Another add-in update this week, this time courtesy of Alex Kuretz who has updated MSS Fan Control to support EX47X HP MediaSmart Servers running the new v3.0 Software Upgrade.

The add-in allows the user to control the behaviour of the MediaSmart Server’s fans – increasing or reducing their speed, which impacts the noise output from the server.

Unfortunately, this cracking add-in only works with the EX47X series, as HP moved fan controls into the BIOS in later generations of the product. However, if you own an EX470 or EX475, make sure you check out this one.

Download: MSS Fan Control v1.0.0.9

I’ve had literally hundreds of emails from readers this month asking for an update on the status of HP’s MediaSmart Server update for the EX470 and EX480 series. The company previously announced a v2.5 update would be available in the Autumn before subsequently pulling that release and announcing the release of a v3.0 update this month.

Bad news reaches us today from HP…

HP MediaSmart Server 3.0 Software Update Progress

In the latter stages of testing our 3.0 software update, a couple of issues were discovered with the upgrade disks.  One was related to compatibility with Power Pack 3 and the other with the media streaming software.  Both issues have fixes and we are now going back through our build and testing process.  As a result, the 3.0 software update DVD availability will now be in February.  While this delay was unexpected, we remain committed to providing this upgrade path for owners of our EX470/475/485/487 products.  As previously communicated, these upgrades will be available as a server recovery solution.

The cost of the upgrade DVD has been finalized and will be US$25 or €25.

Given the WGS mailbox has been bulging with questions on this topic, I know many of you will be very disappointed with the news, and the temptation is to question whether the update truly exists.

I can confirm that the update is definitely real. How do I know? Well, HP released beta disks with the update to a very small number of testers, including WGS, a couple of weeks ago.

I’ve successfully updated an EX475 from the original software to v3.0 as you can see from the image above, using the beta upgrade disk (which require a server recovery). You’ll notice the AMD Sempron processor from the EX475 is listed in Windows Home Server’s Settings page on top of the v3.0 design MediaSmart Server Console Tab, which shows the update in action.

It’s unfortunate (and frustrating!) that late breaking bugs in have delayed release of the update by a further two months. Fingers crossed we see the update released once and for all in February.

I’m sure by now, you’ve already seen my post on how to install Tomcat on your custom built (or non-HP) home server. If you haven’t, you may want to check it out here.  One of the things that I mentioned was that there are some special considerations for installing on the HP MediaSmart Servers. Well, the EX485 and EX487 already have Tomcat installed and configured, so you won’t need to even bother with this. And though I don’t have a EX490, EX495 or the DataVault, I’m pretty sure it falls under the same category as the EX485/487 and uses the same or upgraded software. (HP, feel free to send me one).

However, there is a bit of extra work on getting it to work on the EX470 and EX475 because while it has a java server installed, it’s not Tomcat. Jetty was used for these systems and is a lot more difficult to use, and configure. While I would rather just replace Jetty (as HP has done), but the less monkeying with stuff, the better.

What you will need:

• Apache Tomcat – Grab the “Windows Service Installer” from the bottom part of the page

Instructions

Start the Tomcat installer. Agree (and read) the license agreement, and then proceed to the options. You’ll want to enable the “Service” and “Examples” options, and if you want, the “Native” option also. After that, you should be able to just use all the defaults and it should pick up the location that Java is installed.  If not, the location is “C:\jre1.4.2_13″, so use that if it wants to use the below path (which is incorrect).

Once you’ve finished installing it, it probably won’t start. Why? Because Jetty is already using the same default ports.  So head over to “C:\program files\apache software foundation\tomcat 6.0\conf\” and open up “server.xml”.  You may want to download a “real” text editor like Notepad++, notepad2, or the like as the built in notepad program doesn’t read the file right and may prevent tomcat from starting.  Once you’ve opened it, find ‘<Server port=”8005″ shutdown=”SHUTDOWN”>’  (should be right near the top) and change the port number from “8005″ to “8015″ or something else distinct.   Now find “<Connector port=”8009″ protocol=”AJP/1.3″ redirectPort=”8443″ />” and change this to “8089″ (ideal if you want to install the 2.5 update).  Once you’ve made these changes, save “server.xml”.

