StableBit DrivePool for Windows Home Server Build 1706

The other of the three Windows Home Server Drive Extender replacements comes in the form of StableBit DrivePool and build 1706 was just released of the beta.

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  • Combine all your hard drives into one big storage pool (except the system drive with the OS).
  • Add and remove drives from the pool at any time without re-partitioning or manually moving folders.
  • Create duplicated folders on the storage drive pool that are protected against single drive failure. If a drive fails on which a duplicated file was stored, the contents of that file will remain readable even without the drive.
  • All your data is stored in standard NTFS files. You can always access your files even if the Windows Home Server completely crashes or this add-in can’t be used.
Learn more about StableBit DrivePool and download the latest beta here

Have you tried it? What do you think?

Another Drive Bender Beta 3 Update for Windows Home Server 2011 Released

Today saw another update to Beta 3 of Drive Bender for Windows Home Server 2011 released, taking it to version v1.1.3.9.

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Here is what is included in the beta 3 update:

This release sorts out a number of performance issues and should be the last update to beta 3. Next out of the gate is beta 4, the final beta before we start pumping out RC’s!

Release v1.1.3.9 – beta (2011-06-03)
– Duplication validation can now be performed on all child folders.
– Bug fix: WHS now sees a drive letter mount as a fixed drive (not as a removable drive).
– Bug fix: Drive balancing is now correctly thottling during pool usage.
– Bug fix: Drive balancing is now correctly halting before and during drive removal.
– Bug fix: Drive balancing is only performed if the target percentage is not within a certain range.
– Bug Fix: Pool monitoring is correcly halting before and during drive removal.

For more information check out the Drive Bender website

Logitech Harmony 1100 Remote Review

About a month ago, I brought you an unboxing of the Logitech Harmony 1100 universal remote.  I have a review after using it for the last month…read on for details!

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My wife asked for a universal remote to control the main home entertainment center in our living room.  She, my daughter, our babysitters, pretty much everyone who used the system except for me, was frustrated with the six remotes that were required to control the system.  It was to the point where no one save me could play a BluRay or DVD in the living room!  Logitech to the rescue!

As a refresher, here is what Logitech has to say about this remote:

One-touch activity controls

Say good-bye to cheat sheets. Everyone in the family can select what they want to do—such as “Watch TV”—and your Harmony remote does the rest.Learn more about one-touch activity-based controls.

3.5-inch full-color touch screen

You can access the most-used buttons with one hand or two—and it’s backlit so you can see your icons even in the dark.

Works with 225,000+ devices

Support for 5000+ brands and 225,000+ devices, so you know it will work with what you have today and what you’ll add tomorrow.See how your home-entertainment setup would work with Harmony.

Check your setup now.

RF wireless capability

You can control devices you can’t see—like a stereo in a closed cabinet.when you add a Logitech® Harmony RF Extender (sold separately).

Customizable commands and icons

You choose which commands you want on screen and when—giving you complete control over your entertainment system.

Replaces up to 15 remotes

You can control your home-entertainment devices with one remote—reducing clutter and complexity in your living room.

Rechargeable

Your remote recharges in its base station so you won’t be looking for batteries when you want to be watching TV.

The Home Server Show 138

Dave and the guys have just released the Home Server Show episode 138.

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Here’s what Dave says about this weeks show:

Three podcasters, three Add-Ins. We talk as in depth as we can get at this juncture about the three drive extender type add-ins for Windows Home Server 2011. Drive Harmony by DataCore, DriveBender, and StableBit. Lots of news to discuss and some interesting topics about transferring WHS backups from version 1 to 2011 and a discussion about hard drives. There is a crazy amount of discussion in this show. I apologize for it’s length but it was fun and I hope you enjoy it.

As usual you can download the show from here.

Lights-Out for Windows Home Server 2011 version 1.5.0 build 1550 Out Now

My friend, and fellow WHS MVP Martin Rothschink has been in touch to let us know that Lights-Out for Windows Home Server 2011 version 1.5.0 build 1550 is now available to download.

