All you old home server hands won’t think that adding an extra hard drive to a PC is a big deal. Windows Home Server is introducing a lot of non-techy people to having a server in their home and this appears to be a good opportunity to walk through not only adding a drive to the WHS but assembling an external hard drive from separate components. 

OK you can go and buy an off the shelf external USB hard drive and just plug it in, but where’s the fun in that? This way you get to hunt for a bargain and decide on the spec yourself. 

Before you let your fingers do the wandering on the web a little bit of forethought and planning are needed. We have a bit of a chicken and egg situation here, as the type of external drive case will depend on the type of drive you are buying and how you will connect it to your server. 

Lets look at the external hard drive connection to the WHS first. If you have bought an HP MediaSmart Server then around the back you have a choice of USB 2.0 and eSATA, (external Serial ATA) whereas lucky owners of the Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo have an extravagant two eSATA pots, So check your machine out and see what you’ve got. 

At this stage I was really trying not to have to go into the difference between a USB2.0, SATA and SATA II (Or SATA 2) or that eSATA is a specification of SATA for external drives with a different connector and cable of 2 meters length as opposed to SATA with a cable length of 1meter. The main point is that eSATA II is faster than other types of external connections. See this article http://compreviews.about.com/od/storage/a/eSATA.htm and Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA

 Heres a handy list that shows the different speeds of various connections:

• SB 1.1 – 15 Mbps
• FireWire (1394a) – 400 Mbps
• USB 2.0 – 480 Mbps
• FireWire 800 (1394b) – 800 Mpbs
• SATA 1.5 – 1.5 Gbps
• SATA 3.0 – 3.0 Gbps (also know as SATA II or SATA2)

It makes sense to go for the fastest connection you have or can afford. If you have an eSATA then this will trump the USB for speed, so get an external hard drive with eSATA connection. In this case your choice of hard drive is going to be eSATA as well, this will keep the throttle wide open for data transfer. 

If you just have USB2.0, as I do, then the sensible choice is an external box with a choice of eSATA and USB connection with an eSATA hard drive installed in it.

Now the purist server techs out there will say “but you are attaching it via USB 2.0 which only gives you 480Mbs rather than 3.0Gbps via eSATA2” However it is a trade off between what you have, what you want and what you feel comfortable doing to your server. I am going to leave upgrading to eSATA cards and port multipliers for another time! 

The hard drive enclosure I found is a Sumvision 3.5″ USB2.0 eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure which can take up to 1TB SATA Hard Drives for £11.05. The case has an external eSATA port on the back and although at the moment I am connecting via USB it gives me an option to upgrade it to a direct eSATA connection in the future, and it’s black which will match my WHS! I also ordered a Samsung eSATA 750GB drive for £75. 

OK so I have got all my kit to together and I look out of the window at a glorious sunny day, seems a shame not to get some rays, and just to show that us home server owners are able to negotiate the big wide world in RL so I am going to take the kit outside into the sunshine to do the hard drive assembly. 

First up, let’s take a look at the external hard drive kit:

 Included in this kit are, from top to bottom: 

 So now slip the hard drive inside the plastic frame and use the supplied screws to attach it into place.

My advice at this stage is to not tighten the screws too tightly as this does mean you can slide the hard drive all the way down the frame to give you room to manoeuvre the cables into place at the other end, then tighten them fully. Now plug the red eSATA cable back into it’s connection on the circuit board. As you can see from this photo I threaded the power cables UNDER the eSATA cable as this makes it easier to slide inside the box.

Now gently slide the whole thing into the external case:

Things are a little tight when it comes to the eSATA cable as it’s a bit inflexible. Gently push it over to one side as you continue to slide the case over the circuit board… gently does it…….almost there. 

Now secure the ends with the four screws you carefully put to one side. Again don’t let a screw get inside the fan opening!! 

Right, so we are good to go. Now all we need is a home server. As my home server doesn’t get out much and it’s such a fantastically sunny day  I’ve networked my Rhubarb patch and plugged the WHS in.  Ready to go!

Attach the stand, plug the USB cable into the WHS and the hard drive case, plug in the power and and flick the power switch on the back of the hard drive case. The LED on the front of this model goes through a couple of colour changes as it powers up and identifies the drive before turning green. 

