Dave over at the HomeServerShow.com has released the latest edition of his podcast, The Home Server Show, number 47.
This weeks show they mostly cover the ioSafe Solo video that was posted on July 1st as well as the new MVP’s, and some smartphone discussions.
You can get more information here, and download it from iTunes or your other favourite place.
Well it’s that time again when Microsoft award people as MVPs.
I would like to congratulate my friend David McCabe of the HomeServer Show, well done Dave, it’s about time 🙂
Also congratulations to two new MVPs from Japan – Masahiko Sada and Masashi Shimizu.
Also congratulations to Nigel “Cougar” Wilks and Alexander Kent (Sorry Alexander, I know I forgot to mention you) 🙂
Welcome to the family guys!
Today Tranquil PC launched their new computer, the T3N. According to their website:
“Our new range of fan less Intel Atom N270 powered PCs are based on our popular T3 chassis. These units are compact, cost effective and can be customised to your requirements. Finished in different colours, they can be mounted neatly on your desk or under your LCD monitor. The CPU powering the T3N series is the Intel Atom N270, this is an ideal processor for general daily internet and desktop tasks. It is not a games rig, but for general purpose web browsing, email, word processing etc it is ideal. The most interesting feature is the power consumption, even with a HDD spinning you will be using much less that 20W from this amazing, miserly PC.
All the products come with the Tranquil PC Ltd ‘Zero Carbon in use’ certification. All standard environmental requirements are adhered to i.e. RoHS.”
Prices start from £119 (excluding VAT) and more information can be found by clicking here.
Expect a review very soon – this could make a very interesting, and very very cheap Windows Home Server!
Unit dimensions
210 (d) x 65 (h) x 240 (w)
Unit construction
ABS outer shell, with SEC inner chassis
CPU
32 bit Intel Atom N270 (1 x 1.6GHz / 512KB L2 cache) with speed step – 533MHz FSB
Chipset
Intel 82945GSE Northbridge + ICH7M Southbridge
Graphics
Intel Extreme (GMA950)
Memory
1x DDR SO-DIMM 533/667MHz (up to 2GB) – 200 pin
HDD
1x 3.5″ (Green Power) or 1x 2.5″ SATA HDDs can be fitted
Expansion
1x Mini-PCI Express slot (for WiFi)
Internal expansion
1x SPDIF, 2+2 HD Audio, Front Mic/Headphone, 1x Parallel, 1x PS2, 2x RS232, 4x USB2.0 – LVDS
Colour options
Black, Sparkle Blue or Sparkle Pink
Front panel
Power switch and Power / HDD activity LEDs
Rear panel
12V DC power in / 3x USB2.0 / 10.100.1000 LAN (incl PXE Support) / Audio Out / VGA / DVI-D
Weight
Base unit (nett) 2.1Kg
Power supply
60W External AC/DC included with country specific power cord
Working temp
Maximum 40’C ambient
Mounting options
Desk
Power consumption
from 13W (base unit)
Acoustics
17dBA (incl 1x HDD) or 0dBA without HDD
Software
As selected
This week I am going to walk you through the installation of a sprinkler control module connected via mControl to my Windows Home Server. The irrigation module costs quite a bit more than a regular sprinkler timer but I am hoping that the convenience of internet access to my sprinklers will save time, water and frustration.
The mControl application with Windows Home Server allows you to control your home from Internet Explorer, the WHS Console or Windows Media Center. The system works by connecting your WHS to your electrical system and then transmitting signals through your home wiring to modules and switches that control lights and appliances. Through simple macros you can control and monitor lights, HVAC, irrigation, music and even your cameras and surveillance.
You can read my previous mControl articles at:
Installation of the mControl Add-In and WHS Setup
https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2009/05/16/adding-mcontrol-to-windows-home-server-on-a-friday-night/
Creating mControl Macros
Adding Modules
Adding mControl to Windows Media Center PCs
As a refresher, mControl is an Add-In that you install on your WHS that controls modules and other communications devices within your home. mControl is the software and not the control modules.