You’ll probably have to start the Tomcat service now. Either just reboot the server, or open up Services console (located in Administrative Tools, or by running “services.msc”). It should be near the top and named “Apache Tomcat 6″, or similar. Start the service, and leave this console open, you’ll need it later.

If the Tomcat service doesn’t start here, you may want to download and install the updated java runtime, either to the same location or another and use that here.

After it’s started, try opening “http://localhost:8080/examples/servlets/servlet/HelloWorldExample” on your server, if you installed the examples that greets you with “Hello World”.

After that’s done and you’ve verified that it’s working, we’ll need to reconfigure jakarta to work with tomcat.  Jakarta is the connector for IIS and Tomcat that passes IIS web requests to tomcat.  HP did you a favor and already installed and configured it.  Now all we have to do is hi-jack it.

So, now head over to “C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP MediaSmart Server\jetty\conf\” and open “workers.properties”. Set the file to the following:

worker.list=ajp13,tomcat6

worker.tomcat6.port=8089
worker.tomcat6.host=localhost
worker.tomcat6.type=ajp13

worker.ajp13.port=8009
worker.ajp13.host=localhost
worker.ajp13.type=ajp13

Save the file, close it and now open “uriworkermap.properties” in the same folder and add the following line to the end:

/examples*=tomcat6

This last file configures what directories will be passed on from tomcat to IIS. Right now, this enables the “examples” directory to be passed on and accessible from the remote access website. If you need to add more, like subsonic, add “/subsonic*=tomcat6″.

Now open up the Services console again and restart the “World Wide Web Publishing Service” .

Once that is done, open up “https://mydomain.homeserver.com/examples/servlets/servlet/HelloWorldExample” on any computer and you should be greeted with a familiar “Hello World” page.

HP released a statement this morning confirming that the MediaSmart Server 3.0 software update would be available to order in December, at a cost of around $25.

Previously, the company indicated a Fall timescale for delivering the update, but stated that additional testing is required to ensure the upgrade solution is robust. Given the update requires users to perform a Server Recovery on their home server, it’s highly important that the solution is tested thoroughly.

The update, provided in the form of a new Server Recovery DVD, will be compatible with all MediaSmart Server models, with the exception of the LX195. HP also advise that owners of the EX47x series who have not upgraded the memory in their machines will experience sluggish behaviour when using aspects of the 3.0 software. You may remember that last year HP improved existing EX47x warranties to include protection for users performing memory upgrades on their home servers. HP Photo WebShare will also be removed from EX47x machines as it is now obsolete.

If you’ve read our review of the EX495 this week, you’ll have noted that HP’s Server Online Backup is now not included in the 3.0 Software, but is due to be made available as a downloadable add-in. HP’s statement does not mention whether the add-in will be removed as part of the update for EX48x models (my hunch is that it will be as the recovery DVD will re-image the system partition) and I’ve asked HP for clarification. Certainly your backed up data should be safe on Amazon’s servers and can be accessed again as soon as the add-in is made available to download.

In summary, here’s what to expect:

For EX47x owners, the 3.0 software is a massive update and I’d encourage you to get a 2Gb memory upgrade for your machine in the coming weeks in preparation for the update. I’d recommend Donavon West’s installation guide as a great resource to support you on the upgrade. Check out our EX495 review for a full run down of what’s included in the new software suite.

The $25 update cost is higher than I thought it would be, although mastering DVDs and mailing them out is never going to be a cheap/free option. I did enquire as to the possibility of ISO downloads, but this is not allowed due to OS licensing restrictions. That said, the new software does bring a lot of new functionality to the MediaSmart Server, so take a look at the new features, and you can decide for yourself whether it’s worth the money.

