In our last Get Started feature, we set up and configured user accounts for family and friends.

Once you have all of your family members set-up with user accounts you can go ahead and add whatever additional shared folders you need, on top of Windows Home Server’s defaults.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Windows Home Server is pre-configured with a number shared folders; Videos, Music, Software, Recorded TV, Photos and Public. HP add the additional Converted Videos and Mac folders to their home servers. You can configure an individual user’s access rights to these folders when initially setting up that user’s account. But what if you want to create a completely new shared folder? Let’s take a look at how we do this.

Let’s say you’re in the process of moving house, and there’s all sorts of emails, documents and most importantly, spreadsheets sitting on various PCs in the house. (Anyone who has moved house will know the sheer volume of documents that go between you, your estate agent and solicitor!). I’m going to set-up a new shared folder, called “House Move” in which I can store all of my important documents about the move.

Step 1: Login to the Windows Home Server Console from One of your Home Computers

Step 2: Click on the Shared Folders Icon at the Top of the Screen

The Shared folders screen will appear. This lists all of the shared folders you have set up on your home server with the following information:

• Name – funnily enough, the name of your folder.
• Description - a description of the folder contents.
• Used Space – the space currently taken up by that folder on your home server
• Duplication - Windows Home Server allows additional protection for your shared folders, by duplicating the contents to a second hard drive on your home server, if one is installed. This means that if one hard drive physically fails, your folders are safe on the second drive. It’s well worth investing in a second hard drive for this added protection. Duplication shows whether each folder is being duplicated or not.
• Status – Windows Home Server keeps a check on the condition of your hard drive. This should usually be Healthy, if you get a status showing Unhealthy, it’s time to act!

Step 3: Select +Add From the Command Bar Underneath the Main Tabs

This will start the Add a Shared Folder wizard.

Step 4: Type in the Name and a Description for your Shared Folder.
If there’s going to be a specific role for this folder, then make sure it’s named clearly – remember, it may not just be you who has access to the folder, so a clear name and description will ensure that all of your family know what the folder is to be used for. I’ve gone for the folder name “House Move” and the description “Shared folder for house moving documents”. It’s not the most original, but it’ll do the job!

Step 5: Check the Enable Folder Duplication Checkbox
Decide whether you want Folder Duplication enabled for this folder – my personal view is that as storage is becoming cheaper all the time, there’s no reason not to duplicate your folders, as long as you have the space. You can turn folder duplication on or off at any time, so it makes good sense to use the protection that’s available. I certainly need to protect these house moving documents, so I’ve enabled folder duplication. If you want to know more about folder duplication, click “What is Folder Duplication?” and you’ll get verse and gospel. With everything in place, click Next.

Step 6: Decide Who Can Access the Shared Folder

Okay, you just need to tell Home Server who can access the new folder, and whether they’re allowed to just read files from it, or also save files to it (the Full option). Just click the radio button underneath one option (Full, Read or None) for each user and then click Next. I decided that both my wife and I need to read files from the folder, and save files to it, so we both get Full Access. I don’t want guests accessing these documents, so they get None.

Step 7: Your Folder is Set-up

With all the information Windows Home Server needs to setup the folder, the wizard churns away and completes the folder setup, configuring access and enabling folder duplication if required. You’re given a direct link to the new folder, if you want to start adding files immediately. Click Done to end the wizard.

Repeat the steps above for any new folders you want to set-up.

In our next Get Started guide, we’ll take a look a configuring back-ups of your home computers.

Sarah over at Channel 10 points to a great new plugin for Media Center that allows you to add channel logos to your Media Center’s TV Guide.

Image: Hack7MC

My Channel Logos for 7MC bundles a set of US Channel logos with the plugin, and allows you to add your own logos too.

More Info: www.hack7mc.com

Over in San Francisco this week, Macworld visitors have been treated to a glimpse of the new HP MediaSmart Server which now supports data backup for Apple Macs.

Whilst it’s incongruous to think of a Windows-based product being showcased at a Mac trade show, clearly it’s hit the mark as Macworld magazine editors awarded the product a “Best of Show” gong yesterday.

They said, “HP’s MediaSmart Server is a server for the home. The idea is that it gives you one place to store all your family’s shared libraries of photos, music, and video, and provide a backup drive for every computer in the house.

It looks like a mini-tower. It’s got four drive bays. You can buy it with one or two of those bays full, for 750GB or 1.5TB of storage. You can plug any SATA drive into the remaining bays if you need more storage.

The MediaSmart Server isn’t new, but the latest version adds improved Mac compatibility. For one thing, it now works as an iTunes Server. You can copy your iTunes libraries to it, then access those combined libraries from any computer in the house. (Unfortunately, the media collection tool, which can go out and find all those libraries and do the copying on its own, only works with Windows PCs for now.)

The MediaSmart Server can also work as a centralized backup drive for everyone on the network. The key addition there: Unlike other network-attachable drives, it’s compatible with Time Machine.

The HP MediaSmart Server is specifically designed for homes with a mix of Macs and Windows PCs. It requires a PC for the initial installation in large part because the server itself runs on the Windows Home Server OS. But once you’ve done that set-up, the MediaSmart is fully accessible from your Mac.

All in all, it’s a really promising solution for any home that has both Macs and Windows machines and no central place to store and protect the family’s digital media assets.”

So what happened to that rumoured Apple Home Server, then?

More Info: Macworld

Ian Dixon has opened up voting in The Digital Lifestyle 2008 Awards, and within the categories listed, you’ll see an award for Best Windows Home Server Community Resource. If you think we deserve a vote then head on over and vote for us. If you think we don’t, then head on over and nominate someone else!