There are three components to a basic system:
These three parts are all that you need to begin. Before I started this project I thought it would be really complex but I was wrong!
The diagram below shows how you can connect to mControl via your PC, Internet Explorer, Mobile client, Extender or XBOX 360.
As I mentioned in previous articles, the Add-In and the device modules are from different companies. I downloaded mControl from their web site at http://www.embeddedautomation.com/EAHAmControl.htm
I live in Southern California and there is a place that sells modules close to my home called Smarthome. I bought my modem and two modules from http://www.smarthome.com/_/INSTEON/_/23b/land.aspx. mControl is compatible with INSTEON devices so to keep it simple I just bought those types of products. mControl can work with other devices but I will not talk about those in this series. The basic INSTEON modules are easy to use and run about $30. Some of these modules switch on and off and can even have dimmer options. Smarthome also sells outlets, wall switches, bridges, keypads, touch screens, sensors, remotes, thermostats, sprinkler controls and even infrared controllers. Make sure you choose INSTEON (or compatible) type devices.
mControl on your WHS
EZ Flora Irrigation Controller and AC Transformer
Two Beers (optional as always)
iTunes streaming your favorite radio station
My wife and I have recently been renovating our backyard and have had new sprinklers installed. While my existing sprinkler timer still works well, it is a pain to update for Daylight Savings, it is hard to access in the garage and it has limitations for times in different zones. In addition, every time I want to adjust the sprinkler heads I need to walk to the garage, turn it to manual and then walk back to the yard. I think you can see where I am going with this, yes?
I bought a Insteon-Compatible irrigation timer from Smarthome that controls 8 sprinkler valves. This module was flippin expensive ($124.99) but I had a $20 off coupon so it was $104.99.
http://www.smarthome.com/31270/INSTEON-8-Zone-Sprinkler-Controller-Lawn-Irrigation-System/p.aspx
Ok, it was expensive but even the good ones at Home Depot are $70.00. Did I mention you can control it from WHS? I have wireless. Do you see where this is headed? Seriously.
It is time to touch some hardware.
Lets set this pig on fire!
The installation of the module is actually quite easy. Since I already have a sprinkler timer near the power outlet all I have to do is disconnect the wiring from the old system and connect it into the new irrigation module.
Mental note: Having to connect a DC transformer to the EZ Flora controller sucks. The instructions say you can plug the transformer into the controller but it is so heavy it pulls out from the plug. At least add a secure point for the center screw of the wall plate. Is this the best your can do for $150? Seriously?
Another mental note: Neither the transformer nor the EZ Flora came with the wire to connect the transformer and the module. If you are not going to include it at least tell me that I have to purchase it separately. Is this the best your can do for $150? Had I not been writing the article I would have told you to shove the transformer up your ass. Seriously.
Now that I have connected the module to my home electrical wiring I can find the irrigation module in mControl and Windows Home Server.
Choose the Zone in which you want to add the device. Open Beer Number Two now.
Click on “Add Device”.
Give the Device a Name, choose the Adapter and Module, pick an image and enter the INSTEON address. Once you are done, click on “Save”.
Once you have saved the device you will see it in the Zone.
Click on “Back” and mControl will show the Zone View. Click on the arrow to view the Device.
This module controls 8 valves and can have 4 programs. Click on “Prog 1” to set the program times.
The default program times are “-1”. You will have to change any unused valve schedules to “0” before you “Apply”.
I am going to set my four zones at 15 minutes each. Click on “Apply” to finish.
Ok, now that everything is connected it is time to test the system. Do you really think I am going to do this from the office PC? Hell no. Lets take the laptop outside my friends. I have not dropped coin for a HD video camera yet so the following is a little grainy:
Now that the system has been tested all I have to do is create a macro to start Program 1 on the days our city allows sprinkler watering.
Follow the macro process from my prior article.
Once the macro is completed the view from Windows Media Center is easy to understand.
This module installation was easy once I got back from buying a stupid power cord from Home Depot. It would have been nice to know ahead of time that neither the transformer or the irrigation module was NOT going to include the wiring needed to complete the installation. I am done venting. Up yours. Ok, now I am really done.
