Every now and then, when a technology reaches its peak, I regain faith in something I have dedicated a huge portion of my personal and professional life to. Windows Media Center is a great example of this because it basically encapsulates everything that I find interesting about a technology: it's innovative, it's beautiful, and it's fun, people want to get their hands on it as soon as they get their hands on it. the first time they see him. However, products like Media Center are quite rare, and now, thinking back on how impatiently I waited for the first beta version of Media Center in early 2002, I realize that the situation has not changed much since then. better side. Even Windows Vista, which initially had so much energy and promise surrounding it, ended up becoming much less exciting due to endless delays and removed features. It was like that for a while.
However, this year my interest in such information technology has exploded again, this time thanks to Windows Home Server, a product that is similar in many ways to Windows Media Center. Although Windows Home Server (WHS) is a bit of a workhorse, in the sense that you will never sit in front of a WHS machine and work with it the same way you would work with Vista or Media Center. No, the WHS is designed to sit quietly under your desk and do its thing. But it is the way he does this “thing” that is amazing. And while few consumers buy it today, WHS, like Media Center back in the day, is needed by countless users around the world, whether they realize it now or not. Perhaps, three years later, when Apple copies it into their Apple Home Server, or something else, leaving about 50 percent of the functionality for it (you know, like they once did with Media Center and Apple TV), users will finally then they will get it for themselves. However, be that as it may, I don't think we will have to wait long for this. WHS is here today and it's a winner.
Functions
From a conceptual point of view Windows problem Home Server is that it doesn't have a simple interface that can be described in one or two sentences, which would help it sell quickly. Beneath the protective shell of WHS, server software based on rock-solid Windows kernel Server 2003, which will mostly be sold with new PC-like server hardware from companies like HP. (However, enthusiasts will be able to simply install the software on an additional or new PC). It provides three main services: automatic backup, recovery, and PC health monitoring; storage of documents and files, including digital photos, music and video; opportunity remote access both to the server and to your PC home network.
The biggest innovation in WHS is the way it interacts with storage devices: you can easily add or remove them, and you'll never have to deal with different drive letters or hidden issues. Windows files. WHS is highly extensible, so third parties can optionally install add-ons to WHS that extend its functionality in some way.
Let's take a closer look at each of these features individually.
Backup and PC recovery
With the release of Windows Home Server, Microsoft introduced three levels of backup for users latest versions its software. Backup Center and Windows recovery Vista works with a backup of the entire PC based on the creation of an image file. Vista also includes a Previous Versions feature ( Previous versions), which allows you to recover old versions of documents or other files directly from file system; The System Restore tool performs the same function. Windows Live OneCare 2.0 offers a more convenient backup experience that allows you to centrally back up all the PCs on your home network that have OneCare enabled.
Windows Home Server offers you a third level of backup. As with OneCare 2.0, this feature provides a centralized backup of all PCs connected to the home server on your home network. However, the WHS solution is better than the one found in OneCare, firstly, because the backup copies will be stored in a more suitable place - the so-called “back room” home server, and secondly, because it uses less disk space without creating duplicate files that have not changed.
Windows Home Server Backup provides two main features: it backs up your entire PC and then updates it daily, backing up new files so you can later restore your computer to its state at some point in time in the past using the Computer Restore CD. It is also possible to search and restore specific files or folders, as would be the case when using Previous Versions on a local system.
PC and server health monitoring
Windows Home Server includes system health monitoring that works with both the server and the PCs connected to it. This feature is again reminiscent of the one in Windows Live OneCare 2.0, which offers us a similar ability to control the state of the home network. The health status of the entire system - the server and all clients - can be found using the WHS connection icon located in the system tray on each connected PC. If it's green, then everything is fine. Yellow indicates a possible risk. Red indicates the presence of a critical problem. And blue indicates that the PC in question is being backed up at this point in time.
WHS measures the health of a system in many ways. For the server, it monitors the status and amount of free space on the hard drives. Backup copies are monitored on clients to ensure that the system continues to function without problems, and, on systems running Windows Vista, in conjunction with Windows Security Center, the relevance of the anti-virus databases of the system anti-virus and other security programs is checked. This way, if any computer in your home has outdated antivirus signatures, you can fix it and thereby prevent system security problems from arising.
The notifications that appear when a problem is detected can be very intrusive, as those who have worked with OneCare are well aware of. On the other hand, individual users can disable these messages from appearing in the system tray, which is a good idea for non-administrator users.
Storing documents and media files
While it's very easy to create a folder to store files on any Windows system, and Windows Vista made the process even easier and safer, Windows Home Server allows you to perform these basic operations different ways. From a logical point of view, a server is an ideal place to store file archives of any kind, although this concept may seem unfamiliar to many modern users. I used a server based on Windows Server, for many years, and I find that this process was finally formalized in WHS. In my case, about 1 TB of disk space is required, but for you this figure is most likely too large. I think the entry level WHS will be sold with 512GB hard drive. To increase productivity, you will need two media. I'll explain why.
