Today I am in the lovely city of Reno, Nevada for the Hot August Nights car show and to visit my sister with her dead Buffalo. While I am here I will be replacing that Buffalo NAS with a new $200 HP MediaSmart LX195 Windows Home Server.
Background
My sister called me last month and said the Buffalo NAS drive I had bought her was no longer accessible. She lives over 500 miles away so there was nothing I could do to help her. Knowing that I could not remotely fix this drive, I decided not only to try and retrieve the data on my next visit but to also come up with a solution for future access issues. The solution was a LX195 by HP. Since I was coming up to go to Hot August Nights in a few weeks I thought I would surprise her with the new HP LX195 and write an article about the installation.
Her main use of the Buffalo L320GL NAS was for music and PC backups, when she remembered to perform them. In all fairness, with the birth of her son last year, she really has not had the time to maintain her backup policies. In addition, two of her four Dells are wireless so using the XP Backup Utility was a pain, unreliable and did not always work across the wireless network.
Enough of the background. Everyone needs a WHS. No reason to keep justifying it. Seriously.
Lets set this pig on fire!
Equipment Needed:
- LX195 MediaSmart Server
- Six Imported Beers (provided by my sister but always optional)
- The First Five Add-Ins
- UPS Power Supply (Optional – CyberPower UPS 550VA UPS on sale at BB today)
- A copy of the Windows Home Server Users Guide to leave with her so she can get to know and love her new WHS as we all do
LX195 Description
Once out of the box the LX195 has a nice look that should fit in with any home or small office. The size is just right for her needs as she has been using a 320GB Buffalo and still has a little space left. I am so used to my Dell PowerEdge that when I see something this small I have to take a step back and appreciate the technology. If she really starts using the storage capabilities we can always add a 1TB drive later on.
Installation of the LX195
Installation of the LX195 is easy. There is a power cord with external power block and one Ethernet cable to connect. I am also adding a USB cable to connect to the UPS to the WHS. Installation complete. I press the power switch. The pig is officially on fire.
Mental note: Hope this goes fast and easily. I cannot wait to play Keno in a Casino in Reno. What’s in your wallet?
Setup and Configuration
Setup of the LX195 is simple. Put in the WHS Connector CD and let the first connected PC do its thing. You probably should not leave it unattended since your firewall program will need you to make some allowances during the set up process.
Setup took me 19 minutes from the time I plugged it in to the time I could start using the WHS console. Keep in mind I was also doing screen shots during this time so it probably was actually half that time to get it running.
Each step is self explanatory and no additional directions are needed. I will spare you the the step by step in the main body of this article and put the screen shots at the end. The HP guide and setup process is very nice. Being an OEM myself, and installing my parents EX470 long ago, the new software interface has a nice feel to it.
Mental note: Our OEM versions miss out with the customization and support that companies like HP offer with their systems. My OEM does not have the iTunes server, McAfee (TBD good or bad) or the HP Online Backup.
Installation and setup is complete and I am ready to install some Add-Ins to enhance the functionality of the HP LX195 and WHS.
The First Five Add-Ins
In my opinion you should install five core Add-Ins before you can “walk away” from any WHS installation. The Add-Ins below are just MY core installs and are listed in no particular order.
- Grid Junction
- WHS Admin Installer
- WHSBDBB
- WHS Disk Management
- Remote Notification
Download these core Add-Ins (and many more) at:
http://www.homeserverland.com/downloads/m/whsaddins/default.aspx
I have written articles on each of these Add-In so please read those posts for detailed information on each of these wonderful Add-Ins.
The Add-In installations were quick and easy. The CyberPower UPS was recognized instantly by the Grid Junction Add-In, Remote Notification was easy and just required entering the data similar to my other WHS systems and WHS Management is for future use.
Conclusion
I am very happy with this installation. I am doing the initial backups for each system as I write this article and already feel confident about the LX195 as WHS.
Mental note: I am adding a little USB powered 160GB Western Digital hard drive to the LX195 so I can copy the BDBB to an off-site location.
The HP LX195 is now watching over my sisters network and I need to get to a casino. So much for the HOT in Hot August Nights. It was a cool 66 degrees here today. I am off to watch Cruise Night in Downtown Reno so this article is officially in the books.
See you next Friday night,
Timothy Daleo
Screen Shots of the HP LX195 Setup and Connector Installation Process
and finally…
Tim – Your posts are always a good read. I think you better trademark you catch phrase "Lets set this pig on fire!". I chuckle every time I read it.
Thank you for the compliment. I think I will let Andrew worry about my trademark and copyright issues.
Viva WHS.
Just an FYI Update:
I revived the Buffalo NAS and will be sending it to a good home. Probably to someone I do not like.
The GX60 I brought up to Reno had a root directory virus (BSOD) cause my niece likes to visit Japanese anime websites. I have spent all day reinstalling Windows. #^&*$($#*
I just installed the connector and am finally backing up to WHS.
Viva WHS. Seriously.
Great review. now where do I get one for $199?
cheapest i found was $299 at Amazon
Thanks
george
The sales come and go. I watch:
http://www.techbargains.com/
and
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/
for good deals. I also check the HP Outlet site for deals. Keep an eye for out for coupons since they tend to be the big reductions.
One final note: Bing (formally known as Live) gives cashback for purchases at HP. The current cashback as of today shows 15%!
Tim
complex post. simply one detail where I quarrel with it. I am emailing you in detail.
Question: Can WHS run WSS 3.0 (SharePoint)?
I found this yesterday http://homeserver.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/wss…
I understand that HP does not support it (officially).
John
Running WSS on Windows Home Server is not supported – forget whether HP support it or now.
It can be done, but you should do so at your own risk.
Can I also ask that if you have any further questions you should direct them to the forums.
thanks
Andrew