Windows Home Server 2011 Drive Mirror -Video Edition

Mirror, mirror on the drive. I need my data to stay alive. Windows Home Server 2011 has a built in Drive Mirror feature that will allow you to create a synchronized copy of the drive. While this feature is not new to Microsoft products, the ease of setup from within the Server Manager makes it easy for the WHS 2011 user to create Mirrors. Check out the video!

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

Windows Home Server 2011 Drive Set Up

Before you start the mirror process you want to make sure your data is organized. Best practice would be to mirror before any data is on the the drives to save time, but if they already have data you are still ok.

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

Organize your data and decide which drive(s) you will Mirror.

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

Windows Home Server 2011 Drive Mirror

To create a Drive Mirror you use the Server Manager. If you do not see the Server Manager in your Task Bar, navigate to Administrative Tools through the Start Menu. You might want to grab your favorite beverage and RAID the cookie jar before you start this process.

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

The video will show you how to create a Drive Mirror.

Windows Home Server 2011 Drive Mirror Process

My drives had a lot of data on them when I created the Mirror. I would suggest doing this when they are empty if possible.

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

4 1/2 hours into the Mirror process. The drives were half full so I know it was going to take a while.

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

6 1/2 hours into the Mirror process. It was ok. I had time to go outside and spray the ants with RAID anyway.

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

Disable Backups During Mirror Process

I decided to cancel my backups during the Mirror sync since it was trying to backup C: and F: data while it was also moving D: and E: data. This taxes the CPU and just makes the whole process take longer. I would suggest starting the backup again after the Mirror sync is done and process is completed.

WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

Conclusion

Creating the Mirrors in Windows Home Server 2011 is easy and works great. I feel safe that my data is backed up and am even planning on adding more drives as these start to fill up.WHS 2011 Drive Mirror

Windows Home Server 2011 Release Candidate

You can download Windows Home Server 2011 at:

Download WHS 2011

Windows Home Server 2011

The installation of Windows Home Server 2011 has only a few basic requirements.

Windows Home Server 2011 is a 64-bit only operating system.

You can install the server software either manually or unattended.

System Requirements

  • 1.4 GHz x64 processor
  • 2 GB RAM
  • At least one 160 GB (or larger) hard drive
  • NTFS is the only supported file system

Supported networking configuration:

  1. Your server computer must be connected to a router via a network cable
  2. Windows Home Server works best with a UPnP certified device, but it is not required
  3. The router works best in the 192.168.x.x subnet, but it is not required

Try Windows Home Server 2011 and download from Connect today!

And don’t forget to check out some of our other Windows Home Server 2011 Videos and Walk-throughs

BBC iPlayer Now Available on the Apple iPad and on Android

Today the BBC launched their official Apple iPad version of their iPlayer software here in the UK, so now you can watch BBC programming on your iPad! And it’s also available on Android.

IMG_0009

You can download it now from the Apple AppStore – it is only a 3.6 MB file so it won’t take very long.

IMG_0001IMG_0002

Using iPlayer on the iPad is very simple – you get access to TV:

IMG_0003

Radio:

IMG_0004

And you can even set up your favourites to find things quicker:

IMG_0005

You can easily see what is on:

IMG_0006

And search either by type of programme, or by programme title:

IMG_0007

You can then choose something to watch and you can various details about it, including when it will be available until:

IMG_0010

Then all you need to do is just sit back and enjoy whatever you choose:

IMG_0011

The quality was fantastic and I had no problems at all. Well done BBC!

The BBC have also posted this on their website:

BBC iPlayer is now available on tablet devices within the UK. If you have a tablet bought in the UK, it will not be able to access television programs on BBC iPlayer when abroad. You can access BBC iPlayer by following the BBC iPlayer link on the BBC homepage or by typing http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer into your web browser.

We are currently supporting BBC iPlayer on the Apple iPad. In the future we expect to add support for other tablet devices.

The BBC doesn’t charge for the iPlayer service but your Internet Service Provider may charge you for the bandwidth used.

Always ensure that you have the most up-to-date firmware/operating system installed on your device – please refer to your manufacturer for any help with this – and that you have a strong enough mobile network signal or wi-fi connection. If you lose connectivity while streaming you may need to start again.

You could also try browsing our message boards, which discuss many aspects of the service including common issues and problems. Please note that because this content is not generated by the BBC, it is not searchable via our search tool; however, we suggest typing key words such as BBC iPlayer + your issue into your preferred search engine.