At the entry level, WHS can and will be used as a Windows machine for working with files. It includes standard sections for storing files, such as Music, Photos, Public, Software and Videos, and creates separate folders for each user (these are called “paul”). These areas have standard permissions by default. So even if you guest user has the right to read files in the Public folder, only the user for whom access rights are correctly configured can get full access to Paul's area. The user interface for entering such settings has become even simpler than in any desktop Windows versions, and of course you can have your own sections if you wish.
But not everything in WHS is so simple: in addition to having simple and clear access to files and managing this access, WHS has a unique and innovative approach to storing files. For starters, any HDD, which you attach to the server, is added to the overall array of storage devices, and you don't have to deal with different drive letters. All you have to do is connect the hard drive, external or internal, and tell WHS through its console (see below) that it is ready for use. WHS will be able to handle any amount of disk space you can give it, limited only by your server's USB 2.0, Firewire, ATA, and S-ATA connections.
WHS also takes an innovative approach when it comes to data storage reliability. Instead of burdening users with having to understand complex technologies like RAID, WHS gives you a very simple interface that ensures that all important files are duplicated on at least two physical media, so that if something goes wrong with one of them, what happens, you won't lose anything important information. I set up WHS so that all my digital photos are duplicated this way, but for videos I disable this feature. The Duplicate Files feature has default settings and works automatically if you have two or more drives connected. However, you can customize this feature however you like.
Finally, WHS makes it easier to remove storage devices. So, if you want to disconnect the old hard drive and install a new and more capacious one in its place, it will be very easy to do. WHS will copy all the data from the old drive to the other drive and then remove it from the storage array so you can unmount it. (Obviously this will require free space on other media). Perfect!
Remote access
I currently have a subscription to Log Me In Pro from Logmein.com which costs about $100 per year. This service allows me to connect to my home from anywhere in the world Windows server Server 2003 R2, which until recently was my main data archive. Yes, for those who travel as much as I do, this type of service is extremely important: I can’t even tell you how many times I, already on the road, suddenly remembered that I forgot to copy an important file to my laptop. With Log Me In I can download this and other files and even have access to my server's UI to perform other tasks.
Windows Home Server includes an excellent set of functionality, and the best thing is that they will not require any additional payment for their use. With these remote access features, you can access your home server as easily as from any PC on your home network using a simple and efficient web interface. (You can use remote access to a PC on your home network only if you use Windows XP Pro, Media Center 2005, Tablet PC with SP2, Windows Vista Business, Enterprise or Ultimate.) The remote access feature consists of three interrelated functionalities:
Access to shared folders W.H.S.
The contents of any WHS shared folders, such as Music, Photos, Public, Software and Videos, as well as any other shared folders, are accessible through the web interface. There is even a special search box, similar to the Windows Live Search box, using which you will definitely find everything you need.
Access to home network PC
With PCs connected to WHS (that is, PCs on which the WHS Connector client software is installed), you can set up remote access, similar to what you can use with a Windows client or server, using Remote Desktop Access. . Of course, the ease of use of this feature will depend on the speed of your connection. Regardless, it's still great that you can use a feature like this to access your desktop machines while on the go.
Access to the WHS console
You can also access the WHS management console when you are at global network, but are disconnected from their home network. The management interface is similar to that used within a local network, although there may be some problems with the connection speed, and also do not forget the fact that the console will have to be used in a browser window, and not through a regular console window.
Microsoft not only gave us the opportunity to take advantage of such great features, but also did a great job great job to make them easy to set up and use. By default, Remote Access is disabled, so to start using Remote Access, you will need to use dialog box Settings to activate this feature and configure it. Enabling remote access can be either childishly simple or terribly complicated, depending on what router you use on your home network. If you have a UPnP-compatible router, then WHS will automatically configure it for remote access and everything will be fine. If not, you will have to manually configure the router using the instructions in the WHS Help. Last method seems very problematic: I have never been able to configure my router correctly myself, even though updates to its firmware allowed WHS to automatically configure it.
Here's what you need to do: To enable remote access to a specific PC, you will need to do some steps on each PC, since it is not possible to do this through the WHS console. There are some differences between the flow of the action in XP and Vista. If we talk about Vista, then you need to open the Start menu, click right click mouse on the My Computer icon and select Properties. Then select Advanced system settings; In the System Properties window that appears, switch to the Remote tab. In the Remote Desktop section, select “Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure).” If you select the “more secure” version, the function will not work. Once remote access is enabled, Microsoft will give you a free URL that will look something like this: “something.homeserver.com”, with “something” replaced by whatever name you like. This is not bad, although I would like to use a real domain name (like something.com).
Installation and configuration
Depending on how you buy Windows Home Server, installing and configuring it will be long and difficult, or long and easy. If you are going to install WHS on your own hardware, you should understand that this process will be quite labor-intensive and will require many reboots, and subsequent settings will require some experience and time from you. However, those who buy new hardware for their home server will not encounter all these difficulties. Although in this case you will have to spend some time setting up the server. However, all these steps will most likely have to be performed once. After you install the server, you will no longer have to resort to these actions and your “communication” with the server will take place remotely.
The initial setup process will involve installing the WHS Connector software, which is supplied on a separate CD. On client PCs (Windows XP SP2+ or any version of Vista). The installer will connect your PC to the server to carry out subsequent backup processes and then complete the installation process. After this, you will be able to launch the WHS management console using the WHS Connector icon from the system tray. This unusual application is a remote desktop window that allows you to remotely control the server.
