Windows Home Server @ OcUK

At present we have 2 vista machines, 1 XP machine and an XP laptop. We share files and printers just between machines with no server at all. The Internet Router deals with the networking and DCHP server part.

Is there anything Home Server might do that I can't do just on file and printer sharing?
 
Seems a bit daft. I would want it to be a simple DHCP server and act as a firewall to the network too. If its just filesharing and simple things, then XP Home is much cheaper.
 
PsiFox said:
so it's an expensive way of mapping a network drive to any old pc working as a storage hub;)
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Yes.

Well, the way I run my sever it is yes. I know other people do all sorts of things on their servers, but what it boils down to is that you don't need a server in your house, you just need filesharing.

Having a server does mean though that if the other PC is off and they have something you want it wouldn't be a problem (provided they put it onto the server before turning off :p).

At the moment I run mine as a download machine aswell as a server for TeamSpeak. I will turn it into a centralised hub once I've got the money for some PCI SATA cards, so I can move my HDDs from my main pc into the server.

Mine is running Server 2003 though, not Home Server. :)


PhillyDee said:
Seems a bit daft. I would want it to be a simple DHCP server and act as a firewall to the network too. If its just filesharing and simple things, then XP Home is much cheaper.
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Well on S2k3 you can. Sorry I didn't quite get what you mean. So if it's based on S2k3 it should allow for DCHP and Firewall etc.

InvG
 
Looking forward to the mini review Stelly



Can anyone answer this?

nikebee said:
I've got (or rather will end up with) 3 machines in my house.

32bit Vista Premium Media Centre

32bit Vista Home Machine (my other halfs)

64bit Vista Premium Machine (my gaming machine)

If I build an old machine based around Windows Home Server, will my 64bit machine be able to work with this 32bit Build of WHS?

Or do I wait for the 64bit version of WHS?

Even then will the 64bit work with my 32bit machines?


Cheers :)
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?
 
MTA99 said:
Has it got any security policies? Could you limit read/write access for certain users?
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We'll have to wait for Stelly to test and review it to know that. :)

I'd have thought they should include some, but then it is home, so they may well not include much of the security/limits that the professional ones use.

InvG
 
InvaderGIR said:
Yes.

WHS is installed on a seperate machine, therefore it will have no effect on the 64bit machine.

You can still access files etc. accross the board of CPUs. :)

InvG
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not strictly true. of course you can do simple file sharing. but it won't backup/restore the machine as no 64bit client software is available yet. advanced features such as the integrated backup/restore over the network will not work.
 
Energize said:
They should have made a home server os that has easy to use ftp, web server, mail server, image hosting etc.

That would have been worth £90.
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Joe public would be able to use half of that. Iage hosting will require a fairly high bandwidth internet connection (something most people don't have), web serving will also require a domain name etc for it to be viable.

Burnsy
 
burnsy2023 said:
Joe public would be able to use half of that. Iage hosting will require a fairly high bandwidth internet connection (something most people don't have), web serving will also require a domain name etc for it to be viable.

Burnsy
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But enthusiasts could. I don't think many average users would buy something with server in the name anyway, someone wanting to run a server would already have a high bandwidth connection.

I'd love those features built in, I could put my images up in an instant with no limitations on the content, create a website with no limitations on the features and tons of storage space and monthly bandwidth, then buy a domain name later if I wished.
 
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I'd rather not have to install extra programs though.

Anyway those features would make it an actual server. Without them, it's just xp home.
 
Energize said:
I'd rather not have to install extra programs though.

Anyway those features would make it an actual server. Without them, it's just xp home.
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Have you used Home server before? It's much more than just XP home (the fact its based on the 2003 kernel for one.

Burnsy
 
Energize said:
Without them, it's just xp home.
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no it isn't. the backup/restore is the main feature not seen in any previous windows version. it does a full drive backup in a matter of minutes. let's say you hose your hard drive on your client pc and it's *******. you fit a new one. you boot the pc from one of the dvds included. it connects to the server over the network and does a complete restore. as i said earlier, much like ghost/acronis.....
 
marc2003 said:
no it isn't. the backup/restore is the main feature not seen in any previous windows version. it does a full drive backup in a matter of minutes. let's say you hose your hard drive on your client pc and it's *******. you fit a new one. you boot the pc from one of the dvds included. it connects to the server over the network and does a complete restore. as i said earlier, much like ghost/acronis.....
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Ok then, xp home with a backup program which you can probably get a free alternative for in the first place. Not worth £100.

If your hdd has 1GB of data then a matter of minutes may be the case, however if it actually has something installed on it, you can guarantee it will be longer. Espically if you have a 100Mb connection.;)
 
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