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The Add-In basically allows you to monitor and control all power aspects of your server and PCs on your network. You can turn on, put to sleep, hibernate and shut down PCs on the network. You can even monitor the actual PC usage and server remote access as well.

Lights-Out enhances a Windows Home Server in these areas:

  • Power management, to run your server on demand
  • Client backup, to run a scheduled backup and use Wake-On-Lan
  • Uptime chart, to give a graphical overview of device activity in your network
If you are upgrading from a beta, read this first Learn more and download Lights Out here

The Digital Lifestyle Show #306 – Movers and Shakers

This weeks Digital Lifestyle Show has just been released – its show 306.

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Here’s what Ian says about this week show:

We are back with another packed show. We talk digital infrastructure in the home, Media Center addins, SeeSaw being killed, Home Server setup and Garry’s trip to the Connected Home Global Summit.

Download and listen to the show from here

Drive Bender Beta 3 Update for Windows Home Server 2011 Released

Today saw an update to Beta 3 of Drive Bender for Windows Home Server 2011 released.

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Here is what is included in the beta 3 update:

Release v1.1.3.8 – beta (2011-06-01)
– Updated beta license to run until mid August.
– Improved Manager feedback during long tasks.
– Drive balancing has been enabled.
– The Drive Bender log files now rotate.
– Bug fix: Running an exe from a drive letter mount no longer causes an error.
– Bug fix: Save Office files to a shared folder no longer causes an error.
– Bug fix: WHS backup database cleaning now completes successfully.
– Many other bug fixes and enhancements.

For more information check out the Drive Bender website

DataCore DriveHarmony for Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 Beta Now Available

The long promised beta for DataCore’s DriveHarmony software for Windows Home Server 2011 is finally available.

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I’m downloading it now and will let you know how I get on with it.

Sign up for and download the DriveHarmony beta now

FireCore Release aTV Flash 4.3 for AppleTV

FireCore have just released the latest version of aTV Flash (4.3) for the 1st generation AppleTV.

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Here is what they said:

We are pleased to announce the release of aTV Flash version 4.3 for the original silver AppleTV. Included are some new features, as well as a number of improvements to existing features and core components. Read on for more details.

What’s new in 4.3?

  • Added File Sharing (SMB Server)
  • Improved DVD file playback
  • Improved metadata scrapers
  • Improved Last.fm scrobbling (2.0)
  • Improved FTP and SSH connections
  • Improved memory management
  • Improved installation routine
  • Improved system tools
  • Minor UI improvements
  • Other miscellaneous fixes

What can I do with File Sharing?

File Sharing allows you to stream non-iTunes media stored on your AppleTV (including media stored on external drives) to other devices including a second AppleTV (silver or black) or a Mac/PC computer.

How to use File Sharing

After installing the File Sharing package through the Maintenance –> Install Extras menu, the File Sharing option can be enabled through the Maintenance –> Settings menu.

When File Sharing is enabled (or set to Auto-Start) the relevant connection info will be visible when the File Sharing item is highlighted. The AppleTV’s username and password are both ‘frontrow’ (without quotes).

Great! Where can I get it?

aTV Flash version 4.3 is available through the Downloads tab in your account. If you’re already running aTV Flash on your AppleTV you can update through the Maintenance –> Manage Plugins menu.

Apple Release Security Update 2011-003 to Combat MacDefender Malware

Yesterday Apple released a security update (2011-003) that includes a fix for the MacDefender malware issue. So if you have a Mac you should update now!