If you’re in a voting mood over the weekend, do make sure you get your votes in for this year’s WGS Reader Awards – we’ve already had well over 500 votes, so make sure you add your voice to those we’ve already heard.

Prolific add-in developer Brent Friedman has kicked off a new Windows Home Server project, which has been released in alpha form this week. DVD Manager is a free DVD ripping application and is set to compete with My Movies for Windows Home Server, which is already receiving a huge amounts of votes for 2008 Best Windows Home Server Add-in in this year’s WGS Readers Awards (make sure you vote now if you haven’t already).

DVD Manager is the latest in a series of media focused add-ins to hit Windows Home Server – it’s great to see how the platform is evolving in this direction in the back end of 2008, through add-ins like RipNAS Essentials, My Movies for Windows Home Server, and DVD Manager.

DVD Manager still needs a lot of development, and Brent is looking for testers to try the add-in out, provide feedback and feature requests. Here’s the lowdown:

DVD Manager is an easy (and free) solution to automated DVD ripping using your Windows Home Server. DVD Manager supports ripping to many formats including: a folder, International Standards Organization (ISO), Windows Media Video (WMV), Audio Video Interleave (AVI), and soon more. All you have to do is pop the DVD in, and DVD Manager will do the rest!

DVD Manager does not decrypt your DVDs so you need an on-the-fly dvd decrypter. Supported decrypters include  DVD43 (free) or SlySoft’s AnyDVD (not free).

System Requirements:

• At least one DVD-ROM drive.
• DVD43 or AnyDVD.
• At least Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
• IMAPV2 update for Server 2003

Current Rip Modes::

• To a folder.
• To an ISO.file.
• To a WMV file.
• To an AVI file.

Notes:

• If you have both AnyDVD and DVD43, DVD Manager will use AnyDVD instead of DVD43.
• If you have issues with the Home Server Console tab, double check that you have service pack 1 for .NET 3.5.
• When ripping the DVD to a folder, DVD Manager will go online and grab the front cover saving it as folder.png. This allows Media Center’s DVD Gallery/Videos and Windows Media Player to have a thumbnail provided.
• With AnyDVD, DVD Manager must first disable AnyDVD before ripping to make grabbing the correct dIsc id possible. This disc id is used for finding the DVD’s title. After getting the required information, AnyDVD is re-enabled and will start scanning the disc removing the encryption. After that, DVD Manager will start ripping and disable AnyDVD when done. The point of this bullet is to point out that using AnyDVD can make the process before ripping a bit slower.

Future Thoughts:

• Add a way for users to specify a custom codec as long as Mencoder supports it.
• Create an SDK of some sort.
• Add an abort feature for canceling ripping.
• Write up documentation.

Download: DVD Manager | Discussion and Support

Britain’s Tranquil PC were the first manufacturer to release a home server to the general public in September 2007. Since then, the company have continued to release a range of home servers in  a variety of single and multi-drive configurations. Their latest model, the SQA-5H, is their first home server with hot swappable drive bays and a few new additional hardware innovations which make using Windows Home Server even easier. Our review hardware arrived late last week and we spent the weekend taking a good look at what the Squash had to offer.

What’s Available?

Tranquil PC offer two base configurations, both of which can be upgraded with additional options. Models and specifications are as follows:

The key differences between the units are the available memory and size of hard drives supplied. 1Gb is certainly sufficient for a basic home server, but if you want to take advantage of the wide range of add-ins now available for Windows Home Server, we’d recommend going for the 2Gb option.

Rarely for a home server, two colour options are also available – a piano black or high gloss white finish. I’ll leave you to decide which looks better according to your individual tastes.

What’s in the Box?

The SQA-5H arrives well protected in a branded carton – unless UPS decide to have an impromptu game of football with your home server, there should be very little risk of the unit being damaged in transit. In the box you’ll find:

• The SQA-5H Home Server
• Power Cables for your country
• Ethernet Cable
• Software CDs (Home Server Connector, Home Computer Recovery and Home Server Recovery)
• USB Boot Key
• Quick Start Installation Guide

It’s good to see Tranquil PC now bundling their home servers with ethernet cables – it’s a small addition but one that makes a big difference to a new home server owner that may not have spare cables knocking around. The USB Boot Key is also a new addition (in it’s credit-card sized format) to Tranquil PC’s offering. More about that a little later.

As we’re seeing increasingly nowadays, Tranquil PC do not offer a printed manual in the box (they quote waste reduction reasons, although I’m sure the print cost saving is also compelling) and instead offer a short printed quick start guide and an electronic manual on the Home Server Connector CD. The quick start guide does a very brief job of explaining how to set up your home server, which is fine for the geeks amongst us, but may leave a new home server user feeling a little unsupported. As Windows Home Server sits at the heart of your home network, new users may be a little nervous setting up and connecting the home server to their network – the installation of Windows Home Server is different to installing other devices in the home – as a result, I’m not a big fan of leaving the user to print off their own manual. Full installation and usage guidelines should be included in all new home servers – if Tranquil want to reduce waste, then at the very least, manual inclusion should be an option when placing the order.

First Looks

Tranquil PC sent us the white version of the SQA-5H. It’s a very compact, cube-shaped home server with five individual, hot swappable drive bays. The white chassis we received certainly creates a big statement, and if you’re home server is going to be on show (perhaps surrounded by a lot of Apple gear) it looks the business.

Underneath the home server, you’ll discover the Windows Home Server license key, plus a label explaining what the front LED combinations mean. This seems a slightly odd place to locate such a label (the rear panel would provide easier reference) but it does a good job explaining what’s happening out front.

