy a HP unit over a NAS product are covered as well as a look at the new features, including the remote access ones specific to the HP models as well as the new media features are all covered in this detailed FAQ.

Read it here.

A MediaSmart Server in a Mixed Mac PC Environment

If you own a Mac and are thinking of buying the new HP MediaSmart Server EX485 or EX487 when they are released in February then you may want to look at the following article at MediaSmarthome.com. "Managing Your Digital Lifestyle With A Mixed Mac & PC Environment" is a five page article which takes a look at the Comparison of the MediaSmart Server’s Features on both the Mac and the PC and shows us what the different features look like on the different OS’s.

You can read it here.

Western Digital 2TB WD20EADS Hard Drive Review

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Computer geek site ExtremeTech has a review on the newly released 2TB green hard drive from Western Digital. The WD20EADS GreenPower with a list price of $299 uses four platters and consumes up to 70% less power than two 1 TB drives.

The full six page review can be read here.

Windows Home Server for SOHO Managed Services

Servicing the IT needs of small and midsized business customers, LPI Level Platforms Inc. makers of the remote monitoring and management software for solutions providers and MSPs (Managed Service Provider’s) has announced that the company’s Managed Workplace software is now available for Windows Home Server.

It’s good to see that a managed service provider is targeting the SOHO (small office home office) and consumer markets by using Windows Home Server and is an ideal option for many small businesses that aren’t ready to leap to Windows Small Business Server.

Part of the press release:

Built on the same codebase as Windows Server 2003, Windows Home Server represents a powerful solution for the SOHO market. While the backup and recovery features are limited to 10 workstations (including Macs), Managed Workplace running on Windows Home Server can monitor and manage any number of devices operating in a workgroup environment with 100% of the functionality of larger sites including the full management of the Windows Home Server itself as well as any other servers on the network. Solution providers can also deploy additional remote backup software, specialized applications and other server based applications on the Windows Home Server to extend their service offerings. 

“We are excited to work with Level Platforms to extend the value of Windows Home Server to the Small Office/Home Office market,” said Charlie Kindel, General Manager, Windows Server Solutions Group, Microsoft.  “This solution will help Microsoft Partners introduce the benefits of Windows Server technology to a large and important market segment establishing a solid foundation for improved performance and reliability today and growth for the future.”