Over the last few months I have added a bunch of modules and it has become second nature to me. I really enjoy working with mControl and it has shown itself to be a stable Add-In. I hope you get a chance to try mControl with Windows Home Server!
See you next Friday night.
Timothy Daleo
From now until July 7th, you can order Windows 7 Upgrades with a huge 50% discount, and in some cases even more than 50%!
Windows 7 will be released to the public on October 22 2009 so this is a great opportunity for you to order it now and save a lot of money.
To order the Windows 7 Upgrade, just click on the relevant link below (or on the relevant box above).
Microsoft have now started promoting Windows Home Server for both the Home Office and the Small Office.
Theme theme behind this is that Windows Home Server is not just for the home!
They have even commissioned a number of case studies and videos on the subject, one of which includes Kevin Royalty – who regular readers will recognise as a Small Business Server MVP and also the author of the WSUS Guide for WHS.
For more information, click here.
Even as a tech-savvy person, I never really got into Flickr. I’ve just never felt the need to post all my photos online. Still, it’s pretty much impossible to avoid these days—even if I wanted to—and it seemed like I’d get sucked in sooner or later. What better way than through looking at the PhotoSync add-in for Windows Home Server?
In theory, an add-in like this sounds fantastic. If you store your photos on a server, you could simply arrange them as you like, and let the server itself handle the uploading, tagging, arranging into sets, permissions, etc. Unfortunately, this crude implementation falls flat. Aside from the fact that features are pretty much non-existent, even the few things it can do don’t work well. Let’s take a closer look at my week with PhotoSync.
You can get PhotoSync for WHS here. As you can see, the download page is unassuming.
Not appearing in the screenshot is the “Release History.” Scrolling down reveals that this is the “initial release.” According to the We Got Served forum post containing the download, this is version 0.9.93, and the .zip file has Beta2 in the title, so it appears that this is only a half-finished version. Ordinarily, it might not be entirely fair to review a beta version of an add-in. But in this case, it appears from that forum post that this beta was released about two years ago (June 21, 2007, to be precise), so it seems pretty likely that this version is as final as we’re going to get. Besides, “beta” doesn’t mean quite the same thing it did ten years ago.
The .zip file is a reasonably sized 1.37 MB, and installation was as simple as WHS users have grown to expect. As usual, you must transfer the .msi file to the server’s “software\Add-Ins” folder and install the add-in itself from the console.
I had to disconnect and reconnect the console, not an unusual step when installing or uninstalling an add-in. When I reconnected, I was told that I’d have to authorize PhotoSync to work with my Flickr account.
I didn’t have a Flickr account, so I opened a browser window and used my musty, mothballed Yahoo! ID to create my Flickr account. Once that was done, authorizing the add-in was as simple as logging in.
Once that had been done, I was greeted by the PhotoSync configuration screen.
The screen shows roughly three main sections. The first contains information about synchronizations, the second is for configuring how the photos are uploaded, and the third governs where and when the add-in is to grab photos and upload them. They seem pretty straightforward, but it was weird to me that the default location of the Photo Sync Folder is “D:\shares\Photos.” We WHS users have been told time and time again—and for good reason—that we should always refer to files and folders using the server name. That is, “\\server\Photos.” It is disturbing that this add-in did not do that by default, or at least leave this section blank until the user fills it in.
In any case, the default sync folder was the first thing that had to be changed. The only photos I have so far customarily stored on my server is an archive of scanned family photos, all predating the age of digital photography. But that obviously wasn’t going to work for the purposes of this review. All the photos are in high-resolution .tiff format, and all together take up over 2.5 GB. Flickr, however, allows only 100 MB per month in uploads for its free account. Since I didn’t have two-plus years to get everything uploaded, and I didn’t want to spring for a premium account, I figured I’d upload a more frivolous set of photos—pets. My entire set was about 160 photos totaling about 45 MB, so I copied the whole thing in a newly created Pet Photos directory in \\server\Photos\Flickr. I then pointed PhotoSync in that direction and set permissions to friends and family only.
