What is Windows Home Server?

Advanced Admin Console Add-In for Windows Home Server Version 0.5.4 Released

Andrew Edney

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Feb 20, 2011

Advanced Admin Console Add-In for Windows Home Server Version 0.5.4 Released

Today saw the release of version 0.5.4 of the Advanced Admin Console for Windows Home Server and some news about Advanced Admin Console 2011.

Here is what Andreas had to say:

This is a maintenance release which fixes a number of minor bugs and one major bug in the update discovery mechanism which prevented Japanese and Chinese users from being notified when an update was available. In addition, a possible conflict with other AddIns has been resolved. This update improves the stability and reliability of the Advanced Admin Console and I recommend to all current users to upgrade to the latest release.

Download Advanced Admin Console AddIn Version 0.5.4.

There is also news about the public beta of Advanced Admin Console for 2011 for both Windows Home Server 2011 and Small Business Server 2011 Essentials:

This is just a quick announcement to inform you that the release of the public beta of Advanced Admin Console 2011 for Windows Home Server 2011 and Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is imminent. The bits will be available for download from this site later this week. Everyone who contacted me regarding the beta test will be notified via email. Stay tuned!

I for one am looking forward to testing the beta. How about you?

Review of the mophie juice pack air for the Apple iPhone 4

Andrew Edney

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Feb 20, 2011

1

Review of the mophie juice pack air for the Apple iPhone 4

If you have an iPhone 4 and you find that you never have enough battery power then you need an external battery pack. How about a case with an integrated battery pack? That’s where the juice pack air from mophie comes in.

On a normal day I can usually get away with starting the day with my iPhone 4 fully charged and by the end of the day just charge it again for the next day. However, there are times when I am out and about at events, or on days when I just seem to use the battery much quicker. At those times it can be really frustrating to see that less than 20% battery warning appear along with the red battery icon. That’s usually the point I will turn off various functions and save the battery for an emergency until I get home where I can charge again. I don’t really want to carry around a charging cable and plug so what other options do I have? Well if I still had my iPhone 3GS there are battery cases, battery packs and other things you can buy, but there just aren’t that many yet for the iPhone 4.

Back at IFA in September I spoke with mophie and they were previewing there combined case and battery pack, and then again at CES this year they had it available.

So, here is the UWHS review of the mophie juice pack air.

Here is how mophie describe the juice pack air:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]The juice pack air is a rechargeable external battery concealed inside of a protective form-fitting case for the iPhone 4. It offers you the full protection of a hard-shell case while providing virtually twice the battery life of the iPhone alone; all in an ultra-thin, light-weight, low-profile design.[/box]

The juice pack air comes in three colours – black, white and red. We have the black one which fits in nicely with my iPhone 4.

Who are mophie?

mophie describe themselves on their website:

mophie is a California-based, award-winning designer and manufacturer of mobile intelligent devices and accessories. It is widely recognized and highly acclaimed for its creative designs and innovative solutions. Mophie was the proud developer of the Juice Pack, first ever “Works With iPhone” portable battery case certified by Apple Inc. All mophie’s products are developed to address real consumer and business needs and are seamless integrations of industrial, electronic, software and artistic designs. Mophie has operations in Michigan, California (Orange county), and China. Its products are available in Apple Stores, Best Buy, AT&T stores and other major retailers worldwide.

Specifications

juice pack air for iPhone 4:

Standby Time: Up to 270 hours

Talk Time: Up to 6 hours on 3G | Up to 12 hours on 2G

Internet Use: Up to 5 hours on 3G | Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi

Audio Playback: Up to 36 hours

Video Playback: Up to 9 hours

Product Dimensions: 5.07 in x 2.51 in x 0.68 in; 2.5 oz

Battery Capacity: 1500 mAh

What’s in the Box?

The box contains the juice pack air case, a USB cable and a small manual.