Around the Front

The front of the unit is a colourful affair, with multi-coloured drive bay latches attracting the eye, and a series of LEDs positioned at the bottom of the front plate. A power, manual backup and Mode button are also located at the bottom of the panel. Completing the front panel are 2 USB 2.0 ports which provide easy access for external hard drives used for additional storage or as home sever backup devices.

The drive trays themselves are of a decent quality with the coloured latch releasing an aluminium lever which is used to release the drive tray. All drive trays are screwless – to expand storage, you simply slot the hard drive into the tray, and the tray into the home server. Nice and easy.

Around the Back

The rear of the unit is dominated by a large fan which extracts heat from the unit, predominately cooling the hard drives (the processor itself is passively cooled with a heat sink). On the right hand side you’ll find a eSATA port (with built in port multiplier), 4 USB 2.0 sockets for adding external storage, gigabit ethernet socket, a desk lock and a power cable input. A blanking plate covers mouse, keyboard and monitor ports, so if you wanted to attach these peripherals to the home server, you could.

Under the Hood

The SQA-5H is powered by a new dual core version of Intel’s Atom processor, which is 64 bit ready and therefore ready to take on any future 64-bit version of Windows Home Server. The Atom replaces Tranquil’s previous inclusion of VIA C7 processors, and offers strong performance at a low cost and with low power consumption. Tranquil PC quote a consumption of just 29W when running with a single hard drive. Adding additional drives will, of course, increase power consumption, which the company attempt to mitigate by the provision of Western Digital’s Green Power drives. As stated above, we’d be tempted to spend the extra money on the 2Gb version of the Squash server – it may be overkill for today, but will provide plenty of grunt when running Windows Home Server with multiple add-ins, and, more to the point, upgrading the memory on this home server is no trivial matter.

Access to the SQA-5H’s internals is relatively easy by removing a series of screws on the back plate and unscrewing the server’s feet. However, from there, things get a little more complicated. Much like the HP Mediasmart Server, the compactness of the Squash’s internal design means that accessing the motherboard is a matter of major surgery. If you’re looking for opportunities to upgrade the server’s memory and processor, then they won’t come easily. Here’s a few shots of the Squash’s internals.

The Front Panel Explained

The SQA-5H’s front panel looks a little complex at first, but is in fact pretty straightforward, providing a range of useful operating information about your home server at a glance.

The multi-coloured latches on each drive bay actually have a purpose beyond aesthetic appeal. Red tabs denote drive bays which are not hot swappable. Blue and green tabs are hot swappable drive trays.

Above each drive bay, a small green LED lights up when it contains a hard drive – so it’s easy to see which bays you can use to extend your storage.

At the bottom of the front panel, the power light is self explanatory, whilst the Health light indicates the current health state of your home server. This light will switch to amber and red depending on your home server’s status. The Boot light will flash red when the system is booting and then should remain green during operation. LEDs at the bottom of each bay replicate the LEDs above each bay denoting that a hard drive is installed in that bay. Should a drive fail, the corresponding LED will turn red.

To trigger a server backup, you can simply press the backup button on the front of the unit, and the server will be backed up either to an external drive, or to a dedicated backup drive inserted into the fifth drive bay. The Backup LED will flash yellow when a backup is in progress, turn green when the backup is completed and red should a backup fail.

The Mode button has two usages – pressing it once will toggle the brightness of the front panel LEDs, whereas if you hold it down, you will see a visual guide as to your current storage capacity. A solid red LED denotes 10% of your storage has been used, whereas a flashing red LED denotes 5% usage. So if you hold down the button and see two sold red LEDs and one flashing LED, that means 25% of your storage has been utilised. This is somewhat tricky to get your head around, but if you need to see your storage capacity displayed on the server itself, it can be done. I guess a VFD display would be an easier option in the future.

USB Boot Key

The credit card sized USB key enclosed with the SQA-5H is actually a Boot key, to be used in the event that the home server itself needs to be reinstalled. This places the Squash into a recovery mode, with reinstallation being completed over the network by placing the Home Server Recovery CD into one of your home computers and following the on screen wizard.

Easy Home Server Backup

Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 delivered a number of improvements to the platform, including the ability to create a manual backup of the home server itself – a useful function for those looking for true peace of mind. Usually, the home server is backed up to an External USB Hard Drive, offering the ability to take the backup off-site (in case of fire, flood or theft).  Tranquil PC have built on this functionality by allowing the user to dedicate one of the five drive bays specifically for home server backups. This drive does become part of the overall storage pool, but is used purely for backups. The drive dedicated for backups is denoted on the Squash’s front panel by an alternating green and yellow LED, so you can ensure you don’t remove the wrong drive for safe keeping!

Home Server backups can be performed on an ad-hoc basis, simply by pressing the Backup button on the front panel – you then have the option to leave the drive in situ, if you just wish to protect against drive failure, or remove the drive for safe-keeping elsewhere. It’s a great piece of hardware innovation that makes protecting your data simpler and, as internal hard drives are cheaper than their external cousins, more cost effective.

Using the SQA-5H

Tranquil make a point of not shipping systems with any bundled software, so you’re provided with a sparkingly clean, vanilla Windows Home Server installation – as if you installed the software yourself on a home-built PC. So managing the home server and installing the Connector software on you home computers is as you’d expect – boot the home server, wait a few minutes for it to become ready (first boot is always a little longer as the home server needs to be prepared for use), then slip the home server connector CDs in each of your home computers and follow the on screen wizards. Nice and easy.