There’s no way to manually initiate a sync. So I waited.
Checking back a few hours later, PhotoSync still said “Not In Sync” for all the various sync status lines. That seemed wrong. So I checked Flickr. Clearly, something was not working quite right with the add-in, because some photos had indeed uploaded.
But not all of them. Out of 160 or so, only 48 uploaded. After waiting several days, there was no change. This was not the only problem I had, although I’ll spare you the sordid story of my attempts to add new photos in folders (and thus create new sets from the photos). Eventually, the add-in pretty much stopped working completely. For example, the status page, even after a week, continues to insist that the status is “Not In Sync.” At least it’s honest.
Stepping back for a moment, it seems pretty clear that this is an add-in that would be only minimally useful even if it flawlessly did what it purports to do. It was apparently written not to sync with Flickr, but to add photos to Flickr. Deleting or moving photos from the server was seemingly never supposed to have any effect on the Flickr account. The only organization and categorization tools enabled in the add-in was to use the folder name as the Flickr set name and set permissions—globally, not for particular sets. In other words, this version’s limited utility is pretty distant from the utopian ideal of being able to manage your Flickr account from your server.
But even the limited function that this add-in claims is wholly absent. When it does manage to upload photos, it doesn’t upload all of them. Enabling the Use Folder Name as Flickr Set Name function had no effect for me.
The question is, why? I assume that the developer, Ed Holloway, would not have released the add-in if he had noticed these problems. Perhaps something has changed in the Flickr API since release that makes the add-in malfunction? In any case, the cause of the problems are irrelevant for WHS users. The bottom line is that the add-in is simply broken. If it worked at all, I would call it a good way for very casual Flickr users to automatically add photos to a WHS and (undifferentiated) photostream at the same time. Truthfully, that would be perfect for me. But, broken as it is, I can’t even recommend it for that. Bottom line: don’t bother.
It is 7:43 PM on Friday night and my living room light just turned on automatically. Why is that worth mentioning? I installed mControl on my Windows Home Server just over a month ago and each day mControl and WHS turn lights and equipment on and off in my home. WHS and mControl initiate macros that tell Insteon modules in my home what to do for each device I connect to them. While the macros are great for regular operations I often need to override lights or equipment. Since I often use Windows Media Center (WMC) throughout the house I want to access mControl in WMC. Tonight I will show you how to add the mControl Client to your Windows Media Center PC.
The mControl application with Windows Home Server allows you to control your home from Internet Explorer, the WHS Console or Windows Media Center. The system works by connecting your WHS to your electrical system and then transmitting signals through your home wiring to modules and switches that control lights and appliances. Through simple macros you can control and monitor lights, HVAC, irrigation, music and even your cameras and surveillance.
You can read my previous mControl articles at:
Installation of the mControl Add-In and WHS Setup
https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2009/05/16/adding-mcontrol-to-windows-home-server-on-a-friday-night/
Creating mControl Macros
Adding More Modules
As a refresher, mControl is an Add-In that you install on your WHS that controls modules and other communications devices within your home. mControl is the software and not the control modules.
There are three components to a basic system:
These three parts are all that you need to begin. Before I started this project I thought it would be really complex but I was wrong!
The diagram below shows how you can connect to mControl via your PC, Internet Explorer, Mobile client, Extender or XBOX 360.
As I mentioned in previous articles, the Add-In and the device modules are from different companies. I downloaded mControl from their web site at http://www.embeddedautomation.com/EAHAmControl.htm
I live in Southern California and there is a place that sells modules close to my home called Smarthome. I bought my modem and two modules from http://www.smarthome.com/_/INSTEON/_/23b/land.aspx. mControl is compatible with INSTEON devices so to keep it simple I just bought those types of products. mControl can work with other devices but I will not talk about those in this series. The basic INSTEON modules are easy to use and run about $30. Some of these modules switch on and off and can even have dimmer options. Smarthome also sells outlets, wall switches, bridges, keypads, touch screens, sensors, remotes, thermostats, sprinkler controls and even infrared controllers. Make sure you choose INSTEON (or compatible) type devices.
mControl on your WHS
Windows Media Center
One Beer (optional as always)
Thank you to mControl for permission to use this picture.
