"Details about the first OEM systems equipped with Windows Home Server are leaking out on to the 'net, and it looks like HP is going to get the ball rolling with its MediaSmart Home Server. Prices for the units were accidentally posted on several sites, such as PC Mall and onSale.com, and it looks like the server will have a US list price of USD 596 for the 500GB version and USD 745 for the 1TB version."
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Member since:2005-10-17
"3. You've got to set IP addresses, or have DHCP set up and integrated with your own network - same subnet etc. DHCP really needs dynamic addressing, so WHS will have to handle dynamic DNS for you to get consistent naming, otherwise users will get terribly confused about IP addresses and changes in IP addresses.
4. Your router or wireless AP may well have DHCP enabled as well, so you have to turn that off - otherwise bad things will happen."
You don't have to worry about that with WHS. Just plug the box in and it's on your network. You don't need to mess with DHCP or ip addresses. I have it running on my network now which consists of a wireless router, 2 gigabit hubs, desktop, HTPC and a Wii. The only thing to setup on it was a user account for those on your network and then the connect software on each PC that you wish to backup or remote administer from. It walks you through the whole thing.
WHS is quite impressive in it's feature set and ease of use. It's market is your average home user and based on my experience it will work quite well for them. I had looked into a NAS box but this was easier to setup and had more features.
Edited 2007-08-23 20:41
Member since:2005-07-06
You don't have to worry about that with WHS. Just plug the box in and it's on your network. You don't need to mess with DHCP or ip addresses.
You do know how networks work, right, as well as having nice, simple DNS names for your machines which is pretty much a given?
Out of interest, where is your DHCP server located?
Member since:
2005-07-06
Well speak for yourself, this may be too difficult for you, but if you bothered at all to even look into this, which you have NOT, then you would know beforehand that this is actually quite simple to set up.
I'm not interested in you or me. I'm interested in the fact that this is supposed to be a home server, supposedly for use by ordinary non-technical people.
what home networks do people have? My god, you simply no absolutely NOTHING about what you claim to know, yet you continue on and on and on..and on
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070822-analyst-says-home-net...
"Baker calls the complexity of setting up a home network to share files, music and videos "the elephant in the room that no-one wants to talk about.""
Get that?
The vast majority of homes do not have networks, nor do most people have any idea how to get one or set one up, and for many that do they experience unreliability. So I'll ask again. What home networks are people going to put WHS on?
Any family with more than 1-2 computers hooked up via etherne or wireless can be considered a home network. Now do I actually need to explain where this device goes?
And you think that's all that's needed?
1. If you have wireless, you've got to get the server on the wireless network by using a wireless card or by plugging into ethernet somewhere - and it has to be the right ethernet port.
2. You have to configure wireless SSIDs and/or encryption if you're directly on wireless.
3. You've got to set IP addresses, or have DHCP set up and integrated with your own network - same subnet etc. DHCP really needs dynamic addressing, so WHS will have to handle dynamic DNS for you to get consistent naming, otherwise users will get terribly confused about IP addresses and changes in IP addresses.
4. Your router or wireless AP may well have DHCP enabled as well, so you have to turn that off - otherwise bad things will happen.
5. If you have wireless, all this assumes that you have a reliable and a secure network - which many, many people don't. When things go wrong, they'll probably blame the server if they can't access it.
Ignorance is bliss I guess
Ignorance certainly is bliss, because it must be great for people to paint over such issues that are very real for home users.
If you wish to just bash something because it is from Microsoft
Nope. This goes for all home network devices, which is why I'm advocating the simpler, more specific in terms of functionality, easier to understand specifically and less general these devices are the better.
I am sure there is lots of young, immature, little twits that would love to be less-informed and more ignorant to the belief that anything that is Microsoft is bad...
When you have something useful to say, especially in view of the hurdles that home users have in terms of computer and network products today, as I've indicated above, I'm all ears sweetheart.
WHS simply does nothing to help people here, and is just not the silver bullet that everyone is claiming that it is.
Sadly, I guess when you grow up you will realize this world is not simply black and white.
Sadly, when you crawl out from under your stone you'll realise that black is black and white is white and home networking is still a prerequisite.
Boo, hoo, hoo. Someone has actually had the balls to point out that WHS doesn't make the world a better place.