Configuring the backup drive (if you choose to use one) is simple – insert the drive into a free bay, and run Windows Home Server’s “Add a Hard Drive” wizard. Let the system know you wish to use that drive as a backup drive, give it a name and then select which of your shared folders you wish to have backed up. Windows Home Server will recognise the drive each time it’s inserted, and therefore future backups are very easy to perform, simply by pressing the backup button on the Squash’s front panel. You’ll see the drive LED flash yellow as the backup is performed, then green once it’s completed, before switching off.

Swapping drives around is relatively straightforward, although there are a few guidelines to follow – Bays 1 & 2 are not configured as hot swappable bays, so your primary hard drive and any drive in Bay 2 are there for the duration. However, bays 3, 4 and 5 are fully hot swappable, so you can move drives around as you wish (remembering, of course, to let WHS know you’re removing them through the server storage tab).

The combination of 2Gb of RAM and the Atom 330 processor ensured that the system is responsive out of the box, and thanks to the Western Digital GP drives, you’ll find the system runs very quiet indeed.

If you’re looking for additional storage (that is, if 7.5 Tb maximum storage isn’t enough for you!) for your Squash server, Tranquil PC are also now selling the SQA-EX, a storage enclosure which uses the exact same chassis design as the SQA-5H. The EX connects to the the Squash via its eSATA port, and offers another five bays of storage goodness.

The Verdict

So, what’s the verdict on the Tranquil PC SQA-5H? Well, as with most of Tranquil PC’s servers, you won’t find the SQA-5H in the bargain basement, and if you’re looking for the best deal on a home server, there’s cheaper options about. That said, the Squash’s hardware specification is pretty strong – the 64-bit ready Atom 330 processor is quick enough for a home server and if you go for the 2Gb of RAM there will be very little need to upgrade the hardware for some time yet, so it’s a decent investment.

The chassis is certainly Tranquil’s best to date, and Tranquil PC do very good chassis design, so don’t take this lightly – the Squash is well designed and finished, feeling like a high quality piece of kit. Five drive bays should keep all but the most heavy of users happy for quite some time, and the storage expansion options available via External USB hard drives and the optional SQA-EX will ensure you’ve always got plenty of storage available for your growing digital life.

It’s great to see Tranquil PC continuing to innovate in their hardware design – the one-button manual backup feature builds nicely on new functionality provided in Windows Home Server Power Pack 1, and provides simple, convenient protection for your shared folders.

The SQA-5H is easily Tranquil PC’s best home server to date – in fact, if you’re looking for a compact, quiet, multi-drive home server with good looks, great performance and a myriad of expansion options, the Squash is just about perfect.

You can purchase the SQA-5H from Tranquil PC direct or a variety of online retailers including www.ripcaster.co.uk in the UK, www.domoq.it in Italy, and www.digitalsources.de in Germany. If you’re in the Netherlands, visit www.degrund.nl

Wow!  Vista is going to get another Service Pack!

We are committed to continually improving Windows, and we’ve been getting some questions about the timing of the next service pack for Windows Vista.  Following the success of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 last spring, we have been working hard on Windows Vista Service Pack 2. As a part of the development and testing process, we’re going to start by providing a small group of Technology Adoption Program customers with Windows Vista SP2 Beta for evaluation next Wednesday, October 29. The final release date for Windows Vista SP2 will be based on quality. So we’ll track customer and partner feedback from the beta program before setting a final date for the release.

So what is new?

In addition to previously released updates since the launch of Windows Vista SP1, Windows Vista SP2 contains changes focused on supporting new types of hardware and adding support for several emerging standards:

• Windows Vista SP2 adds Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches.
• Windows Vista SP2 contains the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack supporting the most recent specification for Bluetooth Technology.
• Ability to record data on to Blu-Ray media natively in Windows Vista.
• Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi Configuration.
• Windows Vista SP2 enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronization across time zones. 

hmm.  No mention of TV Pack for VMC.  I do assume, however, that the Blu-ray support will include VMC.

Those of you who have been following the site for some time will know that I’m a bit fan of Powerline network adaptors – if wireless doesn’t cut it at your home, and running ethernet cable is tricky (or more likely, would annoy the wife) then running parts of your network over your existing power lines works really well – particularly when streaming media to a Media Center Extender or other digital media receiver.

Today, Linksys have announced a brand new range of Powerline Network Adaptors which are well worth checking out:

PLTE200 Powerline Network Adapter

• Use your existing powerlines to network your computers and other devices
• Share files, printers, storage, and networked games throughout your home — connect it to a router to share your Cable or DSL Internet connection
• Easily add more devices to your network by plugging additional adapters into electrical outlets
• HomePlug® 1.0 with Turbo technology for data rates up to 85Mbps, also works with HomePlug 1.0

PLTS200 Powerline 4-Port Network Adapter

• Use your existing powerlines to network your computers and other devices
• Share files, printers, storage, and networked games throughout your home — connect it to a router to share your Cable or DSL Internet connection
• Built-in 4-port Ethernet switch
• HomePlug® 1.0 with Turbo technology for data rates up to 85Mbps, also compatible with HomePlug 1.0 devices

These two devices are fine for standard networking and file sharing – if you’re looking to stream media, then make sure you go for the Powerline AV equivalents:

PLE300 Powerline AV Network Adapter

• Use your existing powerlines to network your computers and other devices
• Share standard or HD video, files, printers, storage, and networked games throughout your home — connect it to a router to share your Cable or DSL Internet connection
• Easily add more devices to your network by plugging additional adapters into electrical outlets
• HomePlug® AV technology for data rates up to 200Mbps*

PLS300 Powerline AV 4 Port Network Adapter

• Use your existing powerlines to network your computers and other devices
• Share files, printers, storage, and networked games throughout your home — connect it to a router to share your Cable or DSL Internet connection
• Built-in 4-port Ethernet switch
• HomePlug® AV technology for data rates up to 200Mbps*
• 128-bit encryption helps keep your data secure

The 4 Port Network adaptor in particular looks great, as it negates the need for an ethernet hub – useful if you need to attach a number of devices to the network in close proximity.