Once you install WHS, you will be presented with a very simple interface with buttons with Computers & Backups, User Accounts, Shared Folders and Server Storage at the top. There is also a network status icon and links for setting settings parameters, as well as help. Here's what's available in the WHS Management Console user interface:
Computers & Backup
From here you can manage computers that are connected to WHS (that is, that have the WHS Connector software installed). By default, full backups will be made of every PC connected to the server, but you can change these settings at the driver level. For example, you could set up regular backups of one specific hard drive on the system in question, and the rest were ignored. By default, WHS backs up PCs at times when they are lightly used (such as at night), but you can manually trigger the backup process using the Connector icon in the system tray or using this interface. You can even start backups from other PCs on the network.
User Accounts
Here you can create user accounts so that each of them has their own access to various functions server. You can use a guest account, but most often you will have to create new accounts that will be used by other users of your home computers. For example, I create a Paul account, assign it a strong password (required by WHS by default), and give that user full access to all shared folders.
If you intend to use remote access, you will need an even more complex password. To make your work easier, you can make it so that account, which you use on your PC and on the WHS, the username and password are the same, although this is not necessary. However, if you decide to use this method, you won't have to enter a username and password every time you want to access file partitions through Vista's network interface. 
Shared Folders
Here you can see all the shared folders that are configured on the server, as well as control the data duplication option, which determines whether certain files will be copied to another medium to ensure reliability. Here you can add new folders and configure existing ones, and define access rights to these folders for each user.
Server Storage
This section of the WHS user interface lists all hard drives that are currently attached to the server, regardless of whether they are configured for use by the server or for storing other information. Here you can add a new storage device to the server or restore the hard drive if any errors occur in its operation (a similar situation will be displayed in the WHS Connector icon as a malfunction of the system). If necessary, using that interface, you can also remove the hard drive. 
Settings
This little link opens the most complex UI in the entire console - the Settings dialog, which by default is divided into seven sections (although there will be more in pre-installed versions of the server).
These are the sections:
- General. Here you configure the date and time, region, Windows Update and other basic settings.
- Backup. Here you will find various settings for PC backup, including a time window for copying data (by default from 12:00 am to 6:00 am); number of backups per month, per week and per day; etc.
- Passwords. WHS by default requires the use of very strong passwords, because if some hacker is able to access your server from the network, he can take full control of the system, so that all your valuable files, and also, if the attacker needs it, and all files on other PCs on your home network will be in danger. Here you can change the security policy regarding the passwords used.
- Media Sharing. Although disabled by default, WHS can distribute digital media files to the Music, Photos, and Videos shares using standard Windows Media Connect technology. If you enable this option, PCs and other compatible devices on your network (such as the Xbox 360) will “see” these server sections and be able to access their content over the network.
- Remote Access. Here you can enable your home server's Web server, configure your home router for remote access and networking, and set up your personal domain name (something.homeserver.com). Enabling these features, along with the shared media folders described above, largely provides the full functionality of this WHS software release.
- Add-ins. Here you can install or uninstall any WHS add-on (see below).
- Resources. Presents the same information as the About WHS window.
Expanding the functionality of your home server using add-ons
While WHS is already an excellent product in its own right, even for this first release, Microsoft was forward-thinking enough to allow users to extend the product's functionality with SDK (software development kit) add-ons. Developers can use this SDK to create new, unique features that they can use on the server. There are already many excellent add-ons available for download, many of which are free, and no doubt there will be more in the future. To view a list of available add-ons for WHS, visit We Got Served, which is dedicated to WHS.
What's missing from WHS?
Despite its excellent feature set and the benefit of being able to use add-ons, Windows Home Server isn't perfect. The installation and setup process will likely prove difficult for many consumers, although enthusiasts who will no doubt be working with WHS from this first release are unlikely to have any problems. The management console is especially bad in this regard: it is implemented as a unique type of remote access window, for which the only available view is the console view as such, which are located within the local application window. This means that through this window you will not be able to access the main desktop, you will only occasionally be able to see and work with dialog boxes and other windows that run on the server. I would like the WHS team to create a real local server management application for future releases of their product. The current implementation of the console leaves much to be desired.
Another problem is the router setup process. Although WHS can automatically configure most UPnP-compatible routers, there are a huge number of consumers who have purchased Wireless-G routers who have no intention of upgrading in the near future. If WHS can automatically configure your router, then working with it will be very easy and pleasant for you. If not, then you are, to put it mildly, out of luck, since I personally could not, following Microsoft’s instructions, manually configure the router to work with WHS. In my case the update firmware router solved the problem and now everything works fine. But I'm sure this WHS omission will cause trouble for many ordinary users. There must be an easier way. For example, you could include a router as part of your home server hardware, or even integrate this functionality into system unit devices. This would of course limit your options for device placement, but I'm sure the number one list of user complaints about WHS would be the router setup.
While the capabilities for WHS remote access are excellent, Microsoft is missing out on potentially the largest market by not including Windows support Vista Home Premium. Home Premium lacks the remote access features needed to make this work, but should be added as part of the WHS Connector installation.
