***The Official Windows Home Server 2011 Thread***

[easyrider]

The release is currently cheap, Its here, It looses DE and no doubt people will eventually jump ship.Instead of getting the excellent Windows Home Server thread messed up with Version 2 2011 I thought I would start a new thread.

I am currently having issue with V1 and USB connectivity and hope the wegotserved forums will be able to help me fix the issue.

If you have installed 2011 and have any advice tips or tricks or you have any opinion's on V2 coming from V1 please post here.

My main concern with V2 is the loss of DE. My main use of WHS to stream movies to my cinema room and have no clue how I would manage my data without DE and having folders bigger than 2TB. Any advice?

Backup and duplication are also niggles I have. I want to move to the newer version but it has to be worth the effort.

Cheers

easy

 

[RimBlock]

Hi ER.

Yep have it as mentioned in you home cinema thread. Ask away .

RB

 

[easyrider]

Is it worth setting up my 6 x 2 tb drives as a Raid 5 before installation using the motherboard in built raid?

 

[RimBlock]

Is it worth setting up my 6 x 2 tb drives as a Raid 5 before installation using the motherboard in built raid?

Depends on your hardware and goals I guess.

I use a WD Scorpio Black 320GB boot drive as it is fairly cheap, fast and low power. I could use a second for raid 1 redundancy via a motherboard raid chipset if I wanted a zero downtime 'boots and braces' approach.

I then have my data disks separate for a couple of reasons;
1. Any 'playing around' with the data or data disks will not affect the OS.
2. I can use software raid via Windows which is transferable to any other Windows server (WHS 2011, SBS 2011, 2008r2 and possibly backwards compatible to WS 2003), import and access my data.

The advantages of MB raid is that you can boot off it. The big disadvantage is that a bios upgrade or motherboard change may make reset your arrays. MB hardware raid is usually just software raid built in to a chip on the motherboard unless you have a server motherboard with a decent raid controller (the more expensive Adaptec, LSI or Areca chipsets).

What drives are you planning to put in a raid 5 array as I would strongly advise against using any 'Green' hard disks based on personal experience and reading reports all over of other peoples problems.

An idea of what kind of hardware and data requirements you have including would make a tailored answer much easier:

1. Hardware

• MB, case , Hard disks (makes and models).
• Ram (just amount)).

2. Data.

• Amount of 'Always live' critical data (i.e. stuff needed for work).
• Amount of 'Cannot loose but can stand a delay in retrieving' data (i.e. personal photos that you can get in an hour or so).
• Amount of 'Would rather not loose but can get back if needed' data (i.e. ripped DVDs/CDs/Blurays that could be recovered in a few days).
• Amount of 'Meh, I was thinking of deleting that anyway' data.
• The forecast growth in each category over the next 12 months.

I am currently looking at building DAS boxes with 12/16/20 or 24 drive bays (like a Dell MD1000). This is mainly for myself but also for others if there is an interest. Ideally for people, like myself, with home cinema rooms where they have a cabinet and Hp mini-server (or the like) but require expansion and are looking for something a fair bit cheaper than an 'off the shelf' Dell.

Regards
RB

 

[Avalon]

I currently run both v1 (10? internal drives, 4 external USB drives) and v2 (HP MicroServer 8gb, 250gb boot + 4*2TB). If i'm honest v2 is quicker in general (probably due to the bottleneck of the external USB drives) but my main box won't be shifting over any time soon. I gambled that the plugin drive pooling options would give a stable and transparent alternative to DE and so far that's not the case but i'm still playing. Drive pooling works but gives zero redundancy and I don't want to tie myself to a specific motherboards implementation of RAID.

I'll wait till the various options hit RC and evaluate them properly.

 

[Combat squirrel]

Does anyone know if I can buy home server 2011 online and download and install it ?

Simple yes or no, as I dont want to wait for it to be delivered in the post, and I need/want it tonight.

 

[easyrider]

Depends on your hardware and goals I guess.

I use a WD Scorpio Black 320GB boot drive as it is fairly cheap, fast and low power. I could use a second for raid 1 redundancy via a motherboard raid chipset if I wanted a zero downtime 'boots and braces' approach.

I then have my data disks separate for a couple of reasons;
1. Any 'playing around' with the data or data disks will not affect the OS.
2. I can use software raid via Windows which is transferable to any other Windows server (WHS 2011, SBS 2011, 2008r2 and possibly backwards compatible to WS 2003), import and access my data.