Best of all, it really looks like the price of these units has started to come down – still more expensive than running cable though!

PLTE200 Powerline Network Adapter – $69.99 (UK – £45)
PLTS200 Powerline 4-Port Network Adapter – $89.99 (UK – £55)
PLE300 Powerline AV Network Adapter – $89.99
PLS300 Powerline AV 4 Port Network Adapter – $99.99

More Info: Linksys.com

This is the third in a series of articles detailing how one network went from dilapidated junker to media hero with the help of WMC and WHS.  For an overview of the scope and purpose of this project, I would encourage you to review Part 1 and Part 2.

A Fresh Start

Last week I described some of the initial steps I took in rebooting my home network.  This was not a project lightly undertaken, but there were several specific factors that made me decide the time was right.  My router was failing and I had been itching for a reason to upgrade my router and switches with gigabit equipment.  I had also decided it was time to engage in some major expansions.  At the start of this project, there were four computers on my network.  I had given each of my little boys their own computers for their birthdays last year, my wife and I shared a laptop, and I had a laptop from work where I did most of my computing.  My oldest son had inherited my old desktop and household media center for his birthday.  The plan had been to build a new desktop and household media center for myself.  A year later, I still had not followed through on this plan because I can be a bit of a cheapskate, but my son was starting to talk about upgrading to play some of the new games coming out.  Pleased that my geek-in-training was also following in my PC gaming footsteps, I was obliged to comply. 

Or so I told him.  A dad can never pass up an opportunity to score some brownie points.  The reality was that I had decided that it was finally time to add a WHS machine to the network and bring a full fledged WMC machine back into the living room for reasons that I will expand upon in a future article.  I built a new machine for my older son, passed his machine onto his less demanding little brother, and took little brother’s relatively old Athlon 64 3000+ desktop to turn into a WHS.  I know that in time I will want replace this machine with something quieter and more power-efficient, but this system has been a work horse for years, has plenty of SATA and IDE connections, and I see little reason to let it go just yet.  Besides, I wanted to save the budget to build the WMC which, taking up station in the living room, I wanted to make as cool and quiet as possible.

This was to be my first WHS installation, but I had been living the WHS lifestyle vicariously through WGS, so I already knew there were two things I wanted to do to the computers on my network before adding the new server.  First, as I reset every computer’s OS, I prepared the system user accounts.  I described the value of a well planned network naming scheme last week, and the same principle applies to user accounts.  I wanted every member of my family to be able to personalize their computing experience and, particularly for my kids’ computers, ensure that I have complete access and control over the systems as the network administrator.  I set up every system with a single administrator account with the same name.  It is possible to simply rely on the “Administrator” account built into Windows, but I like to reserve it for last resort troubleshooting access.  After every system had an administrator account, I added limited user accounts for every person that required access to each computer.  Of course, the key to all of these user accounts was making sure that each had a password that would meet the Windows requirements for a strong password.  Once I installed WHS and started adding users, I could coordinate the passwords on the client user accounts and on the server user accounts.  By using the same password on both sides, your family members will immediately gain access to the shared folders on the server without having to go through a logon prompt.  This configuration requires at least medium level passwords by default, but enabling remote access will require strong passwords.  The second thing I did was install SyncToy.

Finally, Windows Home Server

Basic System Specs:

Ati Radeon xPress 200 motherboard

Athlon 64 3000+

1gb DDR memory

2 x 500gb 7200.10 hard drives

Lite-on DVD/RW optical drive

I had anticipated this moment for many months.  I have dragged you, the reader, through 2 1/2 long-winded articles to reach this point.  Now, prepare yourself, for the anti-climax.  Installing Windows Home Server was the most uninteresting and least challenging OS install I have performed in years.

It had been a while since I installed Windows XP, but the WHS installation GUI brought immediate flashbacks.  I followed the prompts and cruised the Internet on my laptop while I waited.  The two hard drives in the system were the same size, so it did not matter which one I installed on.  Had they been different sizes, I would have installed the OS on the larger drive.  One thing to keep in mind about WHS is that any data you send to the server lands on the primary hard drive first.  Only after it is cached to the primary drive does it then get distributed out across the disks by the Drive Extender technology that WHS uses in lieu of traditional RAID systems, so you should always install WHS on the largest drive in your system.  I had to change the name of the workgroup and the server to match my network naming scheme, set the time and date, and set the administrator password.  I was left looking at the WHS console.

I fiddled around with the console for a while, checking out the settings that I had only read about and just generally getting a feel for where everything lay.  I set up the user accounts and permissions for remote access and share access.  Setting share access is probably the trickiest part when preparing WHS for a family.  It can be difficult to try to explain the concept of permissions to an experienced user, so I wanted to try to avoid this discussion with my family.  On the other hand, it only takes one unexpected failed access attempt for some people to assume that the whole system is too complicated and that it might be better just to ignore it in the future.  My wife often takes the ugly middle path.  If something computer-related fails to work the first time, she will personally ask me to help her with it every time thereafter, no matter how many years it might have been since I resolved the issue, all on the grounds that it did not always work for her.  Consider carefully what kind of access each user will need for any given folder.

