| Model: | T7-HSA Harmony Home Server | Manufacturer: | Tranquil PC |
| Website: | http://www.tranquilpc.co.uk | Telephone: | +44 (0)845 555 7788 |
| Price: | £397 + P&P |
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The announcement of Windows Home Server at CES in January 2007 signalled an onslaught of hardware innovation from manufacturers, inspired by reference designs from Microsoft and HP’s Mediasmart Server which were showcased during Bill Gates’ keynote.
With “green” computing becoming ever more important to users, the challenge was laid down for manufacturers to produce small, aesthetically pleasing form factors with low power usage, low heat output and near silent running. At WinHEC 2007, the challenge became more intense - official Microsoft logo requirements would require manufacturers to include tool-less hard drive expansion, and banned wireless adaptors, video connectors, optical drives and keyboard and mouse ports.
The message was clear - Windows Home Server was a new platform, in a brand new computing category and required manufacturers to innovate around a very clear (if a little strict) set of hardware requirements for the new operating system.
Subsequently, over the past 3 months, designs have started popping up from Fujitsu-Siemens, Medion and others to accompany the HP model, but Tranquil PC’s T7-HSA Harmony Home Server is the world’s first Windows Home Server solution to hit the market, shipping last week.
Tranquil PC (http://www.tranquilpc.co.uk) have specialised in developing small and silent systems for the past few years for the home and for business, and are passionate advocates of environmentally friendly computing so it’s easy to see why they’d be quick off the mark with a Windows Home Server system that meets Microsoft’s hardware logo requirements.
We received one of the first production models off the line last week to put through its paces.
What Do You Get?
The Tranquil T7-HSA comes to you very securely packaged with the following contents:
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T7-HSA Home Server
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Windows Home Server System Builder Software Kit (pre-installed), including Windows Home Server Installation DVD, Connector, Restore CD and Manual
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80w AC/DC Power Adaptor
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T7-HSA Manual
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System Recovery Kit
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Power Cable for 12v USB External Hard Drives (sold separately)
First Looks
Unpacking the contents, the first thing you notice is just how small the T7 is - yes, it looks dinky in the pictures, but it really is very small. Then you pick it up, and boy is it heavy! Tranquil have done a great job of packing a lot of kit into a small package, and with an aluminium casing to support effective heat dissipation, it makes for a very solid feeling piece of hardware. I used to think I’d done a great job with a small footprint self-built home server, but no more!
The T7 is a fanless system, designed to minimize noise during operation - although its low power output means that heat isn’t a huge issue, the case itself resembles a large heatsink with a series of aluminium fins allowing heat to dissipate effectively. It’s a clever design, combining form and function well - whilst there’s no flashy aesthetics on display here, you’d be happy to have the T7 sitting on your desk or on a bookshelf on show to the world.
The front of the case contains a small, barely noticeable power/reset button, and two LEDs - blue for power and red denoting hard disk activity - all delivered with the minimum of fuss.
Around the Back
Around the back, you can see that how the rear of the T7 motherboard and chassis (which is utilized across a number of operating system platforms) has been customized to meet Microsoft’s WHS logo requirements - the mouse/keyboard and video outputs have been capped to create a truly headless unit. Elsewhere, you’ll find 4 USB ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, 12v Power In socket to attach the external PSU, and a pass through 12v Power Out socket from which you can power up to 4 external hard drives. A desk lock socket is also supplied as standard. Rarely for a piece of consumer electonics, the rear of the unit proudly shouts “Made in the UK” - hopefully a seal of quality, but these days, you never know 
Under the Hood
Tranquil have historically designed their PC’s to be environmentally-friendly, which is a growing trend across hardware manufacturers nowadays. Given that Windows Home Server is designed to be switched on and operational 24 hours a day, low power requirements, minimized operating costs and near silent running are all key features of the T7 which Tranquil shout about. Indeed, this system is claimed to run at a zero carbon footprint, with Tranquil offsetting the manufacturing and five years of operating impact through tree planting campaigns.
Opening the system up, you can see that Tranquil really have packed a lot into a small package. However, the components are very tricky to access inside the T7’s chassis, making future component upgrades very tricky indeed
Let’s compare the T7-HSA to Microsoft’s Minimum and Recommended specifications for Windows Home Server.
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A full system specification (generated by Sisoft Sandra) is also available for download.