The advantages of MB raid is that you can boot off it. The big disadvantage is that a bios upgrade or motherboard change may make reset your arrays. MB hardware raid is usually just software raid built in to a chip on the motherboard unless you have a server motherboard with a decent raid controller (the more expensive Adaptec, LSI or Areca chipsets).

What drives are you planning to put in a raid 5 array as I would strongly advise against using any 'Green' hard disks based on personal experience and reading reports all over of other peoples problems.

An idea of what kind of hardware and data requirements you have including would make a tailored answer much easier:

1. Hardware

• MB, case , Hard disks (makes and models).
• Ram (just amount)).

2. Data.

• Amount of 'Always live' critical data (i.e. stuff needed for work).
• Amount of 'Cannot loose but can stand a delay in retrieving' data (i.e. personal photos that you can get in an hour or so).
• Amount of 'Would rather not loose but can get back if needed' data (i.e. ripped DVDs/CDs/Blurays that could be recovered in a few days).
• Amount of 'Meh, I was thinking of deleting that anyway' data.
• The forecast growth in each category over the next 12 months.

I am currently looking at building DAS boxes with 12/16/20 or 24 drive bays (like a Dell ML1000). This is mainly for myself but also for others if there is an interest. Ideally for people, like myself, with home cinema rooms where they have a cabinet and Hp mini-server (or the like) but require expansion and are looking for something a fair bit cheaper than an 'off the shelf' Dell.

Regards
RB

Hardware

i3 540 CPU
P7H55M-USB3 mobo
Corsair 4GB DDR3

6x 2TB drives

1x 250GB WD

4 x Seagate 5900 LP
2x Samsung F3 5400

Data

HD MOVIES/MUSIC/HD HOME VIDEOS/USERS/PHOTOS ALL NEED TO BE BACKED UP

People are watching films all the time listing to music etc...all the time so the data is accessed.

My current HD Video folder is just under 4TB with duplication on

 

[RimBlock]

I currently run both v1 (10? internal drives, 4 external USB drives) and v2 (HP MicroServer 8gb, 250gb boot + 4*2TB). If i'm honest v2 is quicker in general (probably due to the bottleneck of the external USB drives) but my main box won't be shifting over any time soon. I gambled that the plugin drive pooling options would give a stable and transparent alternative to DE and so far that's not the case but i'm still playing. Drive pooling works but gives zero redundancy and I don't want to tie myself to a specific motherboards implementation of RAID.

I'll wait till the various options hit RC and evaluate them properly.

I did try one of the drive pooling plugins but lost a whole directory (around 1TB) after copying it over. I stopped using it since then.

Spanning and robocopy syncing works for me.

You also have access to a number of Win Server 2008r2 roles although they are 'unsupported' (admin console -> roles -> add role). Fills in a few bits missing compared to SBS 2011 although not exchange or Sharepoint.

RB

 

[RimBlock]

Does anyone know if I can buy home server 2011 online and download and install it ?

Simple yes or no, as I dont want to wait for it to be delivered in the post, and I need/want it tonight.

Not legitimately AFAIK. MS only provides access to a demo site. If you 'acquire' a copy (MSDN versions floating around) then you can put in your serial number when you get your copy to activate it (it expires after around 30 days).

RB

 

[RimBlock]

Hardware
i3 540 CPU
P7H55M-USB3 mobo
Corsair 4GB DDR3
6x 2TB drives
1x 250GB WD
4 x Seagate 5900 LP
2x Samsung F3 5400

Data
HD MOVIES/MUSIC/HD HOME VIDEOS/USERS/PHOTOS ALL NEED TO BE BACKED UP

People are watching films all the time listing to music etc...all the time so the data is accessed.

My current HD Video folder is just under 4TB with duplication on

Ok, a couple more questions.

How much space do you have left over those 6 2TB drives (4 used, duplication on, whats left) ?. I believe the duplication works like a raid 1 array so you should have 4 GB left (2 usable if raid 1).

Do you need to backup more than once a night ?

I imagine you are using the 250GB as a boot drive then ?