Here’s the statement in full:

Update on the upcoming software upgrades for MediaSmart Servers

Back in May, we announced a plan to allow current MediaSmart Server customers to upgrade to the most current software version beginning this Fall.  Below are additional details on the plans to deliver these upgrades.

HP recently announced the new EX490/495 MediaSmart Servers.  These Servers provide our latest software capabilities including an enhanced video converter, greater Mac Support including bare metal recovery, and a simplified user interface.  It is this software version (3.0) that will be made available to existing EX470/475/485/487 customers.  Note that these software upgrades are optional and will be available as a new installation DVD as opposed to a software download.

We are currently proceeding down the path of a server recovery solution that will not only upgrade your software to the 3.0 version, but also preserve the data in your shared folders.  This approach is preferable to a factory reset that would otherwise require customers to manually offload and restore all server files that the customer wants to preserve.  However, the server recovery approach requires additional testing cycles to validate the approach and the resulting data integrity.  We expect the upgrade DVDs will be available to order through hp.com beginning in December, 2009.  Note that if testing shows the server recovery solution to be problematic, our plan is to change the upgrade process to a factory reset.

As previously communicated, there will be certain limitations of this software upgrade depending on your product.  For example, customers using the Photo Webshare feature in the EX470/475 products will lose this feature if they choose to upgrade (although we expect existing Webshare album photos will be moved into the Photos shared folder).  In addition, customers who have not upgraded their DRAM in the EX470/475 products will likely experience sluggish behavior or limited functionality running certain aspects of the latest 3.0 software.  Finally, the 3.0 software will not be made available for the LX195 model.

The final cost of the upgrade DVD is pending, but is expected to be in the US$25 range.

We thank everyone for their continued support of the MediaSmart Server family of products.

Back in May we revealed that HP would be re-launching the HP MediaSmart Server in Europe at the end of the year, with both LX and EX ranges slated for release.

HP Norway now have a holding page up on their website, stating that the home server will be released over there in December 2009. At this point, we don’t know which other countries in Europe will also receive stock (I’m guessing the UK and Germany will be on the list) or timings.

HP Media Smart Server is currently not on sale, but a relaunch of the product is planned in December 2009. If you want a reminder when the product is in the shop again, you can sign up below. Your information will be used only for this reminder.

With Acer’s easyStore Home Server being released in a very haphazard manner in Europe (no product released at all in the UK, and no stock available in Germany at the moment) and Fujitsu seemingly turning to Linux for it’s next small NAS server, let’s hope HP can get the MediaSmart Server into Europe consistently and with decent availability.

Watch this space for more news over the coming weeks.

Experience Level: Standard

LED Light Show Settings lets you control the HP MediaSmart Server EX470 & EX475′s LED light show easter egg with a range of options to configure the speed and duration of the lights.

Developer: Jerry McCollom

More Info: Download | Support Forum

Release History

v1.0

• Initial release

If you’ve been scratching your head today wondering exactly how the new HP MediaSmart Server supports Apple Macs, and how Mac support differs from support for Windows PCs, HP have today published a (rather glossy) whitepaper entitled, “Managing a Digital Lifestyle in a Mixed OS Environment”.

It’s a good read and provides a good overview of what’s available in the new Encore systems.

More Info: Managing a Digital Lifestyle in a Mixed OS Environment (PDF)

With the announcement of HP’s new EX485 & EX487 today, bringing a new hardware spec and a raft of new add-ins, the question on everyone’s lips has been whether HP will release any of the new applications for existing HP MediaSmart Server owners.

The answer to that question is….. YES!

Without going into specifics, a spokesperson for HP today confirmed that some of the features of the new models will indeed be made available for existing owners, and a search of HP’s new MediaSmart Server microsite revealed the following nugget:

So, whilst we’re waiting for a final and full list of what features will be made available in a software update, it certainly looks like Mac support will be coming to existing HP MediaSmart Server EX47 and EX475 owners.

Update: HP have now confirmed that both Mac Backup and Online Backup, powered by Amazon S3 are the two features which will be made available for existing HP MediaSmart owners. Timing is TBC.