Now we need to add the hard drive to the WHS so I just need to head inside and start up the WHS connector. As you can see the Samsung drive is appearing within the server storage area of the console: 

 Right click the drive and select Add:

 The WHS Add a Hard Drive wizard starts. Click on Next to proceed: 

As this is a new drive we are not too worried by the dire warning that all our files will be deleted. Click on Finish to format the drive.:

 And wait a moment while its formatted:

And then added to the hard drive pool:

Fantastic! New hard drive successfully added:

1.36TB should last me for another 6 months or so!

So there you have it - a nice job for a sunny day, now I’ve just got to go and check my WHS for greenfly…and snails…and spiders…..mmm maybe its better off under the desk!

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Britain’s Tranquil PC had the distinction of releasing the world’s first Windows Home Server, the T7-HSA, back in September 2007. We received one of the first units off the production line and gave it a glowing review- we loved its small size, silent running and fanless, passive cooling system. Tranquil created a system that may have been small, but packed a mighty punch.

There was a compromise to be made however - such a small chassis meant that it was impossible to install additional internal storage to the system, which was a big weakness in comparison to multi-drive systems from HP and others. Without it, the T7-HSA was unable to take advantage of Windows Home Server’s Folder Duplication technology, which provides a “software RAID” style backup for your shared folders, without utilising additional external storage. To compete, Tranquil PC have now released a partner storage device for the T7-HSA - known as the T7-HDx.

The T7-HDx is basically a storage enclosure, which can be connected to the T7-HSA (or indeed any Home Server for that matter) by USB or eSATA. Two specifications have been released, each utlilising Western Digital’s excellent GreenPower Drives in a 1Tb (2 x 500Gb) or 2Tb (2 x 1Tb) configuration.

What’s in the Box?

Tranquil PC sent us through a 1Tb T7-HDx with our old friend, the T7-HSA. Let’s take a look at a few unboxing shots.

Here’s what you get with the T7-HDx:

• T7-HDx Storage Device
• Bridging Connectors (to attach the unit to the T7-HSA)
• USB Cable
• Instruction Leaflet

First Looks

The T7-HDx utilises exactly the same chassis as the T7-HSA, which gives great aesthetic consistency when you utilise the HDx alongside the HSA.

As with the T7-HSA, the HDx is passively cooled with a copper heat pipe transferring any heat generated by the hard drives directly to the metal chassis.

Around the Back

The rear of the unit is a pretty spartan affair, with a desk lock, eSATA and USB connectors plus a 12v power connector. It’s worth mentioning at this point that the HDx is powered directly from the T7-HSA, so there’s no need for extra power cables and of course, you have the benefit of the HDx not taking up an extra power socket.

Under the Hood

Cracking open the HDx (achievable by removing three screws on the back plate) reveals the inner workings of the HDx, including your two Western Digital GreenPower Drives. The GreenPower drives require much less power than other drives in their class, and run almost silently which means they’re ideahe World’s first l for those who are unable to tuck their home server away in a cupboard.

One point to bear in mind with the T7-HDx is that all of its connectors are glued (see SATA connection at top of picture below) - so whilst this means you’ll rarely have any cables come loose, the implication is that it will be a tricky job if you wanted to upgrade the hard drives in the future. It’s a shame, (and the same is trues of the T7-HSA) but you need to consider the T7-HDx as a “sealed” appliance when it comes to upgrading.

So, same chassis, different guts - I thought it would be interesting to crack open the T7-HSA Home Server too, so you can see the differences inside:

Connecting the T7-HDx to the T7-HSA

Enclosed with the T7-HDx are a series of “bridge” connectors (two types of metal rod) which enable you to very neatly attach the HDx to the HSA to create an integral unit. Doing this simply involves removing the back plates of both units and sliding the rods in to connect them together. The result looks great!

Once you’ve attached the units together, simply connect up the power and data cables and you’re good to go.

Using the T7-HDx

Installing the T7-HSA with the T7-HDx on board means that Windows Home Server will immediately treat the drives in the HDx as part of your existing drive pool - no other configuration is required. If you already have the T7-HSA installed, and add the HDx, you’ll need to configure Windows Home Server to add the drives to your drive pool - this is very easy to do.

As with all of Tranquil PC’s systems, power consumption and noise output is incredibly low. In terms of power, when the unit is ideal, power consumptions is around the 11 watts mark, rising to 18 watts at maximum power. Noise output is a hushed 21db.