T7-HSA Detailed System Specification
Whilst the T7 packs a big punch in a small form factor, inevitably it comes with some trade-offs. On the plus side, Tranquil have gracefully delivered on all aspects of the minimum specification for Windows Home Server, with the gigabit Ethernet and 512Mb of RAM easily exceeding the bare bones spec. Furthermore, upgrade options to memory and hard drive size ensure that those looking for a more powerful specification are well catered for.
However, the small form factor of the T7 chassis mean that there is only space for one internal hard drive (with 500Gb and 1Tb options available) - this ultimately means that the base specification does not support one of Windows Home Server’s most valuable features, Drive Extender (automatic file duplication to a second hard drive, securing your data in the event of a hard disk failure). That said, Tranquil do offer a range of self-powered external hard drives, which enable you to take advantage of the feature (at an extra cost), so depending on how valuable Drive Extender is to you, vs your need for a small and neat single-device footprint, you can choose your options accordingly.
As a plus point, the T7 is shipping with the choice of Western Digital’s new AV (500Gb option) or GreenPower (1Tb) hard drives, which promise a very low power requirement and near-silent running. Our unit shipped with the 500Gb AV drive, and whilst I could bearly hear it running, the GreenPower drive is said to be even quieter, so if silent running is important to you, both drives are attractive options.
The T7-HSA utilizes the J7F4 motherboard from Jetway, which is a Mini-ITX Socket 370 system, based on VIA’s CN700 chipset. Being headless, strong integrated audio and video performance is not an issue, and the motherboard includes 4 external USB 2.0 ports with separate pass-through power, which provides plenty of scope for future storage expansion, without the need to use up multiple electrical sockets. Full details on the motherboard are available via this document at Jetway’s website.
With regard to the processor, the Socket 370 compatible VIA C7-M is not going to set the world alight, running at 1.5 Ghz but is more than capable of running WHS without penalty. For comparison purposes, he chip is designed to compete with Intel’s Centrino Pentium M platform, and in use, performs well. Full details can be found on the processor over at at Hardware Secrets.
One watch out to bear in mind, however, is that the C7 is not 64-bit compatible, and as you may have read, Microsoft have been dropping heavy hints about processors requiring 64-bit compatibility for future versions of Windows Server (hence the recommended processor specification for Windows Home Server). At this point, it’s too early to guess what the requirements of future versions of WHS may be, but if they migrate the platform to the forthcoming Windows Server 2008 then you should be fine as it’s 32-bit compatible.
Running Windows Home Server
Tranquil PC have provided a clean build of Windows Home Server (which for me is a plus) without bundled trialware, OEM branding, random backgrounds and screensavers and all of the other usual “value-added” (bloatware) applications you often get from manufacturers. The build I received was bang up to date, with just 1 Windows Update required for the September 2007 Malicious Software Tool - compare this to 22 updates required for a fully clean RTM install of Windows Home Server on my self-install unit. Great to see that Tranquil are keen to keep their builds up to date, and I hope this continues going forward.
One little glitch to be corrected was that my unit shipped with the timezone still set to the default Pacific option (which obviously would cause backups to begin at the wrong time here in the UK), but I’m assured that this will be fixed next week in a build refresh.
Server Recovery
One aspect of Windows Home Server all OEMs are grappling with is how to manage recovery of the home server’s system volume in the event of a major issue. Whilst Windows Home Server does a fantastic job of backing up your data, and enabling you to easily recover any of your home computers, it currently does not feature any backup/recovery of the server itself.
Tranquil have taken a novel approach to the issue, by including a USB-key powered recovery kit for the T7-HSA. Two USB keys are included with the server, packed in a jewel case. To back up your server, you simply image your home server to one of the USB keys, and in the event of a major system issue, simply boot the server with the “Recovery” USB plugged in which prepares the server for re-imaging, switch to the second USB key when the preparation is complete, and in a few minutes, your server is back ready for action, with all user settings in tact. You can learn more about the recovery process over at Tranquil’s blog.
The Verdict
So, taking everything into account, what’s the verdict? Well, if you’re looking for an energy-efficient home server with near-silent running and a tiny footprint, the T7-HSA fulfills the role with aplomb - even though it’s the first Windows Home Server system on the market, you’re unlikely to find a system with a smaller footprint in the next 12-18 months and the great news is that this hasn’t come at the expense of system performance.
We’re still waiting to see how Windows Home Server pricing settles down - at £379 (inc VAT) for the base system and over £600 for the top spec, the T7 isn’t likely to be the cheapest Windows Home Server hardware on offer over the next 12 months, but it’s definitely the first, and given you’re looking at just under £100 for the WHS software alone, you’re getting a great small footprint PC for a fair price.