Hats off to HP for looking after their early adopters.

A lot of people have experienced slow transfer speeds to and from their HP MediaSmart Server, and some have had problems with it dropping connections all the time.  One brave  user has found a solution to this problem and has shared it with us. Blackprint has walked through the steps, written a tutorial and included pictures on how to update your NIC driver (aka ethernet driver).

Before starting, I want to warn you that not only is this very likely not supported by HP, but can result in losing network access to your server all together.  Now to turn it over to Blackprint:

You might be thinking “Why would I need to do this?” well I can tell you, from my experience, it solved the problem of my slow network speeds. I was getting around 200KBps and now have a steady 9MBps over wireless-n. Be warned: it can be risky because if it goes wrong and the ethernet port stops working, you will have no access to your box, so only update at your own risk.

What you will need

• Remote Desktop Connection
• The Driver

What to Do

Firstly, we need to check what driver version you currently have. Remote Desktop into your Home Server, right-click on my computer and click on manage. Go to Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right click on the SiS191 and go to properties.

Click on the driver tab. The latest version (at time of writing) was released 03/03/08.

If your driver is before this version and you are experiencing slow network speeds, it’s time to update.

Extract the zipped driver file, somewhere in the Shared Folders is fine. Open the Setup.exe in the sgl206a folder.

Follow the installation through, if you see this message click Continue Anyway.

The driver will install and if done correctly it will ask to restart the server. I recommend restarting ASAP. If the server seems unresponsive for a couple of seconds during the install, it was normal in my case. I must have reinstalled this driver a few times during the writing of this tutorial and have had no problems.

Done

You can check the new driver version by following the initial instructions above. Remote Desktop into your Home Server, right-click on my computer and click on manage. Go to Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right click on the SiS191 and go to properties. Click on the driver tab.

Additional Info

The driver link may become out of date. You can get the latest driver from the SiS download page. Read and accept the agreement. Select Windows Server 2003, Network Driver, SiS191 and click Go. Choose a location to download from, I recommend choosing as close to your home as possible to get the best speed. You can then follow the instructions above.

After months of discussion and feedback from the home server community, HP have today announced a change to all existing and future HP MediaSmart Server warranties which will permit the upgrading of RAM without voiding that warranty. You’ll remember that we reported that HP were investigating various options to enable this earlier this month.

A statement from HP reads as follows:

Based on customer feedback, HP will now offer a path for consumers to upgrade the memory on the HP MediaSmart Server without voiding the hardware warranty.  HP customer feedback and research shows that some customers are installing multiple add-ins and/or additional software to the MediaSmart Server, which can lead to a need for additional memory.

Details

Upgrading the memory, in and of itself, will not void the warranty on the MediaSmart Server.  Damage to any part of the MediaSmart Server during the upgrade may violate the warranty, however, leaving the cost for repairs the responsibility of the customer.  Customers should perform a backup to an external device before adding additional memory.

HP is only providing information on a customer memory upgrade path at this time, and customers will not be able to send their MediaSmart Server to HP to perform the upgrade. Customers may be able to find technical assistance for the memory upgrade, however HP is not recommending or training authorized resellers to conduct the memory upgrade on a MediaSmart Server.  HP has not qualified any particular DIMMs, but compatible memory includes 1GB or 2GB – DDR2 667 MHz DIMMs.  Customers should not upgrade beyond 2 GB of memory. Other than disk drives, HP does not support any other hardware upgrade paths, such as processor upgrades, on the MediaSmart Server.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time discussing this issue with various people at HP over the past year or so, and I’m absolutely delighted that they’ve taken the decision to relax the warranty terms to allow customers to upgrade their MediaSmart Servers as they would any other PC or Server in the home. Clearly, they are protecting themselves against you botching the job, which I think is fair,  but if you follow instructions carefully that you’ll find around the net, and you’re relatively experienced in performing upgrades, you should have no problem.  