The T7-HDx can be run in a variety of modes, including RAID configurations using a switch on the rear of the unit. Tranquil PC advise that the unit is run in a non-RAID configuration to maximise available space. Uup to four T7-HDx devices can be attached to the T7-HSA  Home Server, providing up to 9TB of storage. A high speed port multiplier in the T7-HDx unit manages data access.

The Verdict

If you’re a T7-HSA owner looking to extend your storage, the T7-HDx is a must-have accessory, ensuring you retain the fantastic aesthetic value and low power consumption of the home server. If you’re thinking of purchasing a new home server, the combination of the T7-HSA with the T7-HDx now positions the Tranquil unit as a viable (if expensive) multi-drive home server with great looks, low power consumption an unobtrusive, silent position in your home.

More Info: Tranquil PC | Tranquil PC Forums (WGS)

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• Exclusive: Tranquil PC to Launch WHS-based M one Media Server

The site is being operated in partnership with French firm, Springeo SA and will offer both sales and ongoing support to French consumers.

So, if you’re a Francophone….

HOME SERVER INFORMATION
Une solution simple et sure pour stocker et partager les documents, photos, vidéos et fichiers musicaux de la famille :

Protection - Restaurez facilement un fichier ou un ordinateur complet
Connexion - Accédez à vos fichiers à distance Organisation - Toujours savoir où sont vos données Croissance - Augmentez facilement votre capacité de stockage en fonction de vos besoins 

More Info: www.tranquilpc.fr

• Tranquil PC Launch French Retail Site
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Want to know more?  Well, here it is:

If you want to create a Windows Home Server Flash Drive, you will need a 2GB stick because the DVD takes 1.2GB of space.  The Windows Home Server Restore Disk takes about 130MB so a 256MB stick or larger is preferred because of additional drivers and such.  Windows Vista takes about 2.4GB for the 32-bit version and about 3.2GB for the 64-bit verions, so you are going to want to use a 4GB stick.

As a word of warning, older USB flash drives may not be bootable, and some older systems will not boot off of USB drives.  Both of these can be check in either your motherboard’s documentation, or by checking BIOS.

Insert your USB Flash Drive into any computer with Windows Vista. Make sure that it installs it correctly and everything comes up fine. Now, make sure anything important is off of the drive because we are going to be formatting it in just a bit.

1. Load an elevated command prompt (Start menu-> all programs -> accessories -> right click on “Command Prompt” and click on “Run as Administrator”).
2. Type in “diskpart” and hit Enter.
3. Next type each the follow commands in respective order at the “DISKPART>” command prompts. Note - this assumes that disk 2 is the USB flash drive (as it was on my system). You will need to replace the “2” in “select disk 2” with the disk number of your USB flash drive.

list disk
select disk 2
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=fat32
assign
exit

This should all come out looking like this:

After this is done, you can make the USB Flash Drive intaller for Windows Vista or Windows Home Server.

Windows Home Server

If you want to create an installer flash disk for Windows Home Server, find that Server Install Disk and copy its contents over to the USB Flash drive. This may take 20-30 minutes or longer. After this is done, you can also make the installer automated by creating a file called “qs.ini” on the flash drive. This has to be in the root directory else the installer will not find it. Create the file, and change the product key to yours and the server name to your desired name:

[Q Setup]
ProductKey=00000-00000-00000-00000-00000
ServerName=SERVER

This will now automatically install Windows Home Server on the computer when you boot off of it.

WHS Restore Disk

Easier thand WIndows Home Server, just copy the contents of the Windows Home Server Restore CD to the USB Flash Drive. Just boot from it, and you can restore any computer that can boot for USB drives. Great for that laptop with the burned out CD/DVD drive. Don’t forget to add drivers that you may need on this as the Restore console may need them.

Windows Vista

Not much different than Windows Home Server here. Just copy the contents of the DVD to the flash drive. After it is done copying, if you create a file called “PID.TXT” in “X:\sources\” where “X” is the flash drive, and change “value” to your product key, it won’t ask you for your key or which version of Vista you want to install:

[PID]
Value=00000-00000-00000-00000-00000

Done

You’re done, that is it. Just remove the Flash Drive, and boot from it. There are several ways to get your computer to boot from the USB Flash Drive now. My computer hitting F8 during the BIOS load screen allows me to choose what drive to boot from. I prefer this way because you should only ever need to boot from removable media once. The other way is to get into your bios and change the boot order so that the USB drive boots first. After it has reset once, you need to change it back unless you want it to install over and over again. I would go over how to do this but each bios is pretty much unique to the hardware.