Windows Home Server does not support x64 clients. I can't imagine why this was done, but I hope Microsoft fixes it as soon as possible.
Anyone who has ever worked with Windows Media Center will certainly want to see the same functionality in WHS. How wonderful it would be if the WHS system unit could be placed next to the TV, connect them, and only then use the functionality of Media Center through the extender and your HDTV. For now, Media Center uses the resources of regular home PCs to operate, and in my experience - my family used such a system for over a year with an Xbox 360-based extender in the living room - this solution is not optimal. Media Center must be connected to the server and available for use, like other content, through technology Microsoft Windows Media Connect.
WHS also lacks the ability to back up the server itself, or its content, to a second machine or dedicated storage device. (Or perhaps an online service). While third parties will undoubtedly look to implement this capability, WHS should include some sort of built-in functionality of this nature. Many users will simply transfer their most valuable files from desktop computer to the server, not realizing that the server is physically no more secure than their regular PC. You can still lose your files.
Finally, while this is not a clear disadvantage of WHS, I would like to point out one obvious problem facing this product: consumers are not used to buying home servers. It's one thing to buy a USB hard drive solely to use for file backup purposes, but it's another thing entirely to spend $500-$1000 on a PC-like server that sits in a corner somewhere and is never directly used. This is a conceptual product that will require some experience from the user. At least when you buy an iPod, laptop, or other device that's comparable in price, you'll have something you can directly use. It looks like serving Home Server will be enough for some people.
How to get Windows Home Server?
Windows Home Server can be purchased in two ways: as a separate software product that you can install on your own hardware (any modern PC will do; details can be found on the Microsoft website), or pre-installed on a new one. hardware for a home server. Software version The product will not be sold in retail packaging, but is available for sale through NewEgg.com and other online resellers in OEM packaging, which is aimed at pre-assembled system builders. You can find an OEM version of Windows Home Server for around $200, which is quite reasonable. (Note that the current version of WHS installs and runs on 32-bit hardware; the next major release will likely be 64-bit only.)
If you would like to purchase a Windows Home Server with new hardware, then you should pay attention to manufacturers such as HP, Iomega, Lacie and many others. Some of these devices are quite innovative and even attractive. I intend to write a review of the HP Home Server as soon as this product hits the market. And while I can't say anything about this product yet, I will add that many Home Server manufacturers will be making some additions to the core WHS functionality. Some of these additions will be quite valuable.
Conclusion
Windows Home Server is an excellent under-the-radar product: you probably need it, but don't realize it yet. Although most of the functionality of this product is available in other software, I don’t know of a single software product that could, like WHS, offer them all at once, and at such a reasonable price. PC Backup and Restore extends the functionality of Vista Backup and Restore Center and Windows Live OneCare, but is networked and automatic without requiring expert-level user knowledge. The separation of documents, files and digital media content, based on similar separation in Windows client operating systems, is not new, but its use on a separate server, as well as the potential for copying files onto two media, is a huge advantage. Monitoring the health of your PC and network will be an invaluable tool for you if you are a system administrator in your home, as I am in mine. Whereas I pay $100 annually for remote access capabilities that are only available to one PC or server, WHS gives you the same capabilities for free, plus allows you to connect to all your PCs and servers, as well as get a domain area.
The functionality of WHS can be expanded very easily with add-ons. This is very important for those areas of the market whose needs Microsoft has not addressed in its product, and may lead to the emergence of new WHS features that will be better than the built-in capabilities. Anyone interested in or already using WHS should take note of the thriving market for add-ons to it software product. There are a lot of interesting things there, most of which are of very high quality.
Of course, this is still the first version of WHS and it lacks functionality in some areas. I'd like to see some integration with Media Center so that, for example, TV shows can be recorded and then stored on a server. In fact, it would be even better to include all of Media Center's capabilities out of the box with WHS so that consumers can free up their PCs to use them for more traditional purposes, such as the Internet, high-performance applications and games, without worrying that when the PC reboots or at startup DX10 new generation games may interrupt the TV recording process. The installation and configuration process also needs improvement, as in its current state it can be intimidating for regular users. As well as the management console, which should be remade as a real local application. Its current implementation leaves much to be desired.
Overall, WHS is a great solution to all those problems you didn't even know you had. But make no mistake - these problems are very real and require a solution, which is WHS. I'm excited to see what the Home Server team does next, but even in this first release they've done some magic. Anyone who doubts whether it is really that good and simple should look at this product. I highly recommend it.
Sandbox
friend December 23, 2013 at 01:23Installing WindowsHomeServer 2011 on HP EX475 MediaSmart Server
- System administration
Some time ago, I bought a home server HP EX475 MediaSmart Server.
Brief characteristics:
CPU Intel® Pentium® Processor E5200
RAM 4Gb DDR2 PC 5300
HDD 1x1Tb
WindowsHomeServer 2003 was pre-installed on it, but time is running forward, and the time has come to upgrade to WHS 2011. Since this server does not have the ability to connect a monitor, installing the OS is only possible using automatic installation, using the configuration file. After surfing the web, I found several articles on English-language resources describing the process, but during the installation process it turned out that there were several nuances that were not described anywhere. Since the server is not equipped with a monitor output, each time the installation progress was determined “by ear” - whether the hard drive was working or not, and whether the flash drive indicator was blinking.