Have you used it yet? What do you think?

Windows Phone’s First Update Available Soon!

Based on the Microsoft KB article 2484484 Troubleshooting problems during software update for Windows Phone 7 which has been released in anticipation of the upcoming update for Windows Phone 7. It’s safe to assume the first WP7 update will be available soon.

Gregg Sullivan, Senior Product Manager for Windows Phone 7, has made recent statements stating the update is not too far away.  According to Sullivan, Microsoft plans to release the first of two updates within the next few months. Obviously, the first update will bring copy and paste, which was announced at launch, as well as bug fixes and better performance when loading applications. The second update, which is planned for release in “the first half” of this year, will bring CDMA support for Sprint and Verizon.

If you read through the article; updating through the Zune Desktop client may not be as smooth as one would think, especially for the people that currently own a WP7 device but have never used the Zune Client.  Hopefully the kinks will be worked out by the time the update is released.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 RTM

Today Microsoft have RTM’d both the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 builds.

Windows7_v_printWindows_Server_2008_v_print

Here is what Microsoft posted on their blog:

Today we officially handed off the final release (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to our OEM partners. On February 16th Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will be available for MSDN and TechNet Subscribers as well as Volume License customers. On February 22nd, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will become generally available for folks to download via the Microsoft Download Center and available on Windows Update.

For Windows 7, SP1 will help keep your PCs well supported by delivering ongoing updates, many of which have been made previously available through Windows Update. It also includes client-side support for RemoteFX and Dynamic Memory which are two new virtualization features enabled in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. Read more about those updates here from the Windows Server Team.

I’ve been using the SP1 beta for a number of months now and haven’t had any problems, so I will be updating to the final release when its available. I wonder how the 2008 R2 SP1 will affect the Windows Home Server 2011 RC?

Unboxing the Tranquil PC ixLS Power PC

Back in January, Tranquil PC announced their next generation ixL PC – the ixLS, powered by Sandy Bridge. Well ours has arrived and we give it the unboxing treatment.

IMG_3686

Here is how Tranquil describe the ixLS range:

Bringing beauty, power, efficiency and reliability to your desktop. Designed from the ground up, to provide a reliable and fan less cooling system for the power user, the ixLS Power PC can process any application with ease. High definition video, complex 3D rendering, or just writing a letter – just do it. Fit your choice of Intel Sandy Bridge CPU- any version delivers stunning performance

With numerous audio / video outputs, high speed GBE LAN – the ixLS can be deployed in almost any environment, for almost any application. With the new Sandy Bridge CPU you can expect the very best performance – for more information on the main board / CPU options / Performance please visit here

You can now run the most demanding applications with ease, knowing that the power is there when you need it, and yet the power consumption is under 30W when you’re just idling along.

With specialised and enhanced cooling technologies, the ixL runs without fans, ensuring long term reliability, and almost zero noise – just like you want.

With the optional Media Centre IR receiver / HMDI output you can also even use the ixL as a Media Centre PC. With 1x 2.5″ and 1x 3.5″ HDD bays – you can mix and match your storage requirements.

Sandy Bridge Problems

As you may have heard, Intel discovered a problem with Sandy Bridge as reported by Tim a few weeks ago.

Tranquil have this posted on their website:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]The second generation, or Sandy Bridge systems were originally available in January, but Intel discovered a small fault and have announced that the main boards, equipped with the corrected ‘Cougar Point’ chipset will be available from early to mid April. Tranquil will deliver ixLS systems from that time.[/box]

What’s In The Box?

The box itself contains the ixLS and a power supply.

IMG_3675IMG_3677

A Closer Look at the ixLS

IMG_3678IMG_3679IMG_3683IMG_3684IMG_3687

Watch out for our full hands-on review soon.

http://www.tranquilpc-shop.co.uk/acatalog/sandy_bridge.html

Windows Home Server 2011 State of the Union Article in SMB PC Magazine

The January / February 2011 issue of SMB PC magazine is out and in it is an article on Windows Home Server 2011, written by yours truly!

SMB Jan issue

I was honoured to be asked to write a State of the Union style article on Windows Home Server 2011 for SMB PC magazine. The hardest part I has was balancing all the negative comments and feedback about WHS 2011 and with what I could actually talk about that wasn’t under NDA! Watch out for a follow up article soon!

Below is the article – let me know what you think.

