Windows Home Server - Initial Setup Thoughts
I finally found enough time to wrap up the build and configuration of my Windows Home Server pc.
Thought I would share my experience with everyone here.
My Configuration
I cannibalized one of my lab pcs that was running Windows Server 2003.
Case - NZXT Rogue Micro ATX Mid-Tower
Motherboard - ECS G31-TM Micro ATX
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 2.2 GHz
Memory - 2GB PC2 6400
NIC - Trendnet 10/100/1000
Power - Antec EarthWatts EA 380
Disk 1 - WD 250 GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0 Gb/s
Disk 2 - WD GreenPower 1TB Variable Speed
Disk 3 - WD GreenPower 1TB Variable Speed
License - Currently on a trial, but price budgeted
An estimate of my total cost for this thing was between $750 and $800.
Compare my total cost of $750 - $800 to the $599.99 cost of the entry level HP MediaSmart Server, which has less of everything than the one I built and only 1 500GB disk.
Trial Download
Microsoft's site where you can order a trial version on dvd never seems to work. Eventually I found the right place to download it from Connect.
Installation
I ended up installing this thing twice. My intent was that disk 1 would host the OS, and that during the install process I would be given the chance to delete/manage drive partitions. This didn't happen. Upon completion of the initial install I had WHS on a 30GB partition that had been previously used for Windows Server 2003, and the other partitions on the drive were formatted, but otherwise unchanged.
I put in a Windows Server 2003 disk, booted, and deleted all of the partitions. Then I started on a clean install of WHS.
I started the 2nd install at 6:39pm, and it was complete at 7:30pm. The initial estimate when starting the install is 51 minutes, which was exactly correct.
The install process is very easy...it's really just a matter of popping in the cd, booting, and clicking a couple of times.
The integrated NIC and sound devices on this motherboard were not installed properly. A simple driver download and update fix this.
I found the following to be odd about the overall install process:
1 - A total of 7 reboots were required from initiation to completion of the install process. It literally seemed like it would install one piece after a certain point and then reboot.
2 - On the 1st reboot, a blue screen that says "Windows Server 2003 for Small Business Server Setup" loads. I know that they like to reuse modules where possible, but stuff like this really annoys me.
3 - On the 4th reboot, an auto CHKDSK of C:\ starts. If you let CHKDSK do it's thing, it reports no problems and then a reboot follows.
4 - No opportunity to change the partitions during the install process. Given the nature of this software (it's for consumers), I'd like to see some kind of "advisor" or something that tells you what kind of configuration works best. I had initially thought that I would configure this one in a way that I could do multi-boot. As far as I can tell from reading online, WHS should be installed in a single partition that is as big as possible (the minimum stated is 70GB).
5 - A lot of pieces of Windows Server 2003 are installed that really don't seem to fit. For example , routing and remote access is installed, but disabled as a service. A warning screen is placed in the startup folder that basically indicates that screwing with these things without knowing what you're doing can mess up WHS.
Configuration
Microsoft offers a free domain name if you want it for remote access. In order to use that domain name you have to be able to configure port forwarding on your router.
In my case I chose a static IP for the WHS and made the necessary configuration changes on the router.
Remote access to the WHS works perfectly. The default web pages are a bit ugly.
Setting up users is very easy as well. You define their name, whether they have remote access, what that remote access includes, and what folders they can access and whether they can Read, or Read and Write to the folder. Each user is given their own personal folder as well.
There is connector software that can be installed on Windows clients that allows access to the WHS Console and access to most administrative functions. Also this software provides the feature to automatically backup windows clients.
Browsing to the WHS works well. On my wife's pc I simply mapped drives to the folders that I know she'll use...works perfectly for her because from her perspective it just seems like there's a place where she can put pictures and videos of the baby that her mom can access. Also, it's nice to finally have consolidated access to our music library.
The default setting for all folders is "Duplication On". Duplication is what they're calling mirroring on WHS. I assuming that if you install WHS with only 1 physical disk that duplication is automatically off.
Connecting the Mac and PS3
WHS offers an option to turn on streaming content. When I turned on the PS3 after installing the WHS, the WHS appeared automatically, and I was immediately able to access shared content.
On the Mac, the WHS folders are accessible through SMB. Connecting is a breeze.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
The case and drives that I chose are super quiet. Depending on where you want to put this thing, noise could be a factor. The case I have is a bit on the big side, but it is sitting beneath my desk and not in an entertainment center, so that's ok.
Microsoft either needs to fix the site where you can order a trial dvd, or take it down. Also, making the link to the download of the trial easier to find would be helpful.
The install process needs to be cleaned up. 7 reboots is too many, and the option to delete any existing partitions on a disk needs to be there. Where I mentioned the screen is mis-titled should be changed.
I like that this device provides a high level of abstraction for my wife, mother, and mother-in-law. They really don't care about the tech, they just want to look at pictures, videos, and listen to music as easily as possible. They also want these things to get backed up so that the risk of losing digital photos is minimized.
My plan is to get all of our dvd's in electronic format. All of our music is already there. It will take a while on the dvd's. I also have one more 1TB disk on the way that I will be adding soon. Ultimately I will replace the 250GB disk with another 1TB or greater disk.
I will try to post some information in the coming weeks on performance.
I read something a while back about a Hitachi drive that was greater than 1TB being released, but now I can't find it anywhere. Does anyone remember this or have any information on it?
MS