The compromise to be made is a basic one - such a small chassis doesn’t have room for multiple hard drives, and whilst Tranquil have made a 1 Tb storage option available for those with a lot of data to back up, you will have to purchase a second external hard drive to make use of Windows Home Server’s Drive Extender capability. So if you’re looking for a single box solution with terabytes of storage, the T7 isn’t for you - but it’s certainly one of the smallest, neatest systems I’ve seen in a long time and, combined with the external storage drives on offer, would provide a perfect hub for most digital homes.
October 11th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
I ordered a Tranquil PC T7-HSA on 28 September 2007, although they claim an introductory lead time of 3 to 5 days. I am still awaiting delivery on 11th October.
They haven’t return my email enquiries and I had to actually phone them to get an expected delivery date which was promised for today. Its now 2.30pm - no tracking code and nothing delivered …….
October 11th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Hi Richard
Have forwarded your comment to Tranquil PC direct - fingers crossed we can get this resolved asap.
Best
Terry
October 12th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Hmm… This is the second negative comment about Tranquil in 4 comments, does this say something about the company?!
I also placed an order for one of these on the 7th October. I got payment confirmation immediately, and then I got another payment confirmation today, saying that it would be dispatched in 5-10 days. This concerned me because I was expecting that 3-5 day lead time that they boast about on their website and it’s been 4 days already. Also, I’d received payment confirmation on the 7th, so getting another on the 12th struck me as odd.
When I asked why they were sending me payment confirmation again, and a different timescale than advertised, they got back to me, telling me that they had run out of stock until 22nd October and couldn’t fulfil my order in the 3-5 timescale given (or even the 5-10 they put in their email).
They offered me a `blue` version of the chassis which apparently is not normally offered for Windows Home Server. I accepted the offer on the condition that the colour is the only difference, and that the 3-5 day lead time remained intact (although it would be 3-5 days from now).
I’m pretty annoyed that they’ve taken four days to realise that they haven’t got sufficient stock, and to offer a replacement only after I enquired about a payment receipt email. Their website is still advertising this 3-5 day lead time, despite the fact that they’re clearly aware of the stock issues.
They’re offering me this `blue` chassis for no extra cost, and it would otherwise have cost £10.75. Considering that I paid £423 in total, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a better discount than £10.75. After all, that amounts to a discount of about 2% if my maths is any good.
November 14th, 2007 at 12:47 am
early days for this product; hedging their bets i reckon. wonder how amazon will fare with pre orders for the hp version?
November 14th, 2007 at 6:05 am
I ordered from Edmonton, Canada on November 4th, the unit shipped on the 9th, I picked it up today (the 14th) at the fedex depot and am transferring all my files from my beta WHS as I type this. Being such a small package, the Fedex overseas charge was remarkably cheap, and much of that was offset by a discount Tranquil applied without even asking for it. Setup was pain free (only a slight conflict with another working WHS server on the same network). It’s really a nice little box, small, quiet, unobtrusive - perfect for the function it’s build for. I was skeptical about an overseas order, but it’s worked out better than I would have ever hoped. Highly recommended - WHS software, T7-HSA hardware and Tranquil service
December 6th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Delivery of my T7 was delayed because of stocktaking, during the delay they dropped the price of the unit so I sent them a mail asking if the price drop would be passed on to those people who had not taken delivery (well, you have to try). My email was just ignored, as were the next couple of emails.
When I received the device there was an immediate problem - no network connectivity. I’m still working on that. NIC was missing from device list to start with, now I’m just getting a “device cannot start (code 10)” error… shudder.
My experience, so far, is pretty much the opposite of Trent’s. I want to like this device, but I’ve spent so long troubleshooting it with minimal support from Tranquil that I am very reluctant to recommend it to anyone. I know stuff happens to PCs, especially when M$ are involved, but Tranquil’s customer serrvice and technical support does seem rather patchy.
I’ll update this post if the situation improves at all.
December 6th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Nick - Tranquil PC here. Regarding your tech support enquiry. We did recieve your email earlier today, but as we responded, the attachment was not attached, not making it easy for us to follow up. Please can you reply to our emails sent earlier today ?
We’d gladly support your issue, but do feel that forums are not the right place (especially as the unit was only delivered very recently (4th)). Please drop us a line, and we’ll help resolve the LAN issue.
thank you - Tranquil PC .