GeekSpeak 2011

Download the Jan / Feb 2011 SMB PC Magazine now

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive – Two Minute Review

Ok, so it is another hard drive. What is to review? How about interchangeable interface, USB 3.0 speeds and drive size. Read on to see how it performed.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0

I did not need another drive but I found a great deal at Newegg and could not pass this beauty up.Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0

It looks pretty even with the protective plastic still on.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0

1.5 TB Drive Size

Does this case make me look fat? No, your platters make you look fat. It is about 22mm (.87 in) actually, as you can see compared to my USB 3.0 500GB Toshiba drive.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0

GoFlex Cable Upgrades

The cable connector removes easily so you can change the interface. You can purchase different cable upgrades for between $14.99 and $24.99.

FireWire 800

eSATA

USB 2.0

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive STAA1500100

The drive is 1.36 TB after tax. Yummy.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0

Seagate FreeAgent® GoFlex™ Ultra–portable Drive Benchmark with USB 3.0

The results are in and not too bad. Heck, my USB 3.0 500GB 5,400 Toshiba gets 70 Read and Write.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0

More information on the FreeAgent® GoFlex™ Ultra–portable Drive can be found at:

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/external/external-hard-drive/portable-hard-drive

Conclusion

This drive performs great and is still small enough to carry around in your pocket. If you can pick one up for under $120 then I believe it is worth it for this wallet sized beauty. 1.5TB. Seriously.

Plextor Announce Launch of the Fastest M2S Series SSDs with SATA III 6Gb/s Interface

SSDs are becoming more popular, and Plextor have today announced the upcoming launch (due March) of the new fastest M2S Series SSDs with SATA III 6Gb/s Interface.

M2S-01M2S-05M2S-06

The M2S Series is the must-have small and portable device for tech-savvy home or business users who demand consistently high quality, unbeatable speeds, stability and a long product life through day to day use.

Key Features:

* One of the first SSDs to support SATA III 6Gb/s – read speed of up to 480MB/s

* 2.5” Internal SSD in three capacities: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB

* Features the world’s most advanced control chip for high performance

* Exclusive ‘Instant Restore Technology’ for stability

* Generous 128GB DDR3 cache to improve data transfer speeds

* Dynamic Wear Levelling system improves data allocation for longevity

* Latest Windows 7 TRIM command for data-wiping efficiency

* Bundled with Acronis True Image software for easy migration

* Unrivalled 3 year on-site warranty and service support

Pricing, Availability & Specifications:

The M2S will be launching in Europe and UK in March 2011. Further details including pricing on the M2S Series will be announced in March.

More Information Available from the Plextor Wesbite

Here is the full press release:

Plextor to launch the fastest M2S Series SSD with SATA III 6Gb/s Interface

February 7th, 2011 – Plextor are excited to reveal they will be launching their first solid state drive (SSD) in the UK next month – the world-class 2nd generation M2S Series.

Plextor has a deserved, solid reputation for high performance, high quality products, especially in the storage sector. This leap into the SSD sector in the UK and Europe is a new move for the ever-expanding manufacturer, and a demonstration of their continued position as pioneers in a market likely to grow rapidly in future years. SSDs are increasing in popularity as a complement alongside traditional HDDs and the technology may eventually replace the HDD entirely for the OS and working environment.

Available in 3 capacities (64GB, 128GB and 256GB), the perfectly engineered 2.5” internal M2S Series SSD is one of the first of its kind to support the new SATA III 6B/s interface and boasts exclusive technologies to increase speed, stability and lifespan – offering up to 10 years of performance which doesn’t degrade over time as other SSDs might. With read speeds of up to 480MB/s, write speeds of up to 330MB/s and performing significantly highly in benchmark tests, the M2S is currently the fastest SSD available on the market.

The M2S Series is the must-have device for tech-savvy home or business users who demand consistently high quality, unbeatable speeds, stability and a long product life through day to day use.

Key Features:

* One of the first SSDs to support SATA III 6Gb/s – read speed of up to 480MB/s

* 2.5” Internal SSD in three capacities: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB

* Features the world’s most advanced control chip for high performance

* Exclusive ‘Instant Restore Technology’ for stability

* Generous 128GB DDR3 cache to improve data transfer speeds

* Dynamic Wear Levelling system improves data allocation for longevity

* Latest Windows 7 TRIM command for data-wiping efficiency

* Bundled with Acronis True Image software for easy migration

* Unrivalled 3 year on-site warranty and service support

All-new SATA III 6Gb/s Interface for the fastest transfer & writing speeds possible:

With a sequential read speed of up to 480MB/s and a write speed of up to 330MB/s, the MT2 series is exceptionally fast and one of the first products in the market to feature the all-new SATA III 6Gb/s interface. This additionally supports the previous generations including SATA 3GB/s and SATA 1.5GB/s.