Following a number of recent murmurs online regarding performance of HP MediaSmart Servers running PowerPack 1 and HP’s latest MediaSmart Server update (v1.3), HP have today published an advisory note guiding users on how to best install Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 in conjunction with HP’s Update (notably the PVConnect and McAfee anti-virus add-ins which are supplied with the update).

Before diving into the content, I’ll say that I know that HP have spent a lot of time testing a wide range of upgrade paths with various server configurations along with Microsoft over the past two weeks to try to understand and mitigate the slow server response users are experiencing when PP1, PVConnect and McAfee are installed at the same time.

However, the fact that they’ve had to publish this advisory tells me the following (and I’ve made these points variously to Microsoft and HP directly):

1. The recommended hardware specification for Windows Home Server must be raised.

The current minimum and recommended memory specification for Windows Home Server is 512Mb. When these specs were created, I’m sure that everyone underestimated the explosion of community and commercial add-ins, and users’ desire to extend the WHS platform. Many home servers out there are underpowered for use with multiple add-ins, and whilst I think it’s fine for Microsoft to retain a minimum specification for Windows Home Server with 512Mb, (for a vanilla home server acting as a closed box “appliance”) the recommended memory specification needs to move up to 1Gb – any lower and you really don’t get the true home server platform experience…. and that’s just with the v1 product. For v2, Microsoft may really shoot themselves in the foot if WHS isn’t positioned as a strong, extensible platform matched with the right level of performance to satisfy a more compelling, extended experience than that provided out of the box.

2. HP (and other OEMs) really need to provide customers with a supported memory upgrade path that does not invalidate their warranty.

Currently those users (like me) who have upgraded their HP MediaSmart Server’s memory have done so at the risk of invalidating our warranty. Much like a consumer electronics device, opening up the MediaSmart Server invalidates the warranty as upgrading components in the home server is more tricky than you’d find on a desktop machine. Whilst I get the logic from a business point of view (and HP aren’t the only OEM to make this restriction), we’re now at the stage where the product is showing it’s resource limitations (albeit temporarily on this particular occasion) which is impacting user experience. The problems highlighted are easily resolved with a memory upgrade, but at the moment, I’m sure many users will not take the risk of opening up their boxes in fear of bricking their systems and then not receiving support. As more add-ins come on to the market, and HP themselves continue to add features to the HP MediaSmart Server (for which they have to be commended), this situation in untenable. Guys, we need you to step up here.

3. I really hope HP manage to sort out a beta testing programme soon.

This particular issue is mostly due to the decision to align the PP1 and HP Update releases – a decision due, in part, to problems experienced by users who tried to upgrade their home servers with the previous release of the MediaSmart Server update.

These current issues, plus the original issues experienced by users could have been spotted early and possibly resolved by HP pre-release if they had a public/private beta testing programme in place  – there’s a whole community of users out there who’d love nothing more than supporting beta tests. I’m sure setting this kind of thing up is not trivial, and there’s a huge amount of logistical, legal and technical detail to work through – but I hope they work through it soon.

Okay, stepping down from the soapbox, let’s take a look at the document. The full text is attached for reference below, but the headlines are as follows:

1. Running the PowerPack 1 update whilst the PVConnect and McAfee add-ins are also running will use up a lot of the available resources on the HP MediaSmart Server, which impacts server response times. Having additional add-ins running on top of these will further impact response times during the update.
2. Once all updates have been completed, the MediaSmart Server will return to normal operation, although the time required for this depends on the number of files you have on your home server (although this is mitigated somewhat if you have mutiple hard-drives). PowerPack 1 requires storage to be rebalanced due to included changes in Drive Extender technology.
3. If you want 64-bit support on  the HP MediaSmart Server, you do have to install both PowerPack 1 updates and the latest HP Update.

HP offer advice based on three user scenarios:

1. You have an HP MediaSmart Server, and you have installed WHS PowerPack 1, but have yet to install HP’s Software Update

Advice here is to wait until PP1 has installed (leave it overnight is my personal advice) then install the HP Software Update. If you want to run both PVConnect and McAfee Anti-Virus add-ins, install PVConnect first, let it complete its database creation (1-4 hours depending on your number of files) then install McAfee anti-virus, which will take around 1 hour to make its initial file scan.