For those who are faced with a similar situation, I want to systematize all the installation nuances and provide step-by-step instructions.
When installing the OS, you need to remove all HDDs except the system one. The system HDD is the bottom one; to remove it you need to turn the locker.
Before installation, you need to connect the system HDD to another PC and manually remove all partitions from it. This is necessary so that our server does not try to boot from it during installation. The nuance is that even if there is an inactive partition, installation from the flash drive may not start, so the hard drive must be empty and not partitioned.
Now you need to prepare the flash drive for installation. It must be more than 4 gigabytes, because... The size of the MSDN image of WHS 2011 is 4.31 GB.
Download Microsoft Store Windows 7 USB/DVD Download
Next, we must have iso image WHS. It can be downloaded from the Microsoft website, or made from a pre-purchased disk.
Below are a few pictures on how to use Microsoft Store Windows 7 USB/DVD Download
After creating the flash drive, you need to create a file with installation parameters. It's not difficult: create a cfg.ini file in the root of the flash drive
InstallSKU=SERVERHOMEPREMIUM
ConfigDisk=1
CheckReqs=0
SystemPartitionSize=60
Language=en-US
Locale=0409
Country=US
KeyboardLayout=00000409
AcceptEula=true
ServerName=VailPremServer
PlainTextPassword=Str0ngPa$$w0rd
PasswordHint=This Is Your Password Hint
Settings=All
Important things here: SystemPartitionSize - the size of the system partition (it is not recommended to do less than 60 gigabytes), PlainTextPassword - the administrator password.
Well, we have almost everything ready to install the OS.
We insert the flash drive into the lowest USB connector on the back panel of the server.
We make sure that system disk empty, and installed in the lowest compartment. Turn on the power. The bottom-right indicator on the front panel begins to alternately flash blue and red. Then, within approximately 20-30 minutes, the first stage of installation occurs. You can determine its end by the color of the indicator - it is blue. After that, go to your router, and in the dhcp settings, look at the address issued to the server. We go to this address with a browser (there is one more nuance - you need to go in using IE, because the page is displayed incorrectly in other browsers), a window appears asking you to launch the executable, we agree. This is followed by several questions about the current time, administrator password and server name, then we observe the progress indicator, and voila - the server reboots and becomes accessible via RDP.
Tags: whs, unattended installation
18.12.2011
This article describes how to deploy Windows Home Server 2011, as well as how to create a HomeGroup in Windows 7.
Set Up a Home Server. PC World, September 2011, p. 99.
Initial installation. Boot your PC from the installation disc. The installation procedure for Windows Home Server is similar to the usual one. Windows installation, but at the end of the process an unpleasant surprise awaited us: the system did not have a built-in driver for the Gigabit Ethernet controller. As a result, an error message was displayed on the screen, and the system went into reboot. If the same happens to you, then when the setup progress indicator appears on the screen Windows configuration Press the key combination + + , open Task Manager and complete the installation process. The screen will immediately display Work Windows table. Now you can install necessary drivers chipset and network adapter.
Setting up client configuration. When setting up the client configuration, you do not need an installation disk or flash drive. Open your browser and type /connect in the address bar, replacing it with the name that was assigned to the server during the installation process. Download and run the Windows Home Server Connector installer. If you are configured automatic connection, in the WHS connector app, switch to on-demand enrollment mode. Then you need to reboot and start the connector installation procedure again.
After installing the Windows Home Server Connector, launch the Launchpad application. Then Windows Home Server Dashboard. Launchpad and Dashboard will perform different functions. In addition to the System Administrator account, create another account and assign it a different password so that you can work exclusively with shared files.
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Setting Global Settings
Now that the client and server are installed and running, it's time to move on to specific settings.
Wednesday. The quality of the stream depends on the performance of your PC's processor. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to give any specific recommendations here. But if installed Core processor i3 or more productive, then, most likely, you can safely set the setting parameter to the Best position.
Home group. Add your server to a Windows 7 homegroup (see How to create a Windows 7 homegroup on how to create one). This will make it easier to connect other computers on the network to the server.
Remote Network Access. If you already have a domain registered, you can include your Windows Home Server computer in it. Thanks to this, it will be possible to organize remote access to the server. But only GoDaddy.com and eNomCentral.com can act as domain name providers.
So, we have reviewed the main points of the Windows Home Server installation and configuration procedure. But in other situations it may be necessary additional actions: defining a new server for DLNA network clients, setting up backups, searching for expansion modules, etc. At the current stage, the basic procedures have been completed and everything is ready to go.
How to Set Up a Windows 7 HomeGroup. PC World, October 2011
How to create a Windows 7 homegroup
The home group introduced in Windows 7 allows you to organize the exchange of information with all computers running in Windows environment 7, in less than 30 s.
Windows 7 HomeGroup settings window. Anyone who's ever tried to share files or printers across multiple computers on a home network knows how difficult the process can be. A seemingly simple task usually involves several operations described in obscure networking jargon and controlled by cryptic commands. operating system, the unclear meaning of which prevents most users from realizing the full potential of their home network.