I then set about installing the WHS connector software on my laptop.  Unaware that I could access the connector software as a download from the server, I installed the connector software from the CD that came in the package.  A reboot later I was taken to the intranet page the server provides and was tipped off on how to install the most recent connector software remotely for the rest of the PCs.  As long as you set up WHS to automatically download and install updates, one thing it will always keep up to date in its shared software folder is the most recent copy of the connector software.  You can access this directly by opening your server through the network workgroup and exploring the software folder.  Alternatively, if your router is set up to utilize UPnP, WHS will show up in your network neighborhood as a UPnP device.  Opening WHS this way will bring you to the WHS intranet homepage where you can download the connector software from the server.  And so I did, making the rounds through the house, installing the connector software on each PC and setting up the backups for each computer as part of the connector software installation.  I knew I could simply run a manual backup, but it was late, so I left every system on that first night to complete their first backups automatically.

The next morning, I again made the rounds.  It was almost time to introduce my wife to the new server, but there were a few last preparations to make.  First, I made certain to save that first backup permanently.  WHS will try to back up your systems every night, keeping one every week for a set number of weeks and one every month for a set number of months.  You can control the schedule in the settings tab of the WHS console, but WHS backups will slowly replace one another over time.  This means you can only restore your system to the same condition as your oldest backup.  I wanted one backup to preserve the original, fairly pristine conditions of the freshly installed OS, just in case.  Under normal conditions I would have made a backup image of each system, but I wanted to try my hand at relying exclusively on WHS.  In this matter, the most I had to lose was an initial system configuration.  You should be guided by your own experiences, but either way, having a clean restore on hand is always nice.  To permanently save a WHS backup, you need only open the Computers & Backup tab on the WHS console, select the computer you want to work with, and select View Backups.  You will be presented with a list of all of the saved backups for that computer.  In my case, I only had the one.  I clicked the Keep this backup radio button, clicked OK to close the dialog and repeated for each computer.

I also set up SyncToy on every system.  WHS backups do offer the option of restoring individual files, but it is a painfully slow and tedious process that can really only be undertaken by you, the network administrator.  Every user has their own space on WHS to save files, but WHS does not offer any built-in folder synch process.  If your family members do not diligently save all of their documents to the server, or work on a document while away from the network and cannot access the server, someone has to manually synch the document to the server.  This is where SyncToy comes in.  SyncToy is a free PowerToy from Microsoft that works on Windows XP and Vista and is designed specifically to automate the synching of two folders, wherever those two folders exist.  The best part, besides being free, is that SyncToy can be set up as a scheduled task to run automatically at any time one wants.

I mapped a network drive for every user, connected to their share on the server, but I knew that realistically most documents would be saved to the local drive in the default documents folder.  For each user account on each computer, I set up SyncToy to synch the entire documents folder with the user share on the server.  The desktops were set to go to sleep rather than shut down.  I already have the family trained to turn off their monitors, speakers, and whatever other accessories at the end of their session.  Shutting the computers down completely would save a few watts, but as long as the computer goes into a full S3 standby mode, the difference should only be several watts an hour.  I then set up SyncToy as a scheduled task to run every night before the system’s backup time with the server.  Laptops are a bit trickier and it will probably fall to you, again as network administrator, to play an active role in managing their power state at night to ensure that backups and file synchs occur on a regular basis.  Personally, I leave our two laptops on together on Saturday night, connected to power and a hardwired network connection to avoid any network dropouts and speed up the backup process.  It is, of course, possible to leave these concerns to the laptop owner, but it would still be advisable to monitor the back up status of any family laptops through WHS and step in as necessary.

I was now ready to introduce the server to my wife.  I cornered my wife with my laptop in hand, proudly demonstrating to her how I could connect to the server through the WHS console, could access all of the shared content through the shared folders shortcut on the desktop, store backups for every computer in the house, and save documents directly to the server or use SyncToy to synch the two folders.  I explained that SynchToy would also complete the synchronization automatically as long as documents were saved in the documents folder.  I also pointed out how Media Center would be available on every computer and would access everything from the server.  I explained that the best part was that she would never have to do anything to make all of this work properly.  She then asked me how this was better than what we had before.

Next week I will delve into the topic of building the new WMC machine for the living room and how I went about tying WHS and WMC together throughout the house.

This is the second in a series of articles detailing how one network went from dilapidated junker to media hero with the help of WMC and WHS.  For an overview of the scope and purpose of this project, I would encourage you to review Part 1.

The Ad-hoc Network Restored to Glory

Last week, I described my network as a disorganized mess of a network with inconsistent network setups, out of synch OS installations, and no coherent backup and monitoring strategy.  I had finally decided to add a Windows Home Server and had come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I was beyond the point of rehabilitating my network.  My first task was to reboot this network and prep the network for the introduction of Windows Home Server.  It began with the router.

I put together my first home network in 1997 so that I could practice for the MSCE exams.  My house has not been without one since.  In 2001, I hired electricians to brave the desert summer heat and my tiny crawlspace of an attic to install a wired network.  In those days, hiring electricians to run several hundred feet of Cat 5 cable resulted in a network that was 10X faster than a wireless network, available in every room of the house without dropping a connection, and only about 3/4 the price.  A couple of years ago my friend, Jose, helped me replace that cabling with Cat 6 in exchange for assisting him wire his house.  A wired network might still be capable of operating 10X faster than a wireless network, but you won’t necessarily see a difference in connectivity or bandwidth and, even doing all the wiring yourself, you probably won’t save any money.  In fact, you will probably have a hard time finding a decent router that does not come with all the wireless capability that most people need.