When you downloaded the mControl files for WHS you should have had one large folder with all of the mControl Windows Installer Packages. We are looking for the ClientsAndAddins folder. If you cannot find the file you can download the entire package again at:
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/EAHAmControl.htm
I still had a copy of the original download so I will copy the ENTIRE folder to my WMC Vista machine. You MUST copy the entire folder because the set up process needs access to the EUL and Readme files.
Once you have the file on your WMC Vista machine we can start the installation.
Lets set this pig on fire!
Now that we have copied the folder to the WMC PC we have to open the Firewall to allow this PC to access mControl on the WHS. If you do not do this prior to starting the Installation you will NOT see your WHS in the Configuration Utility. You can actually finish the installation without finding your WHS so please make changes to the Firewall prior to installation of the WMC Client.
mControl Installation instructions for the WMC Client can be found at:
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1393
Following the instructions I open the Windows Firewall. If you are running another Firewall program you may need to make the changes in that program.
Because mControl is already installed on WHS we just need to open three ports on the Vista PC so it can talk with WHS and mControl.
Click on Change settings.
Click on the Exceptions tab.
Click on Add port.
According to mControl the following ports need to be allowed:
Mental note: Make the name the same as the Port number to make future recognition easier.
Add the three ports making sure to enter TCP or UDP protocols as shown above. Each port must be done separately and should look like this:
Now that you have added the three port exceptions, close all of the Windows Firewall windows and navigate back to the ClientsAndAddins Windows Installer Package (WIP).
DO NOT INSTALL THE FULL VERSION OF MCONTROL (Win2K_XP_Vista) ON THE CLIENT MACHINES. Your WHS is the mControl server and any additional machines are clients. If you try and install a full version it could change the settings on modems or modules and cause issues. Trust me. Seriously.
Double click on the WIP and click Run. Vista may give you Continue or Allow messages during this process so stay at the PC during the installation.
Click on Next as the process continues.
As the installation process continues, mControl will use the Firewall ports you opened to find the mControl on your WHS. You may see additional equipment on the list so just set your WHS as the default. If your server is NOT here then chances are you did not configure the Firewall port Exceptions properly.
Now that you have selected your WHS as the Default Server the installation is now complete and you can click on Close to exit the installer.
Lets verify that the client installed properly and works correctly.
Open WMC and scroll to Online Media. To the left you will see the program library.
You will notice TWO versions of mControl.
Why? According to mControl: “We have two icons (mControl for IE, mControl for VMC) – these are just two different user interfaces that work with Vista – so the user can use what he/she prefers.”
I have noticed three distinct differences between these two interfaces:
Click on the “mControl for Vista” icon.
Below is the Vista interface:
If you want you edit and create macros you should use the “mControl for HTML” interface. You can also use the WHS Console to add macros!
Be prepared to enter your User name and Password if you use the HTML icon.
Below is the HTML interface:
With WHS I can sit in front of my plasma connected to WMC I can access my DVDs and pictures. A year ago I would not have thought I could also control my lights, speakers and even sprinklers from my WHS with mControl. And, according to mControl, I am just scratching the surface of home automation. The Windows Media Center client for mControl makes the whole experience of controlling your home worth the cost.
Thank you mControl and thank you WHS!
I have really enjoyed writing the mControl series of articles. I have two more mControl articles to write about in the next few weeks and then I will get back to other great WHS topics.
Viva WHS! Seriously.
See you next Friday night.
Timothy Daleo
When I built my server I envisioned a paradise where I could have my files centrally stored and called up on a moments notice on any machine. The reality was that transferring files was painfully slow. When I built the server and started to transfer files to it, I thought that it was ridiculous that it was taking so long. I upgraded my entire network because I hate to wait and certain tasks require a faster network connection.