To make life easier for users, Microsoft has included in the operating system Windows system 7 new feature"Home Group" It allows you to organize the exchange of information with all computers running Windows 7 in less than 30 seconds.
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Click the "Start" button, type in search bar"Homegroup" and click.
In the window that appears on the screen, select “Create a home group.”
Specify the types of files that other computers can access (for example, documents, music, pictures). You can also set which printers connected to your computer will be shared. Having defined all the parameters, click the “Next” button.
In the next window you need to enter secure password for home group. This password will be used to connect other computers to the newly created homegroup. Enter your password and click Finish.
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Exclude certain file types from public access possible at any time. Now that the homegroup has been created and external access to the resources of the first computer has been initiated, you need to include other PCs on the network in it. To add another computer running Windows 7 to your homegroup, follow these steps:
Click the "Start" button, type "Homegroup" in the search bar and click.
The window that appears on the screen will display information about the homegroup found on the network. To add there new computer, click the “Join” button.
If you want the added computer to share its files and printers with other computers in your homegroup, set the options you want and click Next.
Enter the homegroup password you set earlier and click Next.
You should see a screen confirming that your computer is now part of a homegroup. If the procedure is completed successfully, click on “Finish”.
Repeat the connection procedure for all other computers that need to access information stored on the network.
14.07.2009 15431
OS for home server - Windows Home Server
General computerization has created new problems. If earlier in the house, as a rule, there was only one computer, for which the family fought to the death, then in the era of the rapid development of all this technology and with the opportunity to purchase a used computer for a few pennies, the number of personal computers and other gadgets in users’ homes increases with frighteningly fast. And here at some point the home user, with frightening inevitability, faces the question of properly organizing a home network, and most importantly - about creating a common network for all computers. file storage, because it is no longer possible to keep a wild number of cross-references to the folders of various computers on the local network, and most importantly, it is absolutely impossible to find anything in this mess. Not to mention the fact that all these festivities on each other’s computers are not secure by definition. You need to do everything wisely, such a user finally understands, and wisely means the fact that a normal server should appear in the house. How was a similar problem solved before? The user assembled another computer from all sorts of junk, stuffed more hard drives into it, then spent a long time installing and configuring the software, after which the newly-minted server went into operation, and how it then worked there depended heavily on the level of wear and tear of the equipment and the qualifications of the user, who boldly appointed himself as the network administrator. This approach, of course, had certain disadvantages. Firstly, considerable qualifications were required from the user in order to install and configure a wide variety of services. Secondly, when a server is assembled from all sorts of junk, by definition it cannot be considered a reliable device. Thirdly, Windows XP, which is usually installed by home users on such hardware (we are deliberately not considering options with Linux and other operating systems now), is not a server operating system, and this also creates certain problems: going to the server to configure it or to set it up, you need to connect your monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and this is very inconvenient. With hardware, the issue is, in principle, solvable - now more and more manufacturers are offering their own versions of home servers: these are Acer Aspire easyStore, HP MediaSmart Server, the Russian series of EPI servers, and so on. So one of main issues The problem that arises in this case concerns the operating system for these servers. All sorts of Windows Server and even Windows Small Business Server are corporate solutions that are too expensive and too complex for home use. Therefore, Microsoft released a special operating system based on Windows Server 2003 called Windows Home Server.
Windows Home Server Page
Customer icon and menu
start page consoles
You can set backup modes for various computers on the network, add and edit users who are allowed access to certain services, work with installed disks, edit shared folders, obtain various data about network storage, monitor the status of the network and server. Let's take a quick look at these possibilities. Computers and backup Backup is one of the main tasks of a server: be it home or corporate. Network users don't have to worry about their data, which they traditionally never duplicate, and then start tearing their hair out if local disk suddenly barked immediately and forever. If you have a home server, that's why WHS exists, to create archives. In WHS, the backup process is implemented in such a way that users do not have headaches about this at all: in fact, all backups are performed fully automatically. It all works as follows. As soon as the WHS console is installed on a computer, all disks of this computer are included in the automatic backup schedule, which by default is performed from one to six in the morning. The first backup is made in its entirety (all intermediate files and the contents of the recycle bin are automatically excluded), further backups are made incrementally, that is, only changed files are added to the archive. On the one hand, it’s not very clear why you need to back up all the disks at once, but the idea is this: if some kind of disaster occurs on the user’s computer (viruses gobble up, the hard drive crashes, a cat jumps on the keyboard) and all the information becomes covered in one interesting cluster, then you can put new hard disk (if the disk requires replacement), boot into the computer using the WHS Restore CD and restore both the system and all installed programs plus data. In general, you will agree that there is a certain homespun in this. Even for a home administrator, the ability to easily recover the system, all user data and all its settings on a computer with a dead hard drive is a great opportunity. It’s not even a pity to spend some gigabytes of server space here, in my opinion. If you do not consider it necessary to store a copy of all the computer’s disks (I have three terabyte disks on my work computer - the server would go crazy to back it all up, and there’s really no point in that), then using a special wizard for configuring backup parameters, you can mark the disks that that need to be archived, as well as explicitly specify folders that can be excluded from the backup process.