This is a testament to how rapidly wireless networking has developed and matured.  If you have already wired your domicile, then I would encourage you to make use of it.  Streaming media to multiple rooms can task any network and can be doubly tasking when you start throwing HD into the mix, but it probably is not worthwhile to wire the average house anymore.  In my case, I already had the wiring and needed to replace an ailing router, so I chose my new router accordingly.  If you are looking for a new router, or running an 802.11b-only wireless network, in which case you should be looking for a new router, then it is time to go for 802.11n.  802.11n allows for the range, the bandwidth, and the backward compatibility that every good home network will need for several years.  I know, the box says it is still a draft specification.  At this point, Draft N has become so commonplace and so closely aligned with what we will probably see when the 802.11n spec does get finalized, that it is meaningless to worry about it. 

If you are running on 802.11g, it might be better to hold off on a hardware upgrade until you have reached the point where you are regularly saturating your bandwidth, but I do have some advice for anyone contemplating following my lead with a network reboot: reset your router to factory spec and check with your manufacturer for firmware upgrades.  If you are rebooting your network, you are going to end up resetting the networking info on all of your computers anyway and you might be surprised by the features and security settings that your router provides that you did not notice or know how to use the first time around.  Like anything else related to computers, the more you play with networked devices, the better you will become at planning, deploying, and securing your network.

I selected the D-Link DIR 655 for my new router.  It received a thumbs-up in the WGS forums for auto-configuring with WHS, offered 802.11n and gigabit switching, and recently received a firmware upgrade from D-Link that allows the user to set the wireless radio to shut down during unattended periods to help conserve electricity.  It won’t save the world, but I am sucker for “green” computing.  I wanted to spring for one of the newer dual-band routers that operate at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz because I have so many wireless networks in my area and it would have been nice to avoid the spectrum congestion.  Consider carefully before going with a dual band router that has to be switched between frequencies manually.  You can spend a pretty penny outfitting your entire network with 5 GHz adapters and you will be giving up one of the big advantages of 802.11n: automatic backward compatibility with 802.11b/g devices.  There are a few new routers that can broadcast in both bands simultaneously, but I ultimately could not justify the exorbitant price tag of these dual band routers and the adapters to take advantage of the 5GHz spectrum. 

Whether starting with a new router or resetting an existing router, there are several suggestions I would make in setting up your router for an effective and easy to troubleshoot home network.   First, change the default password on the administration interface so that no one can access your router’s configuration.  Leaving your wi-fi connection as an open access point is a purely personal choice, but there is no reason for anyone to muck around with your router settings.  What’s more, you can lock down your signal any way you want, if someone can dial in the default IP address of your router and walk right into the configuration, there is no security on your network. 

Next, learn how to establish or reserve a static IP address.  Every modern router will use DHCP to assign IP addresses automatically to your network devices, but sometimes it is important to bypass DHCP and make sure that your device’s IP never changes.  WHS is an example of one such device.  Some firewall software can also get cranky when networked computers change IP addresses, though this is not as much of an issue as it once was.  I personally like to assign static IP addresses to all of my desktops and networked devices.  It is rather old school and largely unnecessary with a modern OS and router, but is a choice that can make monitoring your network easier.  Many routers only record the IP and MAC address of connected computers and some devices do not provide a name for routers, so knowing exactly what device was at which IP address at a given time can make troubleshooting easier.

Finally, create a naming and description plan before you start deploying computers on the network.  Again, this is a personal management issue, but a consistent naming scheme will help you monitor the health of your network and troubleshoot the devices on your network.  It will also help make your network less threatening to your family and help them understand and appreciate the network in a profound way.  For instance, I once set up a home network using Harry Potter references.  The network was named Hogwarts; the parents’ computer was Dumbledore; the eldest boy’s computer was Potter; the eldest daughter’s computer was Hermione; the ratty old laptop that kept crashing was Snape.  It is cheesy, but there was never any question for that family about which computer was doing what or where to find a shared folder and I know from follow-up conversations that family, which was not at all computer literate, had a personal understanding of how their network was set up and could talk about their network in a comfortable manner.

Because I wanted to reboot my network in as pristine a state as possible, I did several things before rolling it out.  I mapped out where I would need switches and upgraded to gigabit switches where necessary.  I again chose D-Link for the switches, blindly following their “green” marketing pitch.  I then backed up all of the data on the network.  I happened to have a 1Tb Western Digital World Book drive to use as a data dump, but in times past I have simply designated a particular system.  I then picked the desktop that I was going to configure the router with and would be assigning the first static IP to.  I chose to completely wipe the system and reinstall Vista.  Indeed, I would eventually wipe and reinstall every system in the house before attaching it to the network.  This is an extreme measure and I imagine most people will not follow in my path.  I chose this path because I was determined to start my life with WHS with as well-organized a network and data set as possible, right down to the backup images of the individual systems.  If you do not want to go this path, I would still suggest starting with only one system connected to the router.  Before you add each system to the network, completely erase all of your old network settings.  There is nothing worse than rolling out a network and meticulously crafting a naming scheme and setting permissions, only find some of your systems connecting with old network settings that have default priority.

With my first desktop restored to pristine condition and the router set up to my personal satisfaction, I started adding computers one at a time.  Because I wanted to assign static IPs to my desktops, I added those first.  Most routers will assign IP addresses sequentially and for management purposes I wanted my static IPs blocked together.  Though you can usually assign any IP address you want, I did not want any randomly assigned IP addresses to get in the way of establishing my block.  With the desktops out of the way, it was time to start adding the devices that I wanted to give static IPs to.  In my case, this was only my Xbox 360 and Zunes, but your mileage may vary.  With the static IPs assigned, I added the laptops to the network.

