For all you Windows Home Server folks out there - a couple of interesting tidbits. First off - know that  the Windows Home Server team is now running a public beta of Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server. Folks trying out the public beta are from the original beta testers for Windows Home Server and yes the public beta does include the file corruption fix. No word on when exactly the public beta will be released into actual release code but I’m sure it’ll be relatively soon.

The second tidbit - if you’re an owner of an HP MediaSmart Server, then you’ll be interested to know that Microsoft and HP are planning to hold a series of webcasts (webinars) on how to do more with the HP MediaSmart Server. Topics will range from how to extend the Windows Home Server with Add-ins, to digital photography, and to mobile warriors. The first webinar will take place on June 25th and will feature special guest star Terry Walsh of “We Got Served!”. Check out http://www.windows.com/hpmediasmartwebinar for more information.

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HP showed off the HP EX470/EX475 MediaSmart Server at CES 2008 and announced three new enhancements which will become available in February. These enhancements include:

• Integrated server-side anti-virus software from McAfee for added security both at home and remotely
• Improved media streaming to DMA devices through Packet Video for enhanced experiences such as thumbnail photos and album art
• Support for Microsoft Windows Vista 64 bit OS

For those of you unfamiliar with the MediaSmart Server, this is basically HP’s implementation of the Windows Home Server platform. You can do the following:

• Centrally store and backup all of your files
• Share digital media with other Windows systems on your network
• Automatically backup and protect Windows systems on your network
• 500GB or 1TB capacities
• Powered by AMD Live! 64 bit Sempron processor
• Four internal hard drive bays
• Four USB 2.0 ports
• One eSATA port
• $599 for the 500GB model
• $749 for the 1TB model

Technorati Tags: HP MediaSmart Server EX470/EX475, Windows Home Server, CES 2008

Escient announced on Wednesday that their upcoming Vision Series Media Management product line will begin shipping in February of 2008. The new Vision Series includes the following products - the VS-100 and VS-200 which are two versions of an all-in-one server/media player system; the VC-1 networked audio/video zone player; and the VX-600 media server system. All the Vision Series products provide consumers with the ability to manage, access, and enjoy movies and music throughout the home via a simple intuitive user interface.

The best way to look at the Vision Series product line is as follows. The VS-100 and VS-200 are all purpose media player/server systems capable of storing, serving, and playing back multimedia (movies, music, photos) content to displays or other networked players. The VC-1 is a networked player which streams content from the Vision servers such as the VS-100/200 and the VX-600. You can deploy multiple VC-1 systems around the home to stream content all over from a central repository. If your storage needs are great, then you opt for the VX-600 which comes with lots of disk space.

Common features of the new Escient 5th generation Vision Series products include:

• All new high definition Escient user interface
• HDMI 1.3 capability and video upscaling to 1080p (for VS-100, VS-200, and VC-1)
• External control capability via Ethernet (for VS-100, VS-200, and VC-1)

Let’s quickly go over the details of the individual products within the Vision Series.

VS-100 and VS-200 Media Server/Player:

• VS-100 comes with dual 500GB drives while the VS-200 provides dual 1TB drives - both feature RAID 1 redundancy
• Plays CDs/DVDs
• Imports Music/Movies
• Automatic disc recognition
• HD user interface
• Stores digital video, audio, and photos on internal hard drive
• External changer support for encrypted DVDs (and CDs)
• Rhapsody Unlimited Music Service
• Steams audio and video to Vision VC-1 networked clients
• HDMI 1.3 In/Out
• Gigabit Ethernet
• USB mouse and keyboard support

VC-1 Media Zone Player

• Networked audio/video player with ability to stream audio and video from Vision servers allowing playback of multimedia content from any room of the home
• Plays DVDs/CDs
• Imports music/movies to VS and VX servers
• Automatic disc recognition
• HD user interface
• Rhapsody Unlimited Music Service
• 1080p video upscaling
• HDMI 1.3
• Gigabit Ethernet
• USB Mouse and Keyboard support

VX-600 Media Server

• Large capacity media server features four 1TB drives in RAID 5 configuration
• Advanced early detection monitoring systems for reliable installations in any networked home
• Expandable network storage for multimedia content
• Delivers simultaneous A/V streams for VS and VC clients
• CIFS file sharing
• Built in rack mount ears
• Hot swapable drives
• Built-in web interface for remote administration and monitoring

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Escient, Vision Series, VS-100, VS-200, VC-1, VX-600

Hush Technologies is now selling a Windows Home Server based product called the HUSH HS1 Home Server and Storage system. Similar in design to other Hush computer systems, the HS1 is the first fan-less Hush Server product for the home. With the HS1, you’ll be able to centrally store and access all of your family data - everything from music to photos to documents to videos.