Excluding folders from backup
The only complaint here is that I don’t understand why the interface developers acted so strangely with the folder selection mode. It would seem that it would be easier to display a standard window with checkboxes and two buttons “Mark all” and “Uncheck all”. Then just click on the necessary folders, so that subfolders are either automatically highlighted, or, accordingly, the mark is removed from them - and that’s it. And here you need to ask excluded folders, and strictly one at a time. It’s fun when there are two thousand folders on the root of the disk, of which you need to backup one. Strange decision, very strange. But with the restoration of information, everything is done quite conveniently. You select a computer in the console, click on the button to view the latest backup, after which the saved data will be shown to you in the Explorer window as regular folders of a new mounted volume (in this case, volume V), from where you can restore the necessary data even in whole folders (folder structure ), at least in separate files.
Recovering archived data
For each of the monitored computers (on which the WHS console is installed), you can call a backup report.
Backup report
In these settings, you can only select the type of backup processing: manually delete, always save, delete after the next successful backup. IN general settings Home Server can configure the following backup parameters: change the backup launch range, set storage periods monthly, weekly and daily archives. Procedure for cleaning obsolete backup copies performed on Sundays.
Backup options
I tested the backup operation quite thoroughly and saw how it all functions. There didn't seem to be any complaints. Both in manual mode and in automatic mode, backup is carried out in background, the computer itself is not heavily loaded. There were only two things I didn't like. The first is the already mentioned solution with setting up backup. The second is the inability to adjust the backup schedule. Archiving is done daily, period. But if I don’t need this daily routine, or some folders need to be backed up daily, while others need to be backed up once a week or month, then I can’t set this up. We backup every day - that's it. Listen, gentlemen, to your “Valenki” and don’t back up in vain. User Accounts With the user settings in WHS, everything was resolved quite simply. They considered - quite rightly, I note - that there was clearly no need to bother oneself with domains and domain controllers, because instead of domains, ordinary familiar workgroups are used, which are simply raised to a slightly higher level. When creating a user, access parameters to shared folders are set for him, and a personal folder is also automatically created for him, to which only he has access by default.
User access
If WHS users use the same logins that users use on their computers, then they will not have to re-enter their login and password to access WHS. (If the login is the same, but the passwords are different, WHS will offer to synchronize passwords the first time such a user logs in.) As you can see, everything seems to be very simple, but this simplicity is the main charm. Why fence domains for a home network? There's no point in this! You need to create a user and specify for him the types of access to shared resources. All. Here it is done quickly and conveniently. Drive settings Here the status of installed and connected disks is demonstrated, you can connect and configure new disks (including external ones), set wireframes, and so on. If new devices are connected to the server, then WHS offers to join them to the common pool - in this case, all information on the device will be lost. (This simple knowledge cost me about five hundred gigabytes of information on an external drive - solely from inattention, because WHS honestly warns about everything. On the other hand, it still only contained a porn article about polytonal overlays in Beethoven, so what the hell with her.)
Working with disk
As far as I understand, unlike a NAS, to which you can connect external drive with data and share this data with other computers, this is impossible here. USB ports are used to connect drives, which are first registered and connected to a common pool, and only then can some information be written to them. And even then, when and what will be recorded there is determined by WHS itself, which has implemented a rather complex and intelligent algorithm for filling the media. To those connected by USB flash drives WHS data does not react at all. Well, it’s actually correct - a flash drive can always be connected to a regular computer. Server folders Configuring shared server folders and user access types. Plus all sorts of useful statistics on these folders.
Server folders
Here, for the corresponding folders, you can enable the so-called duplication. This is very interesting opportunity. If duplication is enabled, then WHS automatically duplicates information from the corresponding folder on another physical medium. Thus, if a disk suddenly dies, then, even if important data was written to it, it can be restored after replacing the disk. This storage method, of course, significantly increases reliability. Server storage Server storage parameters and all statistics: how much space is taken up by backups, the system, how much is free, and so on.
Server storage
Network and server status
Setting up remote access
If you are using a router and it supports UPnP, then WHS will automatically configure forwarding of the required ports (at least it will try to do so). If you cannot configure the router automatically, then in its settings you will need to manually configure forwarding of ports 80, 443 and 4125 to the IP server with WHS. After this, if everything is configured correctly, when you enter the registered domain name on homeserver.com in the browser of any computer connected to the Internet, the WHS start page will appear in front of you. There you need to enter your login and password, after which you will gain access to those resources that are open externally to given user: network computers, shared folders and server services and shared folders and computer services. (I remind you that it will be possible to connect remotely to the resources of local network computers only if versions of operating systems with the Remote Desktop service are installed there.)
Remote access start page
Server folders from remote access
If the user is allowed to do so, he can connect to the WHS management console from remote access in almost the same way as from a local network computer.