A Closer Look at the juice pack air

Ask the Windows Home Server Team Questions

Andrew Edney

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Feb 20, 2011

7

Ask the Windows Home Server Team Questions

It’s a little over a week now until the annual Microsoft MVP Summit in Seattle. As WHS MVPs, both Tim and I will be spending some time with the WHS Product Team – is there anything you want us to ask them?

We are happy to ask any questions you like – obviously depending on whether the answer is under NDA we will get you an answer where possible.

So, ask away…..

Some Changes to UWHS

News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 19, 2011

8

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that the site looks a little different today…….

At the end of last year, we mentioned that we had a number of changes planned, and the first of those changes is to update the theme a little in preparation for some other changes we have planned in the near future.

Hopefully you like it?

Let us know what you think, and let us know what you think is missing – after all, UWHS is YOUR site as much as it is ours.

And as usual, the best suggestions will win some goodies

The Home Server Show Podcast 124

Andrew Edney

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Feb 18, 2011

4

Dave and the guys over at the Home Server Show have just released show 124 – and Tim is on it this week talking about storage.

Here’s what Dave has to say about this weeks show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]This is the mega storage and backup episode with the BYOB Podcast crew. Mike, Mike, and Tim join John, Jim, and Dave to talk about the new “Drive Extender” like Add-In’s promised for Windows Home Server 2011 as well as storage, RAID, and backups. There is some v1 in there as well. It’s a big show and it will spill over into next week too![/box]

You can listen to show 124 from here

Seagate 3TB GoFlex – Two Minute Review

Timothy Daleo

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Feb 17, 2011

2

While with the Michael’s from BYOB at Fry’s this weekend, I purchased a Seagate GoFlex 3TB drive for my Windows Home Server 2011. At $159, it is cheaper to buy an enclosure drive and pull the drive than it was to buy just a bare drive. Go figure. Anyway, before I crack the case I will give the basic specs and a benchmark test. Read on to see the Seagate GoFlex 3TB drive performance.

Love me some Fry’s on a Saturday morning.

The 3TB USB 2.0 drive was $40 cheaper than the $199 USB 3.0 version at Fry’s. Since I was going to pull the drive, I did not care about the faster Seagate interfaces.

http://www.frys.com/product/6297680

The drive prices are still not as cost effective as 2TB drives, but if you only have space for one drive then it may be worth it to consider 3TB. You could get 4TB for the same price of 3TB if you get two 2TB drives.

The base comes off easily and can be replaced with optional USB 3.0 and FireWire bases.

ATTO Benchmark with default USB 2.0 Enclosure

The 3TB drive with a USB 2.0 connection is slow.

It took 1:10 to copy a 2.419 GB video file which equates to 34.5 MB/s so the ATTO Disk Benchmark was right on. The Windows speed details were all over the place.

WHS v1 and WHS 2011 Storage Comparison – A Supplement to Home Server Show #124

Windows Home Server

Timothy Daleo

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Feb 17, 2011

17

WHS v1 and WHS 2011 Storage Comparison – A Supplement to Home Server Show #124

Dave McCabe at the Home Server Show invited the BYOB guys to sit in on podcast #124 and talk about storage for Windows Home Server. He asked me to whip up a short sermon comparing the storage technologies in both versions and talk about it on the show. I can do short. I think.

Windows Home Server v1

As we all probably know, Windows Home Server v1 uses a technology called Drive Extender. DE, as we now call it, allows you to add additional drives to a WHS v1 to create a storage “pool” of drives appear to the user as one large drive. On the User front-end, WHS v1 is divided into two partitions. There is a 20GB C: drive for the OS and the rest of the space creates a D: drive that works as the data storage area. There is of course more to it behind the scenes, but this is it from a user POV. You can add and remove drives at any time without concern about size, type, manufacturer or connection type. Adding and removing drives is done through a special wizard and is easy to perform. Remember, DE is a software solution to storage pooling and is not RAID. As a matter of fact, from the start of WHS v1 Microsoft has highly discouraged RAID with DE citing severe problems .