Don’t forget to add SATA/RAID if you need them. Also, assuming you have the space, you can add any drivers or other programs that you may need to this flash drive because it is going to be there anyways.

Good luck, and have fun installing.

Credits

This page was original written by Donavon from HomeServerHacks, and modified to include how to install Windows Vista, and Windows Home Server Restore Disk.

• Turn Your USB Flash Drive into a Windows Install Disk
• FAQ: How To… Upgrade From a Trial or Beta Version of Windows Home Server
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• Add-In Update: WHS Disk Management 1.0.7.2

One of these systems, the PlayTech Home Server which is a AMD Athlon X2 4600+ processor based system, is reviewed in the May issue of New Zealand ‘s PC World. The review is authored by Sam Wood, a member of the WGS community and author of the great WHS Disk Management add-in. The review is two pages long but doesn’t appear to be available online, a short extract is included below (the extract covers an area we are all familiar with along with the rating on the system).

Sam does comment positively on many of the features of this well spec’d system from local NZ System Builder PlayTech  who have chosen to use the Silverstone SG01 case but does point out “a major letdown with the Chieftec SNT-2131 SATA hot-swap expansion bay handles…… being light and flimsy” and adds that “the built in 80mm fan still rivals the original NVIDIA slot coolers in overall noise production.”

Full details of the system can be found on Playtech’s web site.

Please post your comments and experience with this system in the WGS forums.

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You’ll probably know that Windows Home Server is meant to be able to configure remote access for your router if it supports uPnP, but in fact, this only seems to work with some routers. If you’re having problems with your existing router, make sure you’re running the latest firmware for the router, as this can work miracles.

So, if Windows Home Server auto-configured your router, then please visit the forums and let us know your router’s name and model number. If you have a firmware/hardware revision to hand, then that’s useful too. If you see a router listed that you do not believe auto-configures, it may be that you’re runner a different version of the router’s firmware. Please check the forum to see who submitted the router and contact them via the Personal Messaging system to check which firmware they’re using. Then let me know so I can update the list.

Update: List Updated 25th April 2008

So far we have:

• 3 Com 3CRWDR100A-72 (UK) (Firmware 2.06)
• 3Com 3CRWE554G72T (UK)
• Actiontec MI424-WR
• Asus WL-700gE (UK)
• Belkin N1 (UK)
• Belkin F5D7230-4 (UK)
• D-Link DGL-4100 (UK)
• D-Link DGL-4300 (UK)
• D-Link DGL-4500
• D-Link DI-524 (UK)
• D-Link DI-634M (UK)
• D-Link DIR-625 (Firmware 1.09)
  
• D-Link DIR-635 (UK)
• D-Link DIR-655 (UK)
• Dynalink RTA1025W
• Linksys BEFSR41 (UK)
• Linksys BEFSR81 (UK)
• Linksys BEFSX41 v.2 (UK)
• Linksys BEFW11S4 (UK)
• Linksys RT31P2
• Linksys WRT54G (UK)
• Linksys WRT54GL (UK) (v1.1)
• Linksys WRT150N (UK)
• Linksys WRT300N (UK)
• Linksys WRT350N (UK)
• Linksys WRT600N
• Linksys WRVS4400N (UK)
• Microsoft MN-500
• Microsoft MN-700
• Netcomm NB6PLUS4W
• Netgear DG834 (UK)
• Netgear FVS318 (UK)
• Netgear GT834GT
• Netgear WGR614 (HW v.6,7) (UK)
• Netgear WGT624 (UK) (V3, Firmware V4.2.10_1.0.1)
• Netgear WPN824 (UK)
• Sitecom WL-153
• SMC SMCWGBR14-N (Firmware 1.0.0.13) (UK)
• Thomson SpeedTouch 585i (UK)
• TRENDnet TEW-633GR
• TP Link TP-WR541G (UK)
• US Robotics USR8200
• Xincom XC-DPG502 (FW 2.1)
• Zyxel P-334WT
• Zyxel P-2602R-D1A
• Zyxel P-2602HW-D1A
• Zyxel X-550

Keep sending in your router models via the link below.