Featuring the world’s most advanced control chip for unrivalled performance:

The MT2 series is catapulted into leadership with the inclusion of the server-grade Marvell 88SS9174 control chip – currently the industry’s most advanced and also used in central processors. This pioneering technology gives the MS2 Series the edge, with the fastest read/write speeds, increased stability and an enhanced lifespan.

These benefits are increased further thanks to a generous 128MB DDR3 cache which serves as a temporary storage buffer. Its high speed interface reduces read/write times of the flash memory, particularly with data which is frequently modified, in order to transfer data faster and increase the SSD lifespan.

Exclusive ‘Instant Restore Technology’ for life-long high performance:

Traditionally, SSDs become ‘dirty’ after long periods of use (similar to HDDs becoming defragmented) and as such, suffer a loss in performance over time.

The unique ‘Instant Restore Technology’ developed by Plextor and integrated into the M2S Series is an intelligent solution to prevent this performance loss from occurring and provides unrivalled, long term stability.

The M2S boasts the latest Windows 7 TRIM command, providing more efficient methods of data-wiping, and a ‘Dynamic Wear Levelling’ system which writes data into blocks equally to provide a highly efficient data allocation process, reducing the number of memory wipe-outs.

Such forward-thinking design and technology enables the M2S Series to overcome the problems associated with long term use, maintaining a no-compromise level of performance throughout its use, offering a lifespan of up to 10 years.

No-fuss software to help migrate from HDD to SDD:

The M2S Series bundles Acronis True Image Software, making it quick, easy and fuss-free to migrate data from a traditional HDD to the MS2 Series SSD.

The process clones the entire partition/drive, ensuring no data is lost during the upgrade and even eliminating the need to re-install the operating system.

Exceptional warranty and service to offer complete peace of mind:

Plextor offers phone support across Europe in 11 languages with local phone numbers for users to dial, with additional email and website support.

Unlike many others of its kind, the M2S offers an added level of reassurance with the Plextor ‘Fast Warranty Service’ – a 3 year on-site warranty across the EU, Norway and Switzerland (1 year elsewhere), enabling users to arrange repairs of non-working products directly with Plextor – so users can feel secure in the knowledge that this must-have device is covered for longer, and avoid the hassle of returning goods to the retailer/third party.

Read/Write Performance

64GB  – Read up to 370MBps and Write up to 110MBps

128GB

– Read up to 420MBps and write up to 210MBps256GB

– Read up to 480MBps and write up to 330MBps

XBMC for the Apple iPad, iPhone and AppleTV2 Gets An Update

It’s only been a few weeks since XBMC (Xbox Media Center) was released for the Apple iPad, iPhone and AppleTV2, and today there is an update.

ATV2-small

Here is the update information:

As a result, we have been hard at work fixing bugs and adding missing features from the first release. So here it is, v2 of XBMC for your AppleTV2/iDevices.

Changelog:

  • GUI speedup
  • Webserver enabled
  • RTMP support
  • AC3/DTS Audio Dialogs
  • Rotating for the iPhone and iPad
  • Black and Dim screensavers working
  • Bluetooth Support
  • SMB shares with Windows Live Essentials should work.
  • Sleep timer works
  • Add-on updates now working
  • Decrypted ISO playback works
  • Thumbnail creation fixed

This question of 1080p display has come up very often, so here’s the answer: XBMC can decode 1080p video but for now the ATV2 is limited to display 720p output. Its still unknown whether this is a hardware or software restriction.

For more FAQ see this page.

Update Instructions:

AppleTV2: Connect via SSH in and run “apt-get update && apt-get install org.xbmc.xbmc-atv2′”

iOS: Upgrade through Cydia.

The XBMC developers are hard at work on non-apple related features as well, expect a post in the next day or two outline what else we’ve been doing.

And don’t forget to check out our installation walk-through for the Apple iPad and iPhone.