In addition to DE, WHS v1 also offers Folder Duplication. When enabled, Folder Duplication offers data protection by keeping copies of your files on two different drives in the pool. If one drive fails, Folder Duplication will have a copy of the files from the failed drive safely stored on the other drive in the pool.

The user files are moved by a background service called DE Migrator. The Drive Extender Migrator service runs and then takes an hour break under normal conditions. It is not run at specific times although you can be sure it will run after key events like drive replacement, switching of Folder Duplication and WHS start up.

This next part is a quote directly from the Microsoft White Paper “The Windows Home Server Drive Extender Migrator service has three major functions:

• To duplicate certain files

• To migrate files that are not already migrated

• To manage the storage across the hard drives

The filter is not always able to migrate files when they are added to the home server, but the Migrator service runs in the background, looking for files to migrate. If a file is in a shared folder that is configured for duplication, the Migrator service selects a second hard drive to store an alternate shadow.”

The data on your drives move around. All three images below show 1.36TB of free space but show how DE masks the actual locations of the data.

Now, from what I just talked about in WHS v1, you can see advantages and disadvantages based on the WHS v1 design and drive technologies and apply it to your own situation.

There were also a few rudimentary limitations of WHS v1 due to its software, code base and 32-bit addressing that caused problems in areas such as drive size limits, backups and restore drivers.

Review of the ZAGG mate with keyboard iPad Case

Andrew Edney

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Feb 17, 2011

0

Review of the ZAGG mate with keyboard iPad Case

If like me you have an Apple iPad and you want to do more than just watch movies on it, you will probably need a keyboard, not to mention a case to protect the iPad. How about both in the form of the ZAGG mate with keyboard case?

What is the ZAGG mate with keyboard iPad Case?

This is how ZAGG describe it:

The perfect companion for your Apple iPad.

The patent pending ZAGGmate iPad Case is the perfect companion for your iPad. Its exclusive features and sleek design give your iPad durable protection, added functionality and style. You’ll wonder how you ever used your iPad without it.

ZAGGmate iPad Case is made from aircraft aluminum with a bead-blasted, anodized finish matching the design, look and feel of your iPad. The ZAGGmate iPad Case is the thinnest hard cover protector for the front of the iPad. Its simple yet innovative hinge provides viewing and typing angles in both portrait and landscape mode. The option of a built-in physical Bluetooth keyboard allows for fast, responsive typing.

Sleek and stylish design with unique and useful features makes ZAGGmate iPad Case the essential accessory for your Apple iPad.

Size and Weight

Height: 9.75 inches (248 mm)

Width: 7.625 inches (194 mm)

Depth: .4 inches (10.2 mm)

Depth w/keyboard: .54 inches (13.7 mm)

Weight: 7 ounces (.2 kg)

Weight w/keyboard: 12.8 ounces (.37 kg)

Battery

ZAGGmate iPad Case with keyboard uses a 510 mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery that will last several weeks of normal use without charging.

What’s in the Box?

ZAGGmate iPad Case
MicroUSB cable for charging
Quickstart guide
Four rubber feet (optional)

Take a look at the video below:

The Digital Lifestyle Show Podcast 293 Out Now

Andrew Edney

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Feb 17, 2011

1

The Digital Lifestyle Show Podcast 293 Out Now

Ian over at the Digital Lifestyle.com has just released the Digital Lifestyle Show podcast number 293 and this week we talk more about WHS 2011 and the possible death of Zune.

Here is what’s on this show this week:

Welcome to show 293 (wow getting close to 300!) and this week Andrew and I talk about Windows Server 2011 and whether you should install 3rd party drive extender addins, how to get Windows Home Server V1, SSD drives and Windows Media Center, the death of Zune and WebOS tablets, Windows Phone 7, Apple TV, Boxee and Twonky for iOS

You can listen to this week show here

DVBLogic Release DVBLink v.3.2.1 Suite

Andrew Edney

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Feb 17, 2011

0

This morning, DVBLogic have released the latest versions of the DVBLink suite of applications, bringing them up to version 3.2.1.