More Info: Routers That Successfully Auto-Configure with Windows Home Server (WGS Forums)

• Routers That Successfully Auto-Configure with Windows Home Server
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• FAQ: Windows Home Server and Port Forwarding
• Microsoft Windows Home Server Website Updated - Buy!
• Windows Home Server November Update Coming Tuesday November 27th

I bumped into Donavon West (from the excellent Home Server Hacks website) at the Microsoft MVP Summit last week and in the course of our conversation, he told me he was putting together a guide to building a Home Server for just $400 (£200). Surely it can’t be done! But sure, enough, Donavon has posted the first part of his guide over at the site.

So, if you’re looking to build a cost effective home server, or you just want to disprove those NAS-fans who keep telling you Windows Home Server is expensive, check out Home Server Hacks.

More Info: Build a Home Server for Just $400

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As you’ll see, the team provide a little background into the development of the HP MediaSmart Server, a discussion about current issues users are experiencing and at least a couple of subtle hints as to areas of potential development focus for the next generation of the HP MediaSmart Server. 

So, without further ado, let’s get into the Q&A.

1. Okay, so to kick off, please introduce yourself, your job title and tell us a little bit about your role.

We have three people contributing to the Q&A.  First is Allen Buckner…

Hi folks.  I work as the Senior Product Manager for the Home Server business within HP’s Managed Home Team.  What this means is that I have a pretty challenging and exciting role acting as the product champion for MediaSmart Server.  My responsibilities include analyzing our customer research, turning it into our marketing requirements and then working with our development team to deliver these requirements within our stated schedule and cost boundaries. 

Next is Josh Peterson…. Hello. I am the Worldwide Marketing Manager for the Home Server/Home Storage team within HP’s Managed Home. I lead the activities around: future and current product marketing, marketing communications, channel strategy, partner marketing, business strategy, and roadmap planning. With the MediaSmart Server and the Media Vault, we all stay very busy.

Last but not least is Dan Thero…

Hello,  I am the R&D manager for the HP MediaSmart Server and the new HP Media Vault within HP’s Managed Home.  I direct the day-to-day activities of the software and hardware teams as well as manage the program managers responsible for the program planning and scheduling for these products. 

2. Tell us a little more about the HP Managed Home Team - what is your purpose/vision, and what product areas do you cover? What products will we have seen developed by the team.

Josh- HP’s managed home team is focused on delivering connected entertainment experiences for customers.  By “connected entertainment”, we’re referring to the ability to deliver a variety of media enjoyment (movies, music, TV, photos) activities in both the PC and living room/digital entertainment areas of the home.  For example - streaming digital music collections around your home… easily sharing photos from any PC on the network to the television… accessing your home video collection when you’re away from home.  The specific products that you would have seen from our team include the HP MediaSmart Server and Media Vault, our MediaSmart HD televisions and our upcoming HP MediaSmart Connect device that will turn any TV into a connected TV. 

3. When was the first time you heard that HP were interested in developing a home server? How long did the hardware take to develop, and what were the biggest challenges to get to the marketplace?

Dan- It has been a little over two years since HP and Microsoft first started sharing ideas about producing a product in this category.  Josh Peterson and I led these early discussion for HP, and while it took a little while for both companies to put in place plans, Josh and I and our teams have been involved with moving this program forward ever since.  The hardware took a little over a year to finalize.  The greatest challenge for me was developing a new hardware software platform with a new set of requirements and challenges related to manufacturing, recovery, Install, and user functionality on an OS that was still under development as well.  Ultimately I believe both the HP MediaSmart Server and The MS WHS platforms have benefited from this process.

Josh - As Dan states, we’ve been working on this project for over two years. Early on, it was clear that HP and Microsoft shared the same vision for this Home Server category, and that was important. We’ve had a very collaborative approach on both hardware and software. One of the greatest challenges from a marketing perspective has to be creating a new product category in the market place. Server in the home? Why would I want a server in my home?

What’s interesting is that once you get just a few moments to explain the MediaSmart Server to even the most skeptical person, they are sold. They get it. They want it. I’ve seen it a hundred times, at trade shows, in the retail stores, among friends. The challenge is getting the message across to all the consumers out there who would benefit from this new product category. We’ve really taken a step back from the traditional approaches that HP typically follows in our new product marketing efforts, and we’ve been trying more progressive approaches that focus on getting our message out to the early adopters who would be most interested in this new product category. We continue to make progress, but we’ve barely started. With new category creation, word-of-mouth is paramount, so we’re very focused on delighting the customers. That’s where my focus will remain.