I believe in speed – lots of speed. When it comes to computers and transferring information from computer to computer or computer to server, I want it to take as little time as possible. By default, most networked devices have a maximum throughput speed of 100 megabits per second which is fast, but not quite fast enough for the amount of data that we move today. What is Gigabit Ethernet? Well it uses the same structure as 10/100 Ethernet, but transfers data ten times faster. Faster is better – much better. Enter the world of Gigabit networking.
Let us put this Gigabit thing into perspective with real world examples – transferring files – one hundred 1000 kilobyte JPEG files, 100 MP3 files at 3 megabytes each and 20 gigabytes of various files. This is a perfect world example; there are other factors that come into play, so these are the absolute best times that both 10/100 and gigabit Ethernet can provide.
| Bits Per Second | 100 – 1000 K Jpeg | 100 3 MB MP3 | 20 Gigs of Files | |
| 10/100 Ethernet | 100,000,000 | 8.2 Seconds | 25 Seconds | 28 minutes 38 seconds |
| 10/100/1000 | 1,000,000,000 | 0.8 Seconds | 2.5 Seconds | 2 Minutes 51 seconds |
Would you rather transfer 100 pictures in less than a second or 8 seconds? Or transfer 100 songs in 2.5 seconds compared with almost half a minute. The real noticeable gain is transferring 20 gigabytes of files – half an hour versus three minutes? Gigabit Ethernet provides real world time savings.
More and more products are appearing on the market that have gigabit Ethernet built-in such as Sony Playstation 3 consoles, Apple Mac computers, and home servers. More and more Windows based computers are appearing on the market containing Gigabit Ethernet adapters. Data is also becoming more diverse, larger in size and easier to store. Hard drives are a good example of the data bloat that we have all come to live with. Just a few years ago we were measuring hard drive in gigabytes, now we measure it in hundreds of gigabytes. With all these devices, and the amount of information that can be shared amongst them, it only makes sense to upgrade the connection between them to take advantage of the speed.
Gigabit Ethernet is compatible with 10/100 so that you can use existing Ethernet cabling without fear of needing to upgrade your wiring. Knowing that we do not have to upgrade existing wiring, the only thing that needs to be changed are routers, switches and network cards.
I upgraded my network with Dlink equipment, but you can upgrade yours with any manufacturer that you like.
For my router I choose the Dlink DIR-655. This router not only allows screaming fast Gigabit Ethernet wired connections but allows me to connect wireless devices such as my laptop and Nintendo Wii. It is very easy to set up, and if you are an advanced user it is fully configurable through its web interface. It only has four ports, so that if you have five or more devices, you will either need a network switch, or to connect to those devices wirelessly.
I do have more than five wired networked devices. The four ports on the router are not sufficient for my purposes. To expand my network capabilities, I need to add a switch. If I add a 5 port switch, that only extends my network by 3 ports. What?!? Yes, when you connect a switch to a router, two ports are lost by connecting one port on the switch to one port on the router. Therefore, a little bit of forethought is required. It is far too easy to say four plus five is nine when it actually equals seven.
Seven ports in my case do not leave much room for expansion, so I choose an eight port switch – the Dlink DGS1008D. Not only does this switch run at top speed, it is an energy efficient switch that detects when ports are unused and throttles back the power to those ports. In addition it senses cable length and saves energy when cables shorter than 20 meters (65.6 Feet) are used. It is very easy to set up – connect the network cables and connect it to power.
Now it is nice that my infrastructure is going nice and fast, but if all the devices use only 10/100 Ethernet, we have gained nothing. The first two steps of adding a router and switch are simple. If you can unplug cables and power cords and then reconnect them to new hardware the job is done. Swapping out or adding network cards to computers require a bit more intestinal fortitude. Not everyone is comfortable opening and installing additional equipment. If this applies to you, take the computers that you want upgraded to your local computer store and tell them to upgrade you to gigabit Ethernet – they will be happy to do it for you.
If you are comfortable installing new hardware in your current computer systems then Gigabit Ethernet adapters are readily available at most computer stores. I installed a Dlink DGE-530T GigaExpress card into my desktop computer, my test machine and my home-built home server. These cards are easy to install, windows detected and installed the drivers for them even without the disk present.
