Gallery

Expert guide to Windows Home Server

Posted on 13 Nov 2007 at 15:42

Backups are managed automatically, but you can manually delete them, set how many are kept and for how long, as well as perform a manual "cleanup" if you run short on space. To return a PC to an earlier state, boot it from the Restore CD and you'll be walked through the re-imaging process, or you can extract single files or folders from the Console.

It isn't perfect: there's no easy way of moving or burning backup images, and specifying which folders to leave out of the backup is unnecessarily tedious. But it's a far better backup regime than most people have, and named manual backups are also useful for migrating to a new hard disk, setting up a master image or trialling new software, for example.

WHS has a UPnP server built in for streaming media across the network.

As with any single-location setup, we'd be nervous of crucial data being kept on a WHS alone - folder duplicated or not. To be on the safe side, we'd also use something such as Microsoft's SyncToy to back up to an external source - and make sure you use the network rather than local paths, or your data won't be copied properly.

Remote access

Given the potential complexity of configuring your PCs for remote access, it's surprising just how far WHS goes with this feature. But it also makes a good job of it. The Remote Access area of the settings dialog looks simple enough, with its Web Sites, Router and Domain Name sections, but there's much more going on beneath the surface.

For a start, WHS will try to reconfigure your router using UPnP to open the ports that enable web-based access to your files, plus Remote Desktop connections TCP ports 80, 443, 4125 and 3389. If that fails, it will then try to guide you through the process manually: good luck with the support calls on that one.

In a nice touch, it also offers you the option of a domain name - you get a free xxx.homeserver.com URL with each copy of WHS, administered by Windows Live Domains and tied in with a Windows Live account. WHS will also handle the dynamic DNS for you, so you don't even need to discover your WAN IP address.

Assuming the average user can get all this working, it's impressive: navigating to your domain name, you'll be presented with a login screen (after an alarming certificate warning), where you'll then go through to a web page offering access to your shared folders or computers.

Go to Shared Folders and you can search, rename, delete, upload or download files as you wish on an interface similar to Hotmail. It's basic, but fine for the occasional transfer. You can only upload a single file at a time, but any downloaded folders are neatly zipped first.

Going to the Computers tab shows the status of any connected PCs and lets you initiate a Remote Desktop connection to either of these or the Console itself, with the same facilities you'd get on the local network.

Media streaming

This is one of the least developed areas of Home Server - the Music, Video and Photos folders can be shared with UPnP-compatible media streamers such as the Xbox 360, but it doesn't do much that's unique. You can't stream remotely, for example, although there's nothing to stop you installing Orb (www.orb.com) or the excellent (and free) WebGuide (www.asciiexpress.com). The other issue to bear in mind is that a UPnP client will only work if you can supply WHS login details, something that not every device will permit.