2. If you have a MediaSmart Server, and you have installed HP’s Software Update, including the McAfee Add-in

HP are advising that you ininstall McAfee anti-virus before running the PowerPack 1 update. Given that PP1 is about to come down the line to you today via Automatic Updates, then you should go uninstall McAfee now if you have WHS set to download and install updates automatically.

Once the update is complete, you can go ahead and reinstall McAfee.

3. If you have a brand new HP MediaSmart Server

The HP update will be installed as part of the initial server setup. The add-ins will be waiting for you, but make sure you install PP1 first before adding any media to your home server, and then installing the add-ins you want. As above, install PVConnect first, and then McAfee anti-virus.

Good Luck – and let us know how you get on.

More Info: HP Install Recommendations (MS Word Doc)

Over the past few days a number of articles online highlighted a pretty major performance hit on the HP MediaSmart Server following the installation of the PVConnect and McAfee add-ins included in HP’s latest update.

We got in touch with HP yesterday to see if they wished to respond, and to enquire what was causing the issue. Brian Burch, Director of Marketing for HP’s Connected Entertainment team came back with the following explanation:

As you know HP released a software update for MediaSmart Server on July 21, following Microsoft’s release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. The HP software update provides support for 64-bit operating systems, plus two optional add-ins that a user may choose to install – McAfee Total Protection Service and PacketVideo PVConnect media server. The 64 bit upgrade prepares the MediaSmart Server for support of Vista 64-bit systems. Users do not need to enable this feature. It is an automatic update.

The PacketVideo Connect add-in provides advanced graphics such as photo thumbnails, in-menu browsing, and album art during remote access, as well as broader support for the more popular video, music and photo formats. The McAfee anti-virus add-in will provide Server side anti-virus protection with free virus definitions for seven months. Both of these are add-ins will be automatically downloaded to the Add-In folder in the software folder on the HP MediaSmart Server. The user can add them if they choose just like any other add-in.

The McAfee Total Protection Service must index all of the files stored on the Server in order to provide the protection against a virus attack. The PacketVideo PVConnect will, upon installation, create a database of all the media files such as photos, music and videos on the Server. When these two services are installed together, the combined ‘first run’ indexing by McAfee and database creation by PacketVideo, can use the majority of the resources on the Server. This may result in slow response times from the Server until those activities have been completed. If the user has also installed other add-ins or software packages on the Server there may be an additional lag in response time. It has also been reported that the Windows Home Server Console can become unresponsive during this time.

As a result, we recommend that users install each update one at a time, independently. Users should first install Windows Home Server Power Pack 1, then PVConnect followed by McAfee.

Additionally, since the release of the HP MediaSmart Server software update, it has been discovered that PacketVideo no longer supports media streaming to a Sony Playstation 3. This is an issue with PacketVideo, not with the MediaSmart Server. There are directions for opening the PV database and fixing the problem by inserting a space between “PLAYSTATION” and “3” at http://www.wegotserved.com/2008/07/25/how-to-play-media-stored-on-your-playstation-3-with-windows-home-server-and-pvconnecttwonkymedia/

Couple of things spring to mind here – as we’ve said consistently, whilst we love the HP MediaSmart Server here at WGS, we do recommend upgrading the memory if you wish to run a number of add-ins on the box (I upgraded mine to 2Gb), especially add-ins such as anti-virus packages. Why HP don’t release an official memory upgrade pack for the MediaSmart Server (or better still, revise the EX475 model for the holidays with 1Gb memory) I don’t know as I’m sure they’d clean up.

Secondly, a more widespread beta testing programme for HP updates would easily flesh out these kind of issues well ahead of public release, and at the very least, better installation guidelines could be packaged with their updates to ensure users avoid these kind of problems. Let’s hope something like this can be sorted out in the future – I’m sure the community would be up for supporting it.