I’ve always been a fan of Hush Technologies systems - especially the ones designed for Home Theater PC usage. Let’s face it - these systems don’t look like computers at all - rather they look like standard A/V components.

Features of the Hush HS1 Home Server include the following:

• 1GB DDR2 RAM
• RAID controller with support for RAID 0/1
• High quality aluminum case available in silver or black
• Measures 430 x 342 x 74 mm
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 2×250GB RAID1 up to 2×1TB RAID 1
• Windows Home Server with 10 client license

The price for the above system (500GB of HDD space) is $1329.88.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Hush Technologies, HS1 Home Server, Windows Home Server

While Windows Home Server reached RTM many months ago, Microsoft has finally announced that the new system is “generally available” as of November 4th. So what does it mean to be generally available? Well it means you’ll find some products now and many more products down the road. Companies that offer Windows Home Server products now include the Tranquil PC T7-HSA Tranquil Harmony Home Server and the Velocity Micro NetMagix Home Server. However, the most notable name in the Home Server market, HP, has yet to introduce their MediaSmart Server. Many online retailers are already taking pre-orders for the new AMD powered MediaSmart Server. According to Microsoft’s press release, the new MediaSmart Server will be shipped to customers later this month.

MediaSmart will be available in two versions - a 500GB version for $599 and a 1TB version for $749. Other companies due to come out with products include:

• Fujitsu Siemens with the SCALEO Home Server 1900
• Iomega with their HomeCenter Server which includes a 500GB HDD and four easy-swap drive bays
• Life|ware Life|storage
• MAXDATA Belinea o.center
• Medion Home Server with up to 2TB of storage

If you’re not in the mood to purchase a pre-built system, you can always roll your own Windows Home Server as the OEM version of the OS is now available for purchase at many online software retailers such as Newegg. Finally, Microsoft announced that more than 35 add-in programs have been created for the Windows Home Server platform. Solutions cover areas such as personal blogging, media sharing, home security, home automation, virus protection, and malware protection.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Windows Home Server, Microsoft, HP, MediaSmart Server,

Lanner Electronics has introduced a new Media Storage and Content Server device for the “Digital Home” called the NS04-3100. The Lanner NS04-3100 is basically a Media Server device designed to provide users the ability to share digital media files on a network with computers and DLNA compliant appliances.

The NS04-3100 features four internal SATA drive bays and supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and JBOD across all the drives. User’s can select the required level of data integrity for their own needs.

Features of the Lanner NS04-3100 include:

• Marvel 88F5281 processor for 30+ MBps read performance with minimal power draw
• DHCP and FTP server support
• UPnP AV and iTunes server support
• Supports Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Linux, and Mac OS X
• System back and restore functionality through optional software package for business oriented clients

Lanner expects volume shipments of the NS04-3100 to begin in September.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Lanner Electronics, NS04-3100, Media Server

While I’m still on the topic of Windows Home Server, I wanted to mention that I came across the HP MediaSmart Server product page here on the HP website. The HP MediaSmart Server was the system on display at CES 2007 earlier this year and will be one of the first WHS systems to come out shortly. The product page has probably been up for some time but this was the first time that I actually went looking for it. Here’s what we know about the machine from the page (most of this is actually WHS software specific):

• Create up to 10 user accounts
• Set up your own personal web address to allow file access remotely
• Add photos to HP Photo Webshare and easily share photos with friends and family. There’s a link to Snapfish for easy photo printing
• Backup computers on the network
• Expansion capacity up to 6TB using 750GB hard drives
• Four drive bays
• Four USB 2.0 ports
• AMD processor inside

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: HP MediaSmart Server, Windows Home Server

Welcome to part 2 of our look into the Windows Home Server Release Candidate 1 platform. In Part 1 of our series, I took a look at what it took to setup and install Windows Home Server (WHS). The system used for our WHS setup was an old Shuttle XPC system with a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of RAM, and a lone 120GB hard drive. Installing WHS was fairly a straightforward process but getting the server up and running was just one step in the overall process. The next step is to get WHS ready for use by computers on a network and deploying the Windows Home Server Connector software on networked PCs. WHS’s main purpose is to provide a central location for all of your digital content - whether it’s multimedia or otherwise. In addition to offering a central file server, Windows Home Server is capable of monitoring the health of networked PCs as well as backing up the data on the systems. Thus to get things going, we’re going to take a look at the Windows Home Server Connector software, what it takes to maintain and administer WHS,  what it takes to set up users, share files, and backup your systems.

(more…)

Technorati Tags: Windows Home Server, Windows Home Server Connector, WHS, Connector