Windows Home Server at CES 2007
As many of you know, Microsoft unveiled their new centralized network storage system at CES 2007 on Sunday called the Windows Home Server. The first product to use Windows Home Server will come from HP and is called the HP MediaSmart Server. HP MediaSmart Server will ship during the 2nd half of 2007.
Let’s quickly go over what Home Server will provide.
- Windows Home Server aims to provide an easy way to store and organize digital content.
- Windows Home Server will be able to automatically back up every Windows Vista or Windows XP based system in the home network. It will also be able to completely restore (in Microsoft parlance - “rewind”) a PC to a time when it was working just fine.Windows Home Server will act as a centralized way to monitor the health of all of your systems on your network and will report and notify the status to the home administrator of all Vista machines.
- A system running Windows Home Server will be accessible across multiple devices including other Windows machines or even the Xbox 360 console. You can even access a Windows Home Server system over the web via a personalized Windows Live Internet Address
- Printers can be connected and shared on a Windows Home Server system
- Windows Home Server allows for expandable storage - no matter the storage type or interface. If you run out of storage on the Home Server - no problem. Simply add an additional hard drive or drives to the system
- Comes with a set of predefined shared folders that are predefined for content - such as Photos, Videos, and Music. Users will also be able to create their own folders
- All data can be duplicated on a different drive. Users have the option of deciding whether their data needs to be duplicated for backup purposes or not for RAID like functionality. If a file is marked for duplication, a separate copy of the file will be saved on a different drive on the system.
Microsoft also announced several other hardware partners including AMD, Inventec, and Quanta Computer. All three will be showing off hardware reference designs for the Windows Home Server.
Here are pics of the Windows Home Server box and the related Microsoft booth at CES 2007.
Here are pictures of HP’s MediaSmart Server from HP’s CES booth.
HP’s MediaSmart Server includes four bays for additional hard drives as well as four USB ports for external devices such as hard drives and printers
Finally, no word on pricing. I asked both the Microsoft and HP reps on hand but go no feedback.
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February 19th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
[...] Again, if you’re interested, make sure to check out this link although the Home Server team is not guaranteeing everyone will be able to get into the Beta program. Ultimately the most common way of getting Windows Home Server will be via a integrated hardware/software purchase such as the HP MediaSmart Server. [...]
June 26th, 2007 at 1:54 am
[...] Windows Home Server first came on the scene earlier this year at CES 2007 when Microsoft announced the new platform and various hardware manufacturers (one of which was HP) announced systems designed to utilize the OS. During the first six months of this year, WHS underwent several beta releases and recently reached its first release candidate. Targeting an August time frame release, Windows Home Server (WHS) is Microsoft’s first major attempt at providing a centralized server solution for the digital home. So, why did Microsoft finally decide to enter this market? It was pretty simple actually - Microsoft saw an opportunity to deliver a solution to a growing problem in the digital home. Consumers now have a need to store information in a centralized manner at home. It’s as simple as that. Many more home users now have broadband connections, home networks, multiple computers, multiple devices, and much more digital content to deal with than ever before. The Windows Home Server platform was designed to support just such a home systems - providing a mechanism by which users could store and share data in a centralized manner as well as protect content on their individual PC’s by providing an automatic backup solution. [...]
July 6th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Hanselminutes Podcast 71 - Windows Home Server - Interview with Charlie Kindel…
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