4. What is your vision for the HP MediaSmart Server - where do you personally want to see WHS in the future and how long do you think it will be before we see the category reaches scale?

Allen- There are a number of tagline type responses that I’ll spare you :)!  From my standpoint, I really see the home server evolving to the next “must-have” consumer electronic device in the home.  Research predicts that an explosion of digital content is taking place right now.  And homes are rapidly becoming networked. That means home servers and other intelligent devices that enable users to consume and serve this content hold the promise of becoming an indispensable part of our lifestyles.  Just as I have a heating/cooling system to manage the climate in my home, I see the home server becoming the appliance people turn to for access, protection and control of their personal and acquired media content. 

While we obviously feel the MediaSmart Server is a great first step, there are a variety of other activities that servers can begin to manage.  We see some of these other activities emerging via the existing add-in development that wegotserved and other sites have highlighted. 

I personally think that a few of the high impact (meaning opening up servers to new groups of customers) include centralized or whole-home DVR capability, more seamless media streaming to a variety of devices and platforms and yes, even the long-discussed integration into home automation activities such as heating/cooling and security system monitoring at the higher-end of the market.

Josh - I agree with Allen on everything he said, but I also think it’s important to point out how focused we are on Ease of Use. Without ease-of-use, we will never reach the mainstream consumers. Last September, we delayed our launch because our beta testing showed that people were having some trouble with setup and configuration. We made some critical changes to the out-of-box-experience with our setup wizard and then launched in November.

In addition to all the great use models that Allen alludes to above, I can guarantee you that we will continue our maniacal focus on ease-of-use and setup.

5. Why do you think that HP and Fujitsu-Siemens are the only two major OEMs in the Windows Home Server marketplace?

Allen - We’ve been working on home server in collaboration with Microsoft for over two years.  The platform itself holds a great deal of promise, but also requires manufacturers to adhere to some pretty strict requirements in terms of product capabilities, thermal levels, acoustic levels, etc.  Based on our discussions with others in the industry, these requirements are taking manufacturers much longer than anticipated to deliver.  We do expect additional competitors and I think that having more products will only help the overall category development. 

Dan - HP set the bar high in hardware and software integration, value add features, ease of use and cost.  The integrated Hardware / Software solution of a headless device is significantly more challenging than a PC.

6. I’d like to know the HP MSS team’s thoughts on whether the HP MSS EX470/475 is a “server” or an “appliance”? As a server, users expect to be able to add their own software and upgrade the hardware (such as RAM) if the application demands require it or a new version of the OS is released. As an appliance, it is more understandable that the hardware is sold “as-is” and should be replaced by new models.

John Andrews
San Diego, CA, USA

Allen- Good question John.  I think the definitions here are a bit cloudy.  In general, our goal with MediaSmart Server is to deliver a platform that can be upgraded (hardware or software) over time.  We certainly don’t see people replacing their home servers every two years as is done frequently with PCs, so our goal when possible is to provide a platform for future expansion and/or capabilities. 

For example, today you can upgrade the amount of drive capacity very easily via our tool-free, cable-free drive carriers.  And, we know that some people have upgraded the RAM (although it’s not supported). 

On the software side, we’ll soon be delivering our first software update including McAfee virus scanning and enhanced media streaming with Packet Video.  Over time, we plan to continue offering additional features and upgrades to the server, but will do so only when they meet our standards of ease of use for the end user.  And, you can of course add your own capabilities through the add-in mechanism and the multitude of software applications that have been written for the platform.  

7. Do you folks also work on the Media Vault? If so, which platform do you like best and why?

Dusty Craine
Burton, MI USA 

Allen- We do work on the Media Vault.  In terms of which product is better, it really depends on what a customer needs.  As we’ve been discussing, MediaSmart Server is really a platform for some pretty robust applications that will continue to add new capabilities over time (either via HP or 3^rd party add-ins).  It is also built on a PC architecture providing exceptional performance for things like multiple PC backups, streaming multiple HD content streams, etc. 

Our Media Vault products are excellent network-attached storage devices that we are purposely enhancing to include things like media streaming and remote access.  While the Linux platform doesn’t provide the same level of performance or extensibility as with a home server, it allows us to provide products at a lower cost/price point.  Ultimately, developing on both products enables us to meet the needs of a much broader set of customers than each one individually.  The result is we can start delivering on the promise of connected entertainment experiences to a broader set of customers. 