WHS console from remote access
That, in fact, is all that is offered by default in the Windows Home Server client. “How is it all?” you may ask. “And where are the server operating parameters - processor temperature, motherboard and hard drives, where is the torrent client, where is normal backup, where is the control of the “sleep” mode, where?..” Actually, you can ask endlessly, because each user demands his own from the server. However, do not rush to give up on the capabilities of WHS Its functionality can be greatly expanded through Add-Ins, which are created by a wide variety of developers.These add-ons, with rare exceptions, are free and can be downloaded from the Windows Home Server Plus website at www.whsplus.com.
home Windows page Home Server Plus
Unfortunately, there are not hundreds of additions, but dozens. Not all add-ons are equally useful and reliable, but if you dig around, you can find quite a few quite functional utilities. They are installed simply: the downloaded add-on with the MSI extension must be placed in the \ServerSoftwareAdd-Ins folder, then in the Settings section of the WHS console, go to “Add-ons” and click on the “Available” tab. The selected add-ons then appear in the "Installed" tab, and in addition, in top menu the corresponding control icons appear on the console.
New control icons
What did I find interesting there? Well, actually, a lot. Below are some of these extensions. Advanced Admin Console is a console that gives access to almost all resources of the server operating system: control panel, printers, admin utilities, My Computer, Recycle Bin, and so on, right up to the remote desktop.
Advanced admin console
uTorrent plugin
Asoft AutoExit menu
Download Manager
LightsOut Charts
Manager menu
That's probably all the additions that were interesting to me. But I think that if you dig around on Whsplus.com, you can find a lot more useful utilities. The main thing here is the principle itself. WHS allows you to easily and simply install a wide variety of add-ons for it, which are written by any developers, so, apparently, there will be no shortage of add-ons themselves. Running Windows Home Server I ran the server with WHS in working mode for about a month: backup, use of shared folders, additional services, external access, and so on. It all functions reliably and does not cause any problems in administration. Actually, as a rule, there is no need to go there: once you have configured everything, then the server stands somewhere under the table, quietly rustling disks and doing everything for which it is intended. The only time my management console froze was so bad that the server had to be rebooted (more precisely, I just didn’t wait long for it to hang up on its own), but that was when I installed some kind of dull add-on for working with the router. However, it is clear that a crooked add-on can create some problems, just as dangerous manipulations with a remote desktop can also lead to various troubles (for example, Disk Management on a server must be handled with extreme caution, since the organization of the partition structure is quite complex). But if you use proven Add-Ins and don’t give free rein to playful hands, everything will work like a charm. I was also pleased with the performance when downloading files. NAS is, of course, left far behind here. I tested several NAS on a gigabit network. So, this is a known problem with NAS - very low download speed compared to conventional computers (there is not enough processor). For example, on a hundred-megabit NAS network they show 2-4 megabytes per second (despite the fact that the normal file transfer speed for such a network is about 8-12 megabytes per second), and on a gigabit network the maximum that could be pulled out of the NAS is somewhere - then 12-15 megabytes per second. So, the server on WHS on a gigabit network showed up to 60 megabytes per second. Of course, not always and not in all cases (copying speed depends on many factors), but I got 30-60 megabytes on gigabyte files quite often. By definition, you cannot get such speeds with a NAS.
Copying a 1.77 GB file
Didn't help
http://<
локальное название машины>:65510/connect/ - didn’t help either
Let me explain. There was a connection with the server, the installation of the application began, but at the end of the installation there was a gag and an error message appeared about the impossibility of continuing the installation. All PCs with licensed seven. The first was a PC with a 64-bit version - everything installed on it without problems. The next PC with the 32-bit version did not want to install, still the same error at the end of the installation. About the fifth attempt, the computer froze and I rebooted it using the button. When it turned on, it turned out that the WHS program, without completing the rollback, remained on the computer and was working quite well and exchanging all data with the server, as it should be. True, the program itself was not found in “Programs and Features”. I didn’t reinstall, just to be on the safe side, I left everything as is - it works and that’s fine. No matter how hard I tried, I didn’t try this trick on other PCs, apparently I couldn’t get into right moment and abort the installation until an error occurs and the rollback begins.
I didn’t say the main thing - then I began to figure it out myself and came to the conclusion that the problem was most likely in the local network. The server and the first PC are located in the same building, and the remaining PCs (on which the installation error occurred) are located in another building. And both premises are combined into one local network by routing means on the provider’s side. Perhaps this is where the error lies and the server software cannot be installed correctly on the PC, because... there is no direct physical the local network. Is it really not possible to connect via VPN either? I'll have to try it.
Since we are talking about routing, I want to clarify one point. How does WHS2011 automatic configuration router from the administration panel it is possible to change port forwarding in the "Virtual Server" service on my Dlink router if it is password protected!!! Moreover, it’s an infection, as soon as I change the server ip on the router (well, I don’t want ports 80 and 443 to be addressed to the first network card server), so the server itself will change the settings on the router as it wants, you just need to launch the WHS administration panel, without even starting the router settings. And what’s most interesting is that in order to apply such settings manually on the router, after each saved action the router goes into reboot, and the server manages to do this without any reboots of the router. And the router, like an obedient dog, unquestioningly obeys WHS and gives preference to its commands rather than mine. I'm bursting with jealousy. Damn, after all, such a shameless hacking network devices I am extremely dissatisfied with WHS and Microsoft in general. So, do Dlink and Microsoft have some kind of agreement on this? But on the other hand, I wonder how this is all implemented, otherwise I need to configure it here automatic reboot one router that does not have a built-in scheduled reboot service.
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