Here is what they say:

DVBLink products v3.2.1 are released!
What’s new and fixed since version 3.2:
General
– Added: Portuguese language
– Added: Server and source channel settings backup and restore functionality
– Added: Simplified software activation functionality
DVBLink TVSource
– Fixed: Stuttering HD and/or SD channels, which are descrambled using plugins (applies only to channels, which have unencrypted "adaptation field only" a/v packets interleaved with encrypted ones)
– Added: CI module support for AnySee E7 tuners
DVBLink Server Network Pack
– Fixed: unstable start of streaming on IPad/IPhone (when arrow button is pressed it stays gray and streaming does not start)
– Reduced periodic artefacts when playing back channels on IPad/IPhone
– Improved playback of HD channels on IPad/IPhone (still substantial CPU may be required)
DVBLink for IPTV
– Fixed: stuttering on HD channels
DVBLink for Dreambox
– No changes
Important!! Version 3.2.x is incompatible with version 3.1 or earlier. This means that you must upgrade all of your DVBLink products to the new version!
How to install:
DVBLink TVSource/DVBLink TVSource Connected Edition:
– Run DVBLinkSetup.exe from Setup folder. It will both install new version or update existing version to a new one.
DVBLink Server Network Client / DVBLink for Dreambox / DVBLink for IPTV:
– New installation: run msi installation files. Install DVBLink server first, followed by the DVBLink source product installation and (eventually) Network Pack installation.
– Upgrade: run enclosed bat files. Upgrade DVBLink Server first, then DVBLink source products and then (eventually) Network Pack and Network Client(s). This will preserve all your channels and settings. You will need to re-enter server IP address after upgrading client.
The versions of all binary files (exe and dll) should be 3.2.1.0.
DVBLink products v3.2.1 are available for download from the main page of our website http://www.dvblogic.com.

And don’t forget our How To guides on installing and using DVBLink:

How To Install and Configure DVBLink Server and TVSource How To Install and Configure DVBLink Server Network Pack

Win Feedsource for Windows Home Server – The Results

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Feb 17, 2011

1

Win Feedsource for Windows Home Server – The Results

Last week we gave two of you the chance to win a copy of the new Windows Home Server Feedsource Add-In from Sam Wood. Here are the results.

What is Feedsource?

Feedsource is a Windows Home Server Add-In that publishes secure Really Simple Syndication (“RSS”) feeds for Shared Folders through the Remote Access web site.

Authorized users access Feedsource RSS feeds from inside or outside the home network to view new and changed files in Shared Folders using any RSS reader that supports authenticated feeds.

Features

Authenticated RSS feeds for Shared Folders that show create, delete, rename, and change events for files and directories
Granular control to enable or disable RSS feeds for each Shared Folder
Automatic integration with the Remote Access web site to view feeds from outside your network with no extra port-forwarding or configuration
Simple setup through the Windows Home Server Console
Secure authentication and authorization using SSL and existing Windows Home Server access controls
RSS 2.0 and Atom support

Learn more about Feedsource at the Tentacle Software website

The Winners

And the two lucky winners are:

David

Gerrit

Well done guys. Expect to hear from Sam soon with your licences.

And thanks to Sam Wood for providing the licences to give away in the first place!

Stay tuned for more giveaways with UWHS very soon.

Virtualized Storage With DataCore for Windows Home Server 2011

Jim McCarthy

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Feb 17, 2011

8

Another potential Drive Extender replacement is on the scene from DataCore. They specialize in virtualized storage, including pooling and data protection.

Who is DataCore?

Here is how they describe themselves:

DataCore Software – The Storage Virtualization Company

Mission: “Make it practical for organizations large and small to remove physical, geographical and device-specific restrictions of data storage equipment that slow down, interrupt or endanger their IT operations.”