8. What are the Top 3 issues with the HP MediaSmart Server that you receive the most support calls about? What are you doing to try to resolve those issues?

Allen- Our top support issues include server name resolution that can occur in DNS environments, firewall blocking/configuration issues with the Server and remote access configuration.  As these issues indicate, home networking is still a complicated area for customers and we actually anticipated they would be our top call generators.  As such, we have a support team specifically trained on MediaSmart Server to help customers who encounter these or other issues. 

9. I think a very relevant question is what did HP do with Shadow Copies and why are they disabled on MediaSmart Servers?

Josh Pearl
New York, NY, USA

Dan - HP did not disable this feature.  A few months ago we learned with the rest of the user community that Version Shadowing Service “VSS” was enabled by default in the system builder version of WHS, however it was not enabled in OEM versions, most importantly it was not enabled on the HP Media Smart Server.

Microsoft disabled the feature for “sysprep” systems.  Sysprep is a Microsoft process for OEMs to create an OS image which has an embedded Microsoft license product key.  More specifically it was disabled in what is called the “sysprep script”

It is not clear from Microsoft whether this was a feature they wanted to be enabled or disabled prior to release, and the differences between the two OS versions may be the result of that confusion.  Microsoft has not provided HP with a mechanism to enable this feature and has indicated that HP should not enable this feature.  Therefore, HP support officially states that this is not supported.  It is not clear if, or at what point this feature will be disabled on the system builder version of WHS as well.

10. Have you seen the upgrades people have been doing (more memory, more processor)? Are you guys in the cheering section or feel as if these people are potentially setting themselves up for (hardware) failure?

Dusty Craine
Burton, MI USA

Dan - Yes and yes.  I think it’s great that people are excited about their Media Smart Server and want to customize it, or change it to improve performance, and download new applications to add to or change the products capabilities. 

However I must admit I cringe when I read about people disabling the power supply fan to make it quieter, or installing CPU’s with much higher power requirements then the main board was designed for to make it faster.  In some cases, we have pretty hard evidence that these folks are setting themselves up for hardware failures or OS and BIOS instability issues. 

In an effort to make our MSS small, quiet and reliable, we designed a fairly customized product that is not nearly as accommodating to these type of changes as some larger general purpose PC platforms.  I think that in the next hardware platform we need to consider how to better to accommodate the desire to upgrade, For now, however, people should be aware that these changes are voiding their warranty for a reason; I personally would not recommend many of these “upgrades”.

11. What can you tell us about the next version of the HP MediaSmart Server?
Christopher Gorman
Southend on sea, UK

Allen- well, I can tell you that it’s going to build upon the success we’ve seen with the current product.  We watch the blogs and forums with great interest to understand what people are doing or want to be doing with their MediaSmart Servers.   In addition, we’ve recently completed a survey of the early buyers of the current MediaSmart Server, and this feedback is being used to help define the next generation product. At a high level, we plan to continue delivering experiences that simplify the organization, access (home and remote) and enjoyment of content from the various PCs in the home. We will also continue our focus on ease-of-use and fast setup/configuration. Many of the future software enhancements that we make for the next generation product will be made available to the current installed base customers.

12. The four options for default webpage for a MSS (2 MS-based and 2 HP-based) are confusing and redundant. Getting to certain functions requires multiple Logins. Do you have any plans to integrate the Login process any better? Make it seamless? Thanks.

Paul Yantko
Atlanta, GA, USA

Allen- We carefully evaluated the addition of the TZO dymanic DNS service and MediaSmart server.   Ultimately we determined that the benefits (automatic e-mail notifications in webshare, ability to port an existing domain, etc. ) outweighed the cons.  That said, I agree that it can be confusing having two services, each with two different homepage options along with multiple logins in certain instances.  Simplification in this area is something our development team is evaluting.   

13. It is still a some time before the next version of WHS ships, but is there going to be any way to upgrade the MediaSmart Server to the next version of WHS when it comes out?
Michael Woodward,
Florence, AL, USA

Josh - it’s really hard to say at this point as we don’t really have much visibility into what the next WHS version will entail.  Stay tuned. 

14. Do you have plans to offer a media server version with 1-4 Cable Card based TV Tuners? That would fit in great with the HP Media Extender TVs.

