Windows Home Server
Posted by Simon Salvin on 22. Mar 2008 on PC, TechnologyIf you read my blog regulary you may remember me talking about Windows Home Server way back last year http://simple-pc.com/blog/?p=9. In December the server software was officially released and of course I snapped it up!!
I have been planning a new website to feature the sales of the servers and also custom built PC’s, you may have seen the new link appear on the website a few weeks ago, unfortunately delays have occured and the website isn’t quite ready, however I thought I would take the time to tell you a little bit about Home Server and the things I’ve been doing with it over the last few months.
The server can be used in 2 ways
- As a backup facilty for all your PC’s (supports upto 10 connected PC’s). The server connects you your internet router and your connected PC’s wether wired or wireless are backed up to the server at intervals you choose, should your PC crash you can quickly install a complete image of the PC from the last backup or before if required. This has saved me on a couple of occasions over the last few months when experimenting with software has gone wrong, within an hour I had reverted back to the previous nights back up and all was good again.
- And secondly the server gives file access to all connected PC’s and also other devices. Being a fan of the XBox 360 I can now connect the two together and stream Video, Music and Photos from the server to the XBox 360 in my living room and onto the TV or play music through my HiFi connected equipment. It’s simplistic and a joy to use. I have also added music server software to the Home Server allowing other wireless music devices such as the Logitech Squeezebox to connect and stream music wirelessly around the house. Not only can the server share multimedia files but it can share any PC file, you can set up as many shared folders as needed and assign access to each one. You can even access the Home Server remotely, where ever you have internet access, at the office or on holiday, your photos and files are accessable.
The server utilises 2 hard drives and backs up the content from the first drive to the second drive, should one of the drives fail your documents aren’t lost, and a new update coming later this year will allow you to back up the server to an external drive.
I am now building Home Servers which are aptly named the “Simple Cube – Home Server”. 
As you can see from the picture they are designed in a small cube style case that can be hidden away with no need for a monitor, keyboard or mouse, the server can be accessed and controlled from any connected PC.
The new website will be coming shortly, in the mean time if you would like more info, to see a demo or discuss purchasing a Home Server please contact me in the usual way.
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