DataCore Software Corporation develops the storage virtualization software required by virtual and physical IT environments to get the highest availability, fastest performance and maximum utilization from their online disks. We provide the critical 3rd dimension on which the success of server and desktop virtualization projects hinge, regardless of the models and brands of storage devices used. Our comprehensive, yet hardware-independent solutions fundamentally change the economics of provisioning, replicating and protecting storage for large enterprises and small to midsize businesses.

DataCore clients represent the broad spectrum of IT organizations around the globe, spanning all the major vertical industries. Their physical environments consists of systems from all the major storage manufacturers, including Dell, EMC, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NetApp, and many others.

Corporate headquarters are located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with subsidiaries and branch offices in North America, Europe and Asia.

DataCore storage virtualization software is sold through authorized distributors and integration partners across the world, many of which also specialize in server and desktop virtualization solutions. DataCore does not sell directly to end-users. 24×7 post sales technical assistance is provided through a highly talented customer service organization operating from key support centers in the U.S., U.K and Japan.

They provide a software solution that allows for pooling, data protection/mirroring, and thin provisioning of storage inside data centers.

Here is what they have to say right now about their technology and Windows Home Server:

“DataCore looks forward to bringing enterprise-class storage to Windows home and small business users. The combination of DataCore with both Windows Home Server and Windows Small Business Server 2011 will help you grow and protect your storage as your needs grow.”

– Carlos M. Carreras, VP of Alliances and Business Development

DataCore is working on bringing a subset of their extensive storage virtualization capabilities to WHS2011. We’ll be doing a deep dive soon so stay tuned!

Windows Home Server 2011 Awieco WakeOnLan Add-In – Video Edition

Timothy Daleo

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Feb 15, 2011

3

Awieco has just announced the Release Candidate of their Windows Home Server 2011 Awieco WakeOnLan Add-In. This powerful Add-In allows you to use the Wake On Lan ability of your network card to start your computers remotely. Check out our short video on the installation and the usage case for the Awieco WakeOnLan Add-In.

Awieco WakeOnLan Add-In

Directly from the Awieco website:

The AWIECO WakeOnLAN add-in for Windows Home Server 2011 and Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is a free and useful add-in, which has the ability to remotely turn on a computer. It enables the Server to start up every computer attached to your network. You can also power off a computer out of the Launchpad. The gadget on the WHS or SBS web-interface shows a list of all available and connected computers within your network and provides the possibility to start them up from any location inside your network or via internet, by just one mouse click. You can add further computers to your network manually by entering the MAC address or even delete them. The add-in automatically recognises if a computer is already turned on or if it is booting up.

The previous Vail review can be found at: https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2010/06/28/vail-add-in-review-awieco-wakeonlan-video-edition/

Installation Video

Awieco WakeOnLan Add-In

Tim

Windows Home Server Release Candidate

You can download Windows Home Server 2011 at:

Download WHS 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:

Your server computer must be connected to a router via a network cable
Windows Home Server works best with a UPnP certified device, but it is not required
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!

Remote Notification Add-In Update for Windows Home Server Released

Jim McCarthy

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Feb 15, 2011

1

Remote Notification Add-In Update for Windows Home Server Released

Alex Kuretz at MediaSmartServer.Net has released an update to his popular Remote Notification add-in. The new version is 1.5 and introduces some new functionality. The full version will cost $15USD and the Lite version, with the same feature set as the current 1.0.0.47 release, remains free of charge. A 30 day trial period will allow you to assess the value of the extra features in your implementation before you buy, and a secured licensing model ensures the safety of your personal information used for licensing.

What Is Remote Notification?

Remote Notification is an add-in that allows the home server to forward alerts and error messages to predetermined email or SMS texting address. This is particularly handy if you are providing remote administration for a home server. I’ve personally run this application for about two years and recommend it as required for new installations. It is very convenient to have the server tell you when there are issues.