I would be inclined to just setup a raid 10 (1+0) array. Now the slightly dodgy bit is that you are mixing and matching drives which is not such a great idea as one manufacturers 2TB drive may not have the same space, cylinders, alignment as another so it will not be so efficient as matched drives and may even cause issues. Some insist on the same firmware rather than just matched manufacturer and size.

Another option is to just creating two spanned drives where the different types will not matter as it just links one drive to another and then another and shows them as a single drive (JBOD) and sync them together which is more or less what I am doing. Using robocopy (free MS tool) you can set scheduled tasks on specific folders so they can be backed up at different time intervals (photos/docs etc every 15 minutes, movies/music every night). Robocopy can be set to keep the source and destination in perfect sync or can be set to update only with new stuff.

Both of these options are only to give a live snapshot of the current system and are not able to let you roll back to a previous time (ie, if someone has deleted an important file and the sync has run). For that you would need something like Windows backup with WHS and enough storage to support it.

RB

 

[Combat squirrel]

Not legitimately AFAIK. MS only provides access to a demo site. If you 'acquire' a copy (MSDN versions floating around) then you can put in your serial number when you get your copy to activate it (it expires after around 30 days).

RB

May do this, for now I installed windows 7 which works fine as a server OS, so far,lol

 

[RimBlock]

May do this, for now I installed windows 7 which works fine as a server OS, so far,lol

I am sure it will do you fine but WHS 2011 is currently cheaper if you do not have a Win 7 license spare .

RB

 

[platypus]

RB...

A DAS option looks good. Can't find the ML1000 (did you mean the MD1000 - which is fantastically expensive?), but what would it be like running WHSv1 (I don't plan to upgrade (yet)). Could you link more info into what you're looking at?

 

[RimBlock]

RB...

A DAS option looks good. Can't find the ML1000 (did you mean the MD1000 - which is fantastically expensive?), but what would it be like running WHSv1 (I don't plan to upgrade (yet)). Could you link more info into what you're looking at?

A DAS or Direct attached Storage is basically a disk pack which can connect to your WHS (or other NAS/Server/filer). The difference between DAS and a external hard disk is that a DAS will allow multiple disks 1-24 is not uncommon, although I have seen 64 in a single unit, and if designed correctly, to perform at their best (i.e. top speed when needed). If designed in a specific way they can also be daisy chained. They can also be disconnected and moved to another machine with the correct controller and just plugged in. Means you can have a tiny server on top of a disk pack that can expand or be changed over time. You could also have the server somewhere and the disk pack up to 12 meters away.

Yes I did mean the MD1000 .

RB

 

[platypus]

Quite an expensive option then..something like the Icy Dock seems ok, can't remember if my mobo has an esata port though...

I may well have to look at a new case. There really isn't much room left in mine now that I've stuck in another hdd.

 

[RimBlock]

Quite an expensive option then..something like the Icy Dock seems ok, can't remember if my mobo has an esata port though...

I may well have to look at a new case. There really isn't much room left in mine now that I've stuck in another hdd.

Well it depends on what you are looking for. I am working on a set of units that hopefully will allow modular upgrades along the lines of the Cyrus HiFi boxes. One server box (DVD+HDD or two) then either a eSATA box (4 HDDs), SAS/SATA box (4 HDDS) but the SAS/SATA box can be linked to an extender box which will allow you to connect upto 5 SAS/SATA boxes. Each box is micro-ITX so around shoebox size. Should be able to stack them, chop and change them even have two disk packs connected and mirrored then take one offsite for backup. Two boxes side by side should be the same size as standard HiFi component. Bit of work still to do though.

You should be able to get a cheap eSATA card from most places.

RB

 

[Martynt74]

Just posted this in the other WHS but it might be better in here, didnt spot it before!

I've just got around to setting up my WHS using WHS 2011. I’ve got Squeezebox server running perfectly fine which I was surprised at as I had expected it would be a bit of a pain for some reason.

I’ve got a couple questions however.

I’ve got 2 x 2tb HD’s in there at the moment. As such I’ve got 3 partitions. C Drive is 60gb, D drive is around 1.8tb and then G drive is about 1.8tb as well. WHS auto created a folder on my D Drive called “Server Folders” and inserted a pile of shared folders within that. It left my G drive empty and I’ve happily created two folders on that called “FLAC” and “MP3”

1) However what I’d ideally like is to have my C Drive with the WHS installation on it. The D Drive to only contain 3 folders “TV Series”, “Movies” and “Pictures” and then various folders within that. However when I try to delete any folders from the D Drive I then start getting errors in my Dashboard that “Server Folders” are missing and need to be recreated. Is there a proper way to go about this?

