Apologies for the radio silence for the last few weeks! We've been hard at work at this end writing (Jim) and editing (Terry) We Got Served's latest eBook, Using Windows Server 2012 Essentials – Step by Step, which will be available in the next week or so.

We've had a lot of email from Windows Home Server owners who are thinking about migrating to Microsoft's latest “first server” platform and wanted a guide to work from. It's taken a couple of months of hard work to pull together but, 17 chapters and a Glossary later, we're almost ready to hit the publish button!

Here's the chapter list (as it stands):

• Introduction
  Who Is This Book For?
  Just Who Am I to be Talking About Windows Server 2012 Essentials?
• Installation Requirements
  Hardware Requirements
  Additional Requirements
  Networking Configuration
  Supported Client Operating Systems
• Install Windows Server 2012 Essentials
• Use the Dashboard to Configure and Customise Windows Server 2012 Essentials
  Get Updates for Other Microsoft Products
  Add User Accounts
  Add Server Folders
  Set Up Server Backup
  Set Up Anywhere Access
  Set Up Email Alerts
  Set Up Media Server
  Connect Client Computers to the Server
• Add Client PCs to the Server Network
  Connecting a PC to the Server Domain
  Migrating Local Files and Applications With Windows Easy Transfer
• Add Additional Client Computers to the Server Network
  Add Windows “Home” PCs to the Network
  Install Windows RT Tablets to an Essentials Network
  Install Windows Phone Smartphones to an Essentials Network
  Adding Apple Macs to an Essentials Network
• The Launchpad
• A Trip Around the Dashboard
  The Home Section
  The Users Section
  The Devices Section
  The Storage Section
  The Applications Section
  Additional Options
  The Blue Help Links
• The Dashboard Home Tab
  The Help Tab
  The Add-ins Tab
  The Email Tab
• Managing Users and Accounts
• Managing Computers and Group Policy in the Dashboard
  Server Tasks
  Client Tasks
  Device Tasks
• Managing Hard Drives, Storage and Storage Spaces
  Server Folders
  Hard Drives
  Adding Hard Drives to the Server
  Storage Spaces
• Extending Windows Server 2012 Essentials With Add-ins
  Installing an Add-in
• Remote Access
  Remote Web Access
  VPN
• Protecting and Restoring Your Data
  Data Redundancy
  File History
  Shadow Copies
  Folder Redirection
  Client Backup and Restore
  Server Backup and Restore
  Cloud Backup
• Supporting Applications
  Malware Protection
  Software Update Applications
  Disk Defragmentation Programs
  Other Software
• An Introduction to Advanced Server Management
  Windows PowerShell
  Administrative Tools
  Active Directory
  Certificate Authority
  DNS Manager
  Group Policy Management
  Health Registration Authority
  Internet Information Services (IIS)
  Network Policy Server
  Server Manager
  Windows Server Backup
• What Happens Next?
• Glossary
• Index

Phew! 560 pages and 34,101 words – that's a lot of Windows Server 2012 Essentials goodness! Whether you're a WHS user seeking your next step in the server world, a small business or SOHO user interested in running your first server or whether you're new to it all and just want to learn whether a small server is right for you, we hope that Using Windows Server 2012 Essentials answers all of your questions.

We're in the final stages of formatting to prepare the eBook for use on the multitude of devices available on the market today, but as with previous releases, expect to see PDF and ePub editions available to buy at the WGS Store very soon!