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Security Update 2011-003

  • File Quarantine

    Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

    Impact: Definition added

    Description: The OSX.MacDefender.A definition has been added to the malware check within File Quarantine. Information on File Quarantine is available in this Knowledge Base article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3662

  • File Quarantine

    Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

    Impact: Automatically update the known malware definitions

    Description: The system will check daily for updates to the File Quarantine malware definition list. An opt-out capability is provided via the “Automatically update safe downloads list” checkbox in Security Preferences. Additional information is available in this Knowledge Base article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4651

  • Malware removal

    Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

    Impact: Remove the MacDefender malware if detected

    Description: The installation process for this update will search for and remove known variants of the MacDefender malware. If a known variant was detected and removed, the user will be notified via an alert after the update is installed. Additional information is available in this Knowledge Base article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4651

AutoExit 2011 Beta-2 For Windows Home Server 2011 Released

ASoft has just released beta 2 for AutoExit 2011 for Windows Home Server 2011.

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Here is what Nick said:

It’s been a while since Beta-1 of AutoExit for WHS 2011 was released, but now you can rest assured Beta-2 is here!

This version mostly fixes issues that were present in Beta-1 and it had been made fully compatible with the release version of WHS 2011.
A new feature in this beta is that you can now also add non-WHS machines (which don’t have the WHS Client Connector software installed)

You can download it from the ASoft site.

Check out the article and video Tim posted about the previous beta

Hands On Review of the Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011

Last week we unboxed the new Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011 box, and today we have the exclusive review of the Leo HS4.

UWHS Review - Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011

Tranquil are one the first companies to release a Windows Home Server 2011 box, the other being Viridian with their VS-4HA. In fact, there isn’t exactly a line of companies rushing to release Windows Home Server 2011. Acer have promised one, but as yet it has failed to materialise. And frankly that is it for the “big” players. Hopefully this is just down to them being cautious and we should soon see some more.

Product Specification

Unit dimensions
213 (w) x 331 (d) x 195 (h) incl feet (mm)

Unit construction
Enamelled Steel (typically >70% recycled materials)

System heat sink
Internal CPU and Chipset aluminium heat sink (fan less)

CPU
Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor i3-2100T (2.5GHz)

Memory
2GB DDR3 1333Mhz (upgradeable)

HDDs
4x 3.5″ bays (1st bay factory fitted with 2TB HDD) 3x free.

Colour options
Satin Black or Gloss White

Front panel
Power, Mode and backups switches, Multi-coloured status LED’s and 2x USB 2.0 ports

Rear panel
12v DC power in / 2x USB3.0 / 4x USB2.0 / 10.100.1000 LAN port / 1x eSATA / Desk lock / (optional 2x eSATA with port multiplier)

Weight
Base unit (nett) 6Kg

Power supply
External AC/DC with country specific power cord

Working temp
Maximum 44’C ambient

Mounting options
Desk

Power consumption
23W (incl 1xHDD)

Acoustics
23dBA (incl 1x HDD)

Software
Windows Home Server 2011 – PC Recovery CD – Server Restore DVD

What’s in the Box?

  • Leo HS4 Home Server appliance
  • 2TB Low Energy Primary Hard Disk
  • 2GB DDR3 RAM (in the case of our review unit 4GB)
  • Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor (i3-2100T 2.5GHz) (in the case of this review we had the i5 processor)
  • Media Kit including PC Restore CD and Server Restore DVD
  • 24 month RTB (return to base) warranty

UWHS Review - Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011UWHS Review - Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011UWHS Review - Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011UWHS Review - Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011UWHS Review - Tranquil PC Leo HS4 Windows Home Server 2011

Serviio Media Server Add-in for Windows Home Server

Paul York has just been in touch to let us know about an add-in he has just released for Windows Home Server V1 called Serviio Media Server.It’s in beta at the moment.

This is what Paul said:

The add-in manages (and optionally installs) Petr Nejedly’s excellent and free Serviio DLNA media server. If you’re not familiar with Serviio, it is a transcoding-capable media server that “just works.” It streams just about every media file out there to any device, and based on a device profile, transcodes the media only if necessary for that device. it was recently recommended by Sony as “the” server to use for it’s TV’s, Blu-Ray players, and game console.

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Learn more and download the beta from here