I had reconstituted my network.  I had made it faster, more reliable, more secure, and more consistent.  Choosing to reset the OS on every system meant that I knew every system was set up just right for a stable starting configuration and was ripe for an image backup.  My network had a consistent naming and addressing scheme and was thoroughly secured to my satisfaction.  The last device I had to add was my new Windows Home Server.  This was to be my first personal experience installing and setting up WHS, and I will detail my experiences next time.

I recently came across a post over at Ian Dixon’s Digital Lifestyle blog, and first reported by Broadcast Buyer, talking about a new addin that will be available in November from Microsoft as a free update to Vista Media Center.

According to Alex Springer’s website, “MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL permits the creation of personal TV channels on the basis of conventional TV programs and internet video offerings.”  The Internet TV Beta that is available currently for VMC is rather anemic and I have found the quality rather lacking.  While this addin sounds interesting, the announcement is long on hyperbole and short on substance.  Just the mention of TV Pack in the announcement kind of leaves me wondering what this addin will really do for current VMC users.  And I really wonder what is meant by “conventional TV programs”.  I guess we will have to wait until November to learn more.

But hope springs eternal.  Perhaps this addin will bring much needed new content options to users of VMC.  Like the rest of you, I am looking for better quality (i.e., HD picture and 5.1 sound) and more programming variety.  If neither of these become available through VMC, the great shining star of VMC will become a little more tarnished.

For those of you who are interested in the announcement, the following comes directly from Alex’s website.

Berlin, August 28, 2008 – MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL, the intelligent Personal TV service from Axel Springer and APRICO, a technology venture of Philips, will be available starting November 2008 for free downloading from the Online Media of the Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center. Microsoft indicates that the Windows Vista operating system has been sold worldwide more than 100 million times since January 2008.

MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL permits the creation of personal TV channels on the basis of conventional TV programs and internet video offerings. The intelligent and self learning service uses the software-based recommendation technology from APRICO, as well as the program guide technology and program information services of Axel Springer Digital TV Guide. Axel Springer and APRICO plan to introduce this innovation in the sector of digital and interactive program navigation progressively throughout the global digital media market by the end of 2008.

“We are delighted to have secured Microsoft as our partner: one of the most innovative firms in the world. Microsoft Windows Vista enables MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL to achieve the greatest possible reach internationally“, says Stephan Zech, Managing Director of Axel Springer Digital TV Guide. “At IFA we are showing new features of our TV Pack as well as several new solutions from partners for Windows Vista Media Center“, says Isabell Scheuber, Director Windows Client, Microsoft Germany.

“With MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL from Axel Springer and APRICO users will have an even larger choice of attractive and interesting multimedia applications.“

Alongside Microsoft as sales partner MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL has already secured the first marketing partner and premium brand as an advertising customer: Mercedes-Benz will have its own TV channel on MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL offering new content in the genres of lifestyle, motor and sports, as well as the history and innovation of this leading automobile brand.

About MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL

The Personal TV offering has been proven on the basis of long-term studies and research over the course of two years among test households concerning the current and future requirements of television viewers. MY PERSONAL TV DIGITAL enables viewers to add to their existing program offering a range of “virtual” personal television channels. These personal channels are created automatically and are continuously updated, and reflect individual television preferences and viewing behavior. In this manner the viewer has a personally-tailored TV channel, which can be easily accessed thanks to its intelligent and „self-learning“ program profile.

About Axel Springer Digital TV Guide GmbH

Axel Springer Digital TV Guide GmbH (ASDTVG GmbH) provides CE producers and network operators with access to the premium editorial content of Axel Springer. It offers technological solutions – in particular electronic program guides (EPGs) – for extended navigation and insertion of targeted, personalized advertising through digital content on digital receivers, personal video recorders (PVRs), game consoles, PCs, mobile phones and other terminals and platforms. The company is a 100-percent subsidiary of Axel Springer AG (XETRA: SPR.DE) and cooperates closely with the editorial offices of the Axel Springer program guides and other global publications. For more information visit: http://www.as-guides.com

About APRICO

APRICO solutions help people to enjoy the wealth of content available through broadcast networks and on the internet in a personalized television experience. The company’s recommendation technology finds, filters and delivers content from different media directly to the viewer’s TV screen.  This solution is a perfect platform for the use of customers all over the TV, multimedia and advertising markets to fulfill one mission – provide pure personalized TV entertainment and advertising to the end user. Founded in 2008, APRICO delivers its solutions across the globe. Corporate headquarter of APRICO is based in Eindhoven. APRICO is a technology venture of Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI). For more information, please visit http://www.aprico.tv

WeGotServed has added a Downloads category specific to Windows Media Center plugins.  There are a huge number of plugins that have been written for WMC. And it is going to be quite a daunting task to discover them, try them out, and add them to our add-in section.

So this is where you, the readers, come in.  We could use your help.  Got a favorite or two add-ins you use and find you cannot live without in WMC?  Let us know here.  Even if it is one you tried and hated!  We’ll take it from there and add it to the plugin section.

Or, if you wish to directly submit that favorite Windows Media Center plugin, go here to add that plugin to the list.

And if you are a WMC add-in developer, we would like to hear from you also.

Thanks in advance for your input. It is the users that make a web site and it’s forum great. The community of users at WGS is one of the main reasons why I joined WGS originally.