Windows Home Server 2011 AWIECO RemoteLauncher – Video Edition

AWIECO is the first company to release an Add-In for Windows Home Server 2011. I had a chance to install it over the weekend and it works great. This useful Add-In allows you to manage your WHS 2011 or SBS remotely by enabling more administrative functionality. Check out the short video and article to find out more!

AWIECO RemoteLauncher

The AWIECO RemoteLauncher Add-In for Windows Home Server 2011 is a great way to access applications on your server. The RemoteLauncher is a must have for anyone who manages their server.

AWIECO RemoteLauncher

AWIECO RemoteLauncher

AWIECO RemoteLauncher for Small Business Server 2011 Essentials and Windows Home Server 2011 is a great tool for accessing more applications on your server. With the RemoteLauncher Add-In you can access:

  • Explorer
  • Commandline
  • Task Manager
  • Event Viewer
  • Services
  • Control Panel
  • Computer Manager
  • Device Manager
  • Registry Editor
  • Server Manager
Download RemoteLauncher

If you need other tools and applications to run in the Dashboard, you can add them by right mouse clicking on the file.

AWIECO RemoteLauncher

As always, Add-Ins can be monitored and removed from the Add-Ins section of the Dashboard.

AWIECO RemoteLauncher

Windows Home Server 2011 AWIECO RemoteLauncher

Windows Home Server 2011 Release Candidate

You can download Windows Home Server 2011 at:

Download WHS 2011

Windows Home Server 2011

The installation of Windows Home Server 2011 has only a few basic requirements.

Windows Home Server 2011 is a 64-bit only operating system.

You can install the server software either manually or unattended.

System Requirements

  • 1.4 GHz x64 processor
  • 2 GB RAM
  • At least one 160 GB (or larger) hard drive
  • NTFS is the only supported file system

Supported networking configuration:

  1. Your server computer must be connected to a router via a network cable
  2. Windows Home Server works best with a UPnP certified device, but it is not required
  3. The router works best in the 192.168.x.x subnet, but it is not required

Try Windows Home Server 2011 and download from Connect today!

BYOB Episode 31 Out Now

2

The guys over at BYOB, including our very own Tim Daleo, have just released episode 31.

BYOB300

Here’s what they say about this weeks show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]Tim and Michael discuss TN vs. IPS Monitor technology and what it means to you. Tim weighs in on an HTPC build. Mike shares his SandyBridge setbacks. Michael gives his opinion on the new nVidia GTX560 Ti[/box]

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes(MP3).
[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast in the Zune Marketplace.

Windows Home Server 2011 Internal 3TB Hard Drive Support – Video Edition

A valuable feature of Windows Home Server 2011 is the support of 3TB hard drives. If you have one of these large format drives you can add it internally to your WHS 2011 and easily add it through the Dashboard. There are a couple of tricks, and a few changes to the drive, so read on to find out more.

Windows Home Server 2011

During our Skype call, and a with a strong push by Diehard, I finally added my 3TB drive internally to my Windows Home Server 2011. As I worked on my Windows Home Server 2011, I had John Skype in Michael Martis from the BYOB podcast and he walked us through the backup limitations of Windows Home Server 2011.

The 2040GB Backup Limit

Windows Home Server 2011 uses the same backup technology as Windows Server 2008 R2. In order to avoid folder shares beyond the backup limit, Windows Home Server 2011 is designed by default to split a 3TB drive into two partitions. Again, WHS 2011 is designed to do this.

Windows Home Server 2011

This technology is limited to backup sizes of 2040GB. Microsoft says it best as:

Windows Server Backup uses the .vhd format for writing backups. The current virtual hard disk specification limits the size of a virtual hard disk to be 2040 GB, which can fit a volume of size 2040 GB – 2 MB, (i.e., 2088958 MB). Windows Server Backup in Windows Server 2008 also limits the maximum source volume size to be 2088958 MB. In Windows Server 2008 R2, if you are not backing up a full volume and, instead, creating a backup of selected files/folders, your source volume size can be more than 2088958 MB, provided your actual data size is less than equal to 2088958 MB. If you are creating a full volume backup, the maximum source volume size limit continues to be 2088958 MB.

The full Microsoft article can be found HERE.

3TB Hard Drives

These large format drives are a great deal lately at around $170 but still not as cost effective per GB as 2TB drives. That being said, if you have a limited amount of space, or limited SATA ports, then you might want to look at 3TB drives.

The Hitachi model below is now under $200 at Newegg.

