Windows Home Server - Public Beta Includes x64
The public beta of Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 is now available on the Microsoft Connect site for download. This is a major update for WHS - not only does it fix the corruption issue that has plagued WHS in certain scenarios, but it also adds full support for Vista 64-bit clients. I've been working with this for months now, getting more and more excited, but unable to talk about it. FRUSTRATING! But the wraps are off now, and I can tell you that the fixed WHS ROCKS! Seriously. It's faster. A LOT faster. It works with TiVo's TiVo Desktop 2.6.1 to serve up hundreds of GB's of recorded television. It backs up all my key computers here, including my two 64-bit laptops, and my 64-bit desktop. And it stores backups in a LOT less space than you'd think. Because WHS is smart about storing backups - it only stores a single copy of any duplicated data. So if you've got Office installed on three separate machines, chances are there's a lot of duplicates there. And WHS is smart enough when it saves the image of each of the three computers to only save one copy.
But backups are only as good as the ability to restore, and this is where I'm really happy. The restore JFW! (just effing works!) I know, because it saved me a tonne of work last week. For reasons I'd really rather not go into, I had to do a complete rebuild my Acer Ferrari laptop. Now I have been backing the Ferrari up without thinking about it for weeks, along with 9 other computers in my network, including the SBS server. Automatically. In fact, I've never done ANY configuration - just joined the Ferrari to the Home Server. (And note that we run in a Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 domain here, and I didn't have to exit the domain or do any changes to my normal domain environment at all.)
So, how easy (and foolproof) was the restore? Couldn't possibly have been easier. I took the dual-boot restore CD, put it in the Ferrari's DVD drive, plugged the Ferrari into the network, and turned the power on. When it booted to the CD, it offered me two choices for a boot image - one with less than 512 Mb of RAM, or one with more. The Ferrari has 2 GB, so that was an easy choice. Then I hit enter a couple of times, gave it the password to the Home Server, and in 38 minutes it had completely and perfectly restored my system drive. Popped the CD out, and rebooted and I was in business. I didn't need to know anything special or do any tricks - it just worked.
I'm completely convinced - this is the single best ordinary user PC backup I've ever seen. And I've written dozens of chapters on backups in our various books, and used many, many different programs to do backups. None have been as easy, as space efficient, and as painless to restore with. I love it. If you never use WHS for anything else, buy it for the backup alone. But while you've got it, take advantage of all the other stuff as well. Make it your TiVo server. Store your family's files, music and photos on it. Use it to connect to your computers at home when you're on vacation (it uses the Remote Web Workplace technology from SBS, and we all know how well that works!)
In short? This is a winner.
Charlie.