Features

Here’s what Alex has to say about features:

Remote Notification lets you proactively monitor your Home Server in the following ways:

Receive your Home Server health alerts in your email inbox

Receive your Home Server health alerts on your mobile phone¹

Control the health alerts that are sent based upon severity level

Control the health alerts that are sent with custom text filters

Control when health alerts are sent with Notification Schedules (Do Not Disturb)

Send the alerts to as many recipients as you want

Easy setup of your email settings with SMTP Presets

Be confident that your server is functioning properly with Daily Reports via email

Monitor your Home Server health alerts via RSS Feed

View your Home Server’s health alert history for alerts you may have missed

¹ Requires that your mobile provider offers an SMS Gateway. Regular text messaging fees will apply based upon your service provider and plan.

Licensing

For this release, new features were added that require the purchase of a license to use. The differences between the lite and registered versions are summarized here:

	Lite Mode	Registered
Supports Email and SMS Recipients
Unlimited Recipients
Daily Email Reports
RSS Feed of Active Notifications
Notification Schedules (Do No Disturb)
Exclude Filters

The daily report is very useful. It’s divided into a summary section, which gives an overview of the server and any active notifications, and a detailed section. The detailed section shows the detail of any active warning notifications as well as detail about each client’s backup and health status. Finally, a roster of installed add-in’s, including version information, is provided. At a glance, you can see everything that has been installed on the server. Remote Notification sends out this report each day after the conclusion of the backup window. The RSS feed shows details of any active notifications. If you use RSS on your PC or smartphone, this could be an interesting way to see any active server notifications. Exclude Filters allow you to set up exclusions to what notifications are forwarded based on keywords and is a handy way to minimize the number of unwanted notifications. The Do Not Disturb setting ensures that messages are not sent out during set times of the day, handy if you sleep in the same room with your phone. If you enable this feature, the application will not send notifications until outside the blackout window. No more text messages at 3:30am waking you up!

Online Documentation

For this release, Alex put together a very comprehensive online documentation repository. You can see it at http://www.remotenotification.com/documentation/. This ensures that you always have access to the latest documentation and help files, and allows the developer to provide very detailed tutorials. I hope to see more of this type of online documentation in other commercial add-in releases.

Installation

Installation is like any other add-in:

Download the add-in here;
Save to the Software\Add-ins folder on your home server;
Log onto your WHS console;
Select Settings;
Select Add-ins;
Click on the Available tab;
Click on the Install button under Remote Notification.

If you are currently running Remote Notification 1.0.0.47, uninstall before installing this version. Alex has implemented a migration feature which should import the settings that you are currently using in 1.0.0.47 to make it easier to upgrade. Simply click on Remote Notification Settings on the Remote Notification tab in the console and follow the prompts to migrate settings.

Configuration

Alex documents the following steps to use when configuring Remote Notification in his Quick Start Guide:

Follow these steps and you’ll be up and running in minutes.

Install Remote Notification

Configure your SMTP Settings

Add an Email Recipient to get notifications in your email

Add an SMS Recipient to get notifications on your mobile phone

Add a Report Recipient to get Daily Reports in your email

Highly detailed tutorials are available for each step required to configure and use Remote Notification.

Screenshots

SMTP settings page:

SMTP Settings

Add email recipients:

Email Recipients

Recipient Detail

Test Email

Adding SMS and Report recipients works the same way, but instead of choosing Email in Recipient Type, choose SMS or Report.

Impressions

I was part of the beta testing team for this application, and had a front-row seat to watch this add-in progress. (Full Disclosure Alert: I received a full license at no charge in return for my testing efforts.) As such, I’ve had plenty of time to use the new version. The daily report of server status is very useful; at a glance, I know my uptime, remaining OS partition space, the status and date/time of the last backup of each machine on my network and a complete inventory of loaded add-in’s, including versions. If I were managing several servers remotely, that report alone would be worth the cost! In addition, the RSS feed is convenient, and I also value being able to load extra recipients into the texting/email notification function. My wife appreciates the Do Not Disturb window; no more waking her up in the middle of the night with SMS messages from the server. I’ve been very happy with the new features and recommend that you use the 30 day trial to see if you agree that the extra features are worth it.

More Information

Remote Notification Add-in Download

Remote Notification Website Remote Notification Documentation