Deskstar_7K3000

Adding a 3TB to Windows Home Server 2011

Since there is no longer a “pool” of drives, any new internal drive is added through the Alert Viewer to store server folders or server backups.

Windows Home Server 2011

Formatting a hard disk in Windows Home Server 2011 is very simple…

Windows Home Server 2011

…and just a matter of a few mouse clicks.

Windows Home Server 2011

Check out the full video!

Windows Home Server 2011 Internal 3TB Hard Drive Support

Windows Home Server 2011 Release Candidate

You can download Windows Home Server 2011 at:

Download WHS 2011

Windows Home Server 2011

The installation of Windows Home Server 2011 has only a few basic requirements.

Windows Home Server 2011 is a 64-bit only operating system.

You can install the server software either manually or unattended.

System Requirements

  • 1.4 GHz x64 processor
  • 2 GB RAM
  • At least one 160 GB (or larger) hard drive
  • NTFS is the only supported file system

Supported networking configuration:

  1. Your server computer must be connected to a router via a network cable
  2. Windows Home Server works best with a UPnP certified device, but it is not required
  3. The router works best in the 192.168.x.x subnet, but it is not required

Try Windows Home Server 2011 and download from Connect today!

Acer to Release the First Windows Home Server 2011 Box?

Last Thursday Microsoft announced the public release of the Windows Home Server 2011 RC build and they announced it with a blog post. I just noticed that the post seems to have changed a bit since the announcement to now include information from Acer.

WHS 2011 Logo

Here is what the “updated” blog post now includes:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]We are also excited to announce Acer is in the final testing phase of Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011. Irene Chan, Senior Business Manager from Acer America Corp. stated this morning “We’re excited to offer this new and improved, easy-to-use OS on our Aspire easyStore Home Server this Spring. Designed for households and small businesses with multiple PCs, Aspire easyStore offers a simple way to network computers, centralize, share and protect digital data as well as access it remotely from anywhere in the world.” stated [/box]

So, Acer are the first to announce something for Windows Home Server 2011. I wonder who will be next?

Here was the original posting:

Here is what Microsoft have posted on their blog today about the release:

Today we are pleased to announce the availability of the Release Candidate for Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 (formerly Windows Home Server Code Name “Vail”). Affordable and easy-to-use, Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 (WHS) is the ideal solution to help families keep their important digital files and PC’s automatically backed up, organized, and accessible.

The Release Candidate (RC) signifies our last mile efforts for releasing this product to our customers, and prepares our network of software and hardware partners for its release.

This WHS RC is the first public release to include changes in the storage features, so let’s look at some of the changes you can expect. All existing technologies such as server and client backup, health monitoring, remote web access, streaming media, and simplified dashboard management are still included.

A new Move Folder Wizard makes it easy for you to move data from one drive to another. As Hard Drives are added to the Home Server, your health alerts will notify you that a new Hard Drive is available. From here, you can automatically format and configure the new drive for additional storage.

Once configured, you can easily use the Move Folder Wizard to move your data to the new drive as needed.

To see this in action, please watch our Windows Home Server Move Folder Wizard Learning Bite.

Data protection also includes daily Server and PC backup, Previous Versions via Shadow copy which lets you return prior versions of existing files (without needing to restore from backup), and a protection feature for pre-defined folders (such as Recorded TV, Videos, Photos) in case these are accidently deleted.

Thank you for helping us test this product, and please provide any feedback through WHS Connect, or our official Windows Home Server Support forums.

Now here is what is there now:

Today we are pleased to announce the availability of the Release Candidate for Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 (formerly Windows Home Server Code Name “Vail”). Affordable and easy-to-use, Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 (WHS) is the ideal solution to help families keep their important digital files and PC’s automatically backed up, organized, and accessible.

The Release Candidate (RC) signifies our last mile efforts for releasing this product to our customers, and prepares our network of software and hardware partners for its release.  Along with the RC, we have also released an update to the Windows Server Solutions SDK which provides tools and information to develop add-ins and extend the functionality of Windows Home Server 2011.

This WHS RC is the first public release to include changes in the storage features, so let’s look at some of the changes you can expect. All existing technologies such as server and client backup, health monitoring, remote web access, streaming media, and simplified dashboard management are still included.

A new Move Folder Wizard makes it easy for you to move data from one drive to another. As Hard Drives are added to the Home Server, your health alerts will notify you that a new Hard Drive is available. From here, you can automatically format and configure the new drive for additional storage.