When everything is set up to use Gigabit Ethernet and all the cables are connected, start moving files around the network. I bet that you will be as impressed as I was. There is no lag when viewing a slideshow on the PS3 when the pictures are being sent from my home server. Transferring music or pictures from my PC to the server takes seconds not minutes. Another benefit of Gigabit Ethernet is that your network will have more bandwidth and can accommodate more traffic so that many computers can access the server or each other without a noticeable delay or network lag.
For the curious, I am providing a list of connected hardware to show where the benefits of Gigabit Ethernet go in my house. Here are the items that I have attached to my network: Six permanently wired and three wireless.
· A home built Window Home Server (Gigabit)
· A custom built PC work-horse (Gigabit)
· A test PC (Gigabit)
· Sony Playstation 3 Console (Gigabit)
· An Apple Imac computer (Gigabit)
· An Xbox 360 Elite (10/100 – Why this didn’t come with wireless or gigabit Ethernet is a mystery)
· An HP Color Laserjet 3600N (10/100)
· A Nintendo Wii (Wireless)
· A Compaq laptop (Wireless)
· Sony Playstation Portable (Wireless)
· Various other computers from time to time. (10/100/1000)
After you have the WHS initial setup and configuration done, it’s time to do some tweaking and customizations. (If you purchase(d) the HP MediaSmart, the defaults are not bad. But, where would we be without tweaks and customizations.)
For this article, I’ll assume that you are a newcomer to Windows Home Server, with basic computer skills. If you haven’t installed the Connector on more than one computer, wait until later. You will need the Connector on at least one Windows PC.
1. Update your system from both MS and HP.
2. Install WHS Connector on each computer in the house, including all Apple Macs.
3. Configure your server to sleep (HP MediaSmart).
4. Set Backup Time Interval.
5. Set Password Policy for better security.
For Part II, we’ll cover:
6. Install your first Add-in, Advanced Admin Console.
7. Configure static IP using Advanced Admin console (for advanced users).
8. Configure some other good settings using Advanced Admin Console.
9. Configure Automatic Update time.
10. Set up user accounts, and guest users.
11. Configure Shared Folders Duplication.
12. Configure iTunes Server and Media Collection for iTunes (HP MediaSmart)
Install your first Add-in, Advanced Admin Console:
Download Advanced Admin Console from HERE and install it.
On your desktop, you should have a link called Shared Folders.
To install add-ins, place the .msi file in the Software\Add-ins directory on your home server using the
Launch the WHS Console and log in.
Click on Settings, Add-ins and Available. You should see the Advanced Admin console here. Click Install to install it. As you can see, I’ve already installed it, so I can’t show you where it is, but it should appear. (You see that I didn’t install McAfee. I’m going to be using Avast anti-virus, and plan to review it later.)
After you install it, the console will close. Log back in.
Configure Static IP (Optional; Advanced Users Only)
If you understand Static IP and know your DNS, you can set a static IP Address. If you are unsure of what choices to make, skip this paragraph, and proceed on down to the next section, Swap File, or all the way down to Set up users. If you are looking about how to set a Static IP, here is a hint: On the WHS Console, click on Advanced Admin Console. Click on Network Connections. Right click on Local Area Connection, and properties. Under Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), you can set the static IP and DNS.
Configure some other good settings:
Configure some other settings for slightly improved performance and security: Swap file, DEP, Automatic Updates. You can skip this section if you want to, and proceed to Set up users.
Let set a static Swap file (for both improved performance, and so that we have more available space on the C: drive to install programs.)
Under Control panel, again, double click System, then Advanced. Under Performance, click Settings. Now, click on Advanced. Under Virtual Memory,
click Change. Click on the C: [SYS] drive, Custom Size, and set both Initial and Maximum to 200, click Set. Click on the D: [DATA] drive, Custom Size, and set both Initial and Maximum to 4000, click Set. Click OK once.
Now we will enhance the security of the server. Click on Data Execution Prevention.