2) Secondly I used to have a Vortexbox setup which had an Autorip function which was fantastic for the amount of CD’s that I buy! I’ve tried to look to see what I can use to replicate this on my WHS however the options seem limited. There is a program called My Movies, however that wants to charge me about £50 for the priviledge of using their CD ripper. I have DB Poweramp on my laptop which I was hoping to use but this isn’t supported on WHS 2011 yet. Would I be able to install the Windows 7 version of DB Poweramp onto WHS 2011 (as I have done with Squeezebox Server)? Otherwise I’ll have to just use my laptop still and have it rip to a folder on the server.

3) Lastly, how do I do manual backups? I’ve set up a backup schedule although I might not always have my USB HD connected. As such I’d rather just be able to connect the drive and then press a button and it backups up. Also does anyone know the process for backing up. Does it just backup any changes so it won’t be a process which takes ages?

 

[platypus]

Well it depends on what you are looking for. I am working on a set of units that hopefully will allow modular upgrades along the lines of the Cyrus HiFi boxes. One server box (DVD+HDD or two) then either a eSATA box (4 HDDs), SAS/SATA box (4 HDDS) but the SAS/SATA box can be linked to an extender box which will allow you to connect upto 5 SAS/SATA boxes. Each box is micro-ITX so around shoebox size. Should be able to stack them, chop and change them even have two disk packs connected and mirrored then take one offsite for backup. Two boxes side by side should be the same size as standard HiFi component. Bit of work still to do though.

You should be able to get a cheap eSATA card from most places.

RB

Any ideas about good HDD boxes that are good for cooling?

 

[RimBlock]

Any ideas about good HDD boxes that are good for cooling?

Really depends on where you plan to put it. Most cases will probably do what you want. Are you concerned about looks / noise ?. Is it going to be in public view or in a cupboard somewhere ? How many hard drives for the case, hot swap or not ?. .

Oh and connectivity (eSata / USB 2 or 3 / Firewire) ?

Lots of questions but better to give a decent recommendation.

Cheers
RB

 

[RimBlock]

1) However what I’d ideally like is to have my C Drive with the WHS installation on it. The D Drive to only contain 3 folders “TV Series”, “Movies” and “Pictures” and then various folders within that. However when I try to delete any folders from the D Drive I then start getting errors in my Dashboard that “Server Folders” are missing and need to be recreated. Is there a proper way to go about this?

Yep, in the WHS dashboard tool, under shares and folders (IIRC) you can right click a share and then choose move to move it to somewhere else (possibly properties -> move). Not at my machine so cannot double check but you get the idea. I don't think it deletes the original though, just creates and links to the new one. Personally I would get a small system drive (160GB or above is fine unless you want to hack about and in that case you can install to a much smaller drive) then use the 2x1TB drives spanned (Windows software raid) to make one big drive then you don't have to worry about what media is on which drive. Just make sure you have a backup of important data as loose one disk and you loos all the data with a spanned drive (like raid 0).

2) Secondly I used to have a Vortexbox setup which had an Autorip function which was fantastic for the amount of CD’s that I buy! I’ve tried to look to see what I can use to replicate this on my WHS however the options seem limited. There is a program called My Movies, however that wants to charge me about £50 for the priviledge of using their CD ripper. I have DB Poweramp on my laptop which I was hoping to use but this isn’t supported on WHS 2011 yet. Would I be able to install the Windows 7 version of DB Poweramp onto WHS 2011 (as I have done with Squeezebox Server)? Otherwise I’ll have to just use my laptop still and have it rip to a folder on the server.

Most if not all Win 7 software should work on WHS. Take a system backup and then give it a try. Worst case you can roll back.

3) Lastly, how do I do manual backups? I’ve set up a backup schedule although I might not always have my USB HD connected. As such I’d rather just be able to connect the drive and then press a button and it backups up. Also does anyone know the process for backing up. Does it just backup any changes so it won’t be a process which takes ages?

I would have a quick read here about some of the quirks of WHS 2011 backups. It does mention that you should be able to kick off a manual backup although how is not stated and I cannot take a look from home (still not correctly configured the RDP connection so cannot connect from work).

RB