Michael Wacey
Berwyn, PA

Allen- I agree that this solution would fit well with our HP MediaSmart TVs and the upcoming MediaSmart Connect digital media adapter product.  We closely monitor the Cable Card specification and in fact offer PCs with cable card slots.  We also discuss this type of functionality pretty regularly with Microsoft. While we can’t comment on possible future features, I will say that this is a capability that would require a pretty significant change to our hardware chassis.

15. Are there any plans to improve the power efficiency of WHS such that it turns off when not needed?
Michael Liu
New York, NY USA

Allen- A low power mode setting was something Microsoft added into the Windows Home Server O/S, but it unfortunately arrived too late for us to incorporate into our current MediaSmart Server.  In addition, with the HP Photo Webshare and the remote access capability, it can be inconvenient for someone attempting to access the server remotely if it is turned off or powered down.

16. Another thing I’m curious about is if they plan on an update that let’s Windows Media Center save recorded TV shows directly to the MediaSmart PC. Right now, the hack to (sort of) enable that capability is a little ugly. I guess in general, I would ask if there will be better integration between WHS and Media Center PC’s and what that may look like if so.
Colin McGraw
Castle Rock, CO USA

Allen- This is a great example of a feature we had on our roadmap, but then ran into technical challenges.  To offload recorded TV content from a Vista PC requires a change to the Vista security settings that is not supported by Microsoft.  For now, your solution and/or the third party path is probably your best route. 

17. Since printers are such a large part of HP’s business I was surprised that one of the things that HP didn’t “add” to WHS (software-wise) is some add-ons that make this box a great print server out-of-the-box. Sure, you can connect to the box using Remote Desktop and install the printer driver and printer yourself (and I have), but I’m surprised that this wasn’t a focus for HP. Is this something that is planned for a future release?
Geoff Armstrong
Fort McMurray, AB, Canada

Allen- Great question.  This was on our original feature list.  We discovered that due to driver compatibility issues, however, only a certain subset of printers worked.  The driver compatibility came from the fact that the WHS is based on a commercial operating system (Windows Server 2003).  This OS does not have a lot of drivers for consumer printers that are commonly found in the home.  In addition, owners of All-In-Ones lost the scanning and copying capability of their products through print sharing.  These issues, coupled with the fact that most new printers are network-enabled, lead us to remove this feature from consideration.  I’d be interested in hearing from the wegotserved community as to if this is indeed a highly desirable feature for future MediaSmart Server products… 

For those who really want to do this, we’ve seen some excellent tutorials out in the blogosphere that explain how this can be done. One example is: http://www.myhomeserver.com/?page_id=30

18. My question is whether the rumor that you might support Apple’s Time Machine backup is true. That would be huge as at my house we run a mix of Mac and PC’s, and this scenario is becoming more and more true in offices as well. I love the iTunes library piece, but am hoping for Time Machine support as well…
Aaron Booker
Bellingham, WA

Allen - Hi Aaron… this would be a great question for our friends at Apple.  As of now, Time Machine does not support backups to a network location outside of their Time Capsule product. 

19. Do you see any other potential hardware configurations housing Windows Home Server? For example, do you have any plans to introduce a server with Video Out, Additional Memory, Beefier Processor? Or even a smaller form factor like the Media Vault, perhaps?

Dusty Craine
Burton, MI USA

Allen - All of these ideas are on our list, but we’re unable to comment on any specifics related to future product development.

—-

So, there you go - a big thank you to everyone who submitted questions and also a big thank you to Allen, Josh and Dan at HP for taking time out to respond. Apologies if we didn’t get your question answered, but we had a lot of submissions!

I know that the team at HP spend a lot of time reading Home Server sites such as WGS, and are continually interested in feedback from the community,  so make sure you continue to post your thoughts and comments on the current HP MediaSmart Server, and what you want from the product in the future. If there’s specific areas of the Q&A you wish to respond to, please leave a comment.

As regards future Q&A, we’ve now covered Microsoft and HP - who do you want to hear from next?

• HP’s Managed Home Team Answer Your Questions
• Join Microsoft and HP Online to Hear About the HP MediaSmart Server
• Microsoft Considering OEM Home Server Release, New Beta On the Way
• Windows Home Server Hits RTM!
• HP Update Regarding the Windows Home Server Data Corruption Bug