Once configured, you can easily use the Move Folder Wizard to move your data to the new drive as needed.

To see this in action, please watch our Windows Home Server Move Folder Wizard Learning Bite.

Data protection also includes daily Server and PC backup, Previous Versions via Shadow copy which lets you return prior versions of existing files (without needing to restore from backup), and a protection feature for pre-defined folders (such as Recorded TV, Videos, Photos) in case these are accidently deleted.

We are also excited to announce Acer is in the final testing phase of Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011.  Irene Chan, Senior Business Manager from Acer America Corp. stated this morning  “We’re excited to offer this new and improved, easy-to-use OS on our Aspire easyStore Home Server this Spring.  Designed for households and small businesses with multiple PCs, Aspire easyStore offers a simple way to network computers, centralize, share and protect digital data as well as access it remotely from anywhere in the world.” stated

As you can see the last sentence doesn’t even finish! So who knows, maybe we should check back periodically to that post to see if Microsoft make any other changes to it!

So why not give Windows Home Server 2011 a try, it’s available now on Microsoft Connect to download.

Download Windows Home Server 2011 from Microsoft Connect

And don’t forget to check out our every increasing number of Windows Home Server 2011 videos.

Using Windows Home Server : Windows Home Server 2011 Videos

Windows Home Server 2011 Backup Strategy and Resource Demonstration – Video Edition

If you are concerned about your Windows Home Server 2011 backup strategy and how it will affect your server performance then you are not alone. We decided to make a video of the scheduled backup in progess and show the CPU and network loads during the backups. Check out the video and see how you can monitor the same stats on your Windows Home Server 2011.

Windows Home Server 2011

Windows Home Sever 2011 Backups

With the removal of some features from previous Vail builds, many users are left unsure of the security of their data. I am here to tell you now that there are built-in solutions in WHS 2011 that will keep your data secure and even protect your server operating system.

Remember that WHS v1, with folder duplication turned on, copied data in the background with the migrator service. You had no control over that resource. The WHS 2011 backup feature allows you to not only copy data WHEN you want to copy it, but also determine which folders are backed up. For example, if you watch Blu-Ray rips from your server between 8-10 pm each night then schedule your backups before or after that time.

Mental Note: WHS 2011 allows you to determine where to put your folder shares. For example, keep Videos on your 7,200 drives and Documents on your 5,400 drives. This is a great feature!

WHS 2011 Backup Drive

Windows Home Sever 2011 Backup Strategy

The backup strategy I offer is this:

  1. Set your server backup to run every 30 minutes during “normal” hours.
  2. Do not perform backups during client backup times (12:00 AM to 3:00AM etc.)
  3. Decide on a folder schema that makes sense such as Blu-Rays rips in one folder, DVDs in another, home videos in another, etc. If a folder starts to fill the drive make a new folder such as DVD-2 or “His DVDs” and “Her DVDs”.
  4. Set your backup to protect the folders you need.
  5. Occasionally check your folder sizes to determine if changes need to be made.

WHS 2011 Backup Drive

Backup Resource Monitoring

We did this video with two backup samples. In the first test we did a 10.3GB set of files that were added between backups. The files consisted of 14 different video files similar to the one shown in the graphic below. The second sample was a “no change” backup with no activity since the last backup.

Video Sample

This video is not a benchmark. It is a real world example of what performance to expect when scheduling and performing a server backup in Windows Home Server 2011. Based on your server hardware specs, your results will vary of course.

WHS 2011 Backup Drive

Watch the video and see how the little the resources were affected.

Windows Home Server 2011 Backup Resource Demonstration

Windows Home Server 2011 Release Candidate

You can download Windows Home Server 2011 at:

Download WHS 2011

Windows Home Server 2011

The installation of Windows Home Server 2011 has only a few basic requirements.

Windows Home Server 2011 is a 64-bit only operating system.

You can install the server software either manually or unattended.

System Requirements

  • 1.4 GHz x64 processor
  • 2 GB RAM
  • At least one 160 GB (or larger) hard drive
  • NTFS is the only supported file system

Supported networking configuration:

  1. Your server computer must be connected to a router via a network cable
  2. Windows Home Server works best with a UPnP certified device, but it is not required
  3. The router works best in the 192.168.x.x subnet, but it is not required

Try Windows Home Server 2011 and download from Connect today!