February 14th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Actually I found Tranquil’s customer service to be, well frankly, outstanding.
I haven’t even bought a Tranquil WHS yet, because I have that annoying tendency towards asking loads of questions;’will it do this, can I do that etc.’, which equipment manufacturers must loathe.
I rang up the company because I wanted to know whether I would be able to run back-ups of a remote computer. over the internet - in fact, it was more of a WHS question than a Tranquil question, and one of about a dozen scenarios that’s been going through my head ever since I decided to investigate WHS as a backup facilitator.
The person in the office forwarded my question to someone, I waited and then I spoke with them. They took my question seriously and gave me a decent answer (it turns out that they’ve got a third party plugin in the pipeline which will facilitate remote backups). I was struck by how polite the person was, it’s nice to talk to techie people with social skills - who as it turned out was interrupting a trip to answer my query.
No, I’m not a relative, employee, cousin of the MD or anything like that - I was just glad to have found someone human to talk to. I’ve looked at some other comments elsewhere on this forum about Tranquil going an extra mile and it struck me that this was something that should be applauded, particularly in a niche market which is going to appeal primarily to intelligent users and business types (like me).
March 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Just like Mark I’m looking at one of Tranquil’s WHS products - but am taking some time to convince myself that it will work with various plans I have (Xbox 360, desktop PC, 2 laptops plus future Sonos system). I’ve spoken to Tranquil twice now with several questions and as Mark said they are exremely polite and very knowledgeable.
My only difficulty now is whether to go for the T7-HSA with the very neat slide on extra drives, the A2 or cheaper but in part better spec’d A3.
I’m also not related or connected to Tranquil other than the fact I live only 15 miles from their offices.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Michael, I’ve taken the plunge and bought a A3. It’s great, looks fantastic, and it does the job well. The fact is that I probably won’t need more storage than can be put in an A3, but if I needed to I could add the extra drives and simply put them somewhere out of the way, because they don’t need to be attached anyway.
I’m using my WHS as a server in my office - and it’s great. I run a small business providing services to the pharmaceutical industry, and I needed a decent backup system. What’s more, part of my work is interviewing patients and I store the interviews (.wmv files) of which there are currently about 400 on the WHS. They stream from the server as though they were on the PC, no delay. I’m aware of the WHS bug, but since my W3 only has one drive I’m not affected by it (it only affects multidrive WHS - HP owners look away now). The one drive I’ve got is 500 GB, which is more than enough for the time being, and I’ve got a new 500 GB Spinpoint drive sitting in my cupboard which I will add later, when WHS SP1 comes out with a bug fix. Actually this is probably over cautious, since I save everything locally and transfer across, but I generally get paranoid about anything that even suggests trouble - it pays to in my industry.
Just for the record, and it’s not the first time I’ve said this on a forum, I looked at getting a Small Business Server, but decided to go with the WHS instead for the small footprint, lack of care needed, lower TCO etc. The SQL based apps and Exchange that my business uses are run offsite on hosted servers - so there’s some expert on hand to mantain uptime, and the developers I use can’t blame me for my server going wrong.
It’s sounding like I’m evangelising, ok I am a bit - but I’m very happy with my decision. I think the computer pros should get into this set up and offer businesses combined WHS and remote hosting deployments. I’m not a skinflint, and paying for hosting can seem tiresome, but if you want ease of use then this setup is the WTG.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
HI, I’m considering one of these servers for my home-based business, the obvious requirement being that it’s silent as it will be in a domestic environment. The one thing that I’m not sure of is to what extent the software supports a web server (preferably Apache) and POP3 and SMTP email servers. What are the restrictions on WHS and/or the server in terms of the ability to run software? Gary.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Guy
WHS is basically Windows Server 2003 - anything that will run on WS 2003 will run on WHS… there is a restiction on running Exchange, however.
Cheers
Terry
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I’m sure Terry is right Guy. I don’t need email on my WHS because I have hosted Exchange which is pretty cheap (from about £7 a month). It suits me from a convenience point of view, and I don’t want to put all my eggs into one basket either. However ultimately when it comes to Apache and Linux stuff I’m nowhere, I just don’t have experience of that stuff, so I use Exchange because it’s mission critical for my business.
Good luck, Mark
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Thanks Terry and Mark. Unfortunately I don’t know what the limitiations are of Windows Server 2003 either. My previous server (now defunct) simply ran on Windows 98 so would run any software that would run under normal windows.
Gary.