(“Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a set of hardware and software technologies that perform additional checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running on a system.” — Microsoft). Select Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select: Click OK. You should once again be at Advanced under System Properties. DEP is turned on for Microsoft Windows programs and services only. I always turn it on for all programs. If a program crashes due to the DEP, Windows will let you know that it terminated for this reason, then you can manually add it in, if the program is acceptable. I’ve found that Command & Conquer 3 requires it on Vista, but that’s a different computer.
Configure Automatic Update time:
On System Properties, Click Automatic Updates.
We’ll change this so that the WHS doesn’t start an update and then reboot the server when we want to have it available. I am likely to be using it at the default time it checks for updates, so I change it. Think about what time you want the server to wake up in the morning. Ensure that Automatic (recommended) is selected, and then select a time about one hour earlier than you want to have the server available, then click OK. The System panel should go away now.
Set up user accounts, and guest users:
Note: As the administrator, either you need to know each person’s password, or have them present to set a password. This is not required, per se, but it is the best way to do things.
On all of the computers in your house (or business), make sure that each person has the same username and complex password on each computer that they need access to. For Windows Home Server, a complex password must contain at least three of the following four character categories: Uppercase letters, Lowercase letters, Numbers, Symbols (such as ! @ # . – +) … and is at least seven characters long.
(Explaining how change account names completely on the various account types on all of the supported operating systems is outside the scope of this document. Note that in XP, if you change the username, it doesn’t actually change the username, only what is displayed. A hint for advanced novices: try the command “control useraccounts2” on XP.)
You should create new user accounts with the same name on each computer – this is the recommended approach for non-matching user names. This is also the cleanest method, and gives the best results. On the old accounts, simply copy documents and such into a public folder, such as public, music, etc. Then log in with the new user account, and put the private documents into that folder.
At the WHS Console, click on User Accounts. Add. Input first, last and logon name (logon name is the username on the other computers).
If you want them to be able to remotely access the shared folders and/or computers, and you probably do, select Enable Remote Access for this user.
Click Next. Input the complex password for this user and click Next. Select the folders you want them to have access to. If you are unsure don’t make any changes, WHS sets some reasonable defaults. Click Finish. Do this for each user.
You may want to enable guest access on the WHS and on some or all of the computers in the house. This way, when I have guests staying with me, or friends over, they can access the computers and the WHS. I use the Guest access, as well as an account called “houseguest” for friends and family who are visiting me. To enable the Guest account, Click on Guest, and the Properties. Follow the instructions, like we did for regular users.
Shared Folders and Duplication:
On the WHS Console screen,
click on Shared Folders. If you have more than one physical disk in the WHS, you can enable duplication, so that in the event of a disk crash, you won’t lose the contents of those folders.
To turn it on or off, select the folder, and then click Properties. This is where you can check or uncheck Enable Folder Duplication. OK will set it and exit the properties for that folder. Enable folder duplication for all of your important folders. (If you can’t enable folder duplication, you only have one disk. If possible, please add an additional disk. Some WHS servers only support one internal disk. Add an external disk, and/or use on-line backup (not covered in this article)).
You can also set permissions to folders this way, so if you (don’t) want someone to have access to a certain folder, you can (dis)enable access. (Yes, “disenable” is a word, according to MS Word.)
iTunes Server (HP MediaSmart) and Media Collector (for use with iTunes)
If you use iTunes, you may want to have the WHS act as a server. This is a cool feature of the WHS and iTunes.
From the WHS Console, MediaSmart Server, Click on Server for iTunes and Configure. Select Enabled, pick a name (I used the name of the server, but you don’t have to, but I think you should.), require a password, if you so desire (I didn’t), and then set the interval. I think that 15 minutes is quick enough, you might want 5 minutes, or only once per day. Your choice. Click OK.
From the WHS Console, MediaSmart Server, Click on HP Media Collector. At the top, click Media Collector Settings. Under General Settings, pick your interval with the slider. Select the computers you want included and click Add.
At the top, select Music, and Enabled and iTunes libraries. Decide your organization, by Artist/Album or PC folder structure. Click OK. You can also copy or move iTunes music and videos to the WHS, but we’ll leave that to another discussion.
–Michael Peele
