Windows Home Server 2011: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? [Archive]

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Jason Dunn

02-11-2011, 01:00 AM

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2011/02/03/windows-home-server-2011-fails-to-deliver-consumer-friendly-storage/' target='_blank'>http://www.mediasmartserver.net/201...iendly-storage/</a> </div>"This leaves Windows Home Server 2011 sorely lacking when it comes to fitting the needs of the average home consumer, the target market that was envisioned for the original Windows Home Server. While WHS 2011 is a polished improvement of Windows Home Server, storage management has become more complicated, storage growth is more complicated, and storage protection will either depend on what is likely to be complicated RAID from the OEMs or else Server Backup with its limitations."<img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//dht/auto/1297377685.usr1.png" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/04/vail-is-now-windows-home-server-2011-drive-extenders-officiall/" target="_blank">Image via Engadget</a>Whoa boy. This has sure turned into an ugly situation! If I'm understanding what I'm reading correctly, when you add a hard drive to Windows Home Server 2011, it shows up as a distinct drive rather than a pool of storage - this is what the loss of the Drive Extender technology means. Further, libraries are locked to a single drive without any duplication of folders like we had before. Any duplication of the data will come via whatever hardware-based RAID solution an OEM wants to integrate into their product. This also means that the only way to back up the server itself is to an external hard drive.I don't know about you, but I'm seeing a whole lot of ugliness here. I'll be keeping my current WHS running as long as I can, thank you very much.

ptyork

02-11-2011, 04:37 AM

Yeah, seriously the worst product de-evolution ever. This almost makes the Sidekick -> Kin evolution seem a raging success. Doubtless the complete market failure and eventual flushing of WHS 2011 will no doubt meet the expectations of the product management genius who decided to merge WHS with the rest of the windows server teams. "Cloud computing...mumble mumble...consumers don't want servers...mumble mumble...we shouldn't devote resources to a consumer server products...mumble mumble...bound to be a shrinking niche...mumble mumble...merge 'em with the rest of the server folks and give 'em a $500K R&D budget and nothing for marketing...sink or swim boys."

Some of the mumbling is perhaps right, but doesn't the Mozy statement (and of course the actual reality) kind of slap this in the face...the one about people amassing ever larger media libraries that can't be effectively backed up solely using the cloud, or at least without taking out a second mortgage.

Anyway, I'm with you. WHS 2003 until it dies. Then probably Amahi + Greyhole (or whatever is the new best thing at that time). See: http://blog.amahi.org/2010/11/26/whs-vail-fail-drive-extender-greyhole-and-you/

Honestly I'm tired of the whirring jet engine that is my old HP MediaSmart box. I'll probably try and do something really nerdy with a DreamPlug and a couple of eSATA enclosures. I just jailbroke an AppleTV 2 and I'm running a MUCH more intensive XBMC very smoothly on top of a less capable ARM processor. This is most definitely the future.

Jason Dunn

02-11-2011, 05:02 AM

Honestly I'm tired of the whirring jet engine that is my old HP MediaSmart box. I'll probably try and do something really nerdy with a DreamPlug and a couple of eSATA enclosures.

I put mine back in my furnace room so I can't hear it. Problem solved. :D

John London

02-11-2011, 06:19 AM

Although DE has been ripped out, my main needs are backups. Being in IT for 20 years RAID doesn't bother me. Backups where drilled into my hard head and having thousands of photos and videos I don't want to lose them.
WHS V1 is/was designed to be simple and elegant when it comes to disk management. I have had many manufacturer's never listen to the customer, so that is not new. You learn to live with it until you either move to a different manufacturer or the manufacturer eventually fixes the issue.
The quick (not perfect, I understand that) solution for WHS 2011 that can help alleviate the DE missing is to use Sync toy. Sync toy seems to work well and can help fill the hole for the time being. The issue with Sync toy is does not pool the storage. However, you can have file replication. I know there are other issues, however, this can be a quick fix for the time being.

rck

02-11-2011, 04:10 PM

The reason I moved to WHS was that it was going to make my life easier when it came to backing up and managing and duplicating data on my pooled storage devices. Before WHS, I had a bunch of separate hard drives (some on the network and others not). Without Drive Extender in the latest WHS version, it has taken the out main benefit and is adding more work and maintenance for me with multiple drive letters and maintaining some other solution for duplication. I can live without latest WHS "bell or whistle" when we are talking about a network storage solution as long as it make my life easier.

I am with you, and I plan on running my current version as long as I can until a new version makes my life easier instead of harder.

tiwahu

02-11-2011, 07:53 PM

Further, libraries are locked to a single drive without any duplication of folders like we had before. Any duplication of the data will come via whatever hardware-based RAID solution an OEM wants to integrate into their product. This also means that the only way to back up the server itself is to an external hard drive.

Actually, it seemed pretty easy to include a drive containing folder shares (or maybe individual folders?) in the "server backup" configuration (which gets copied to another internal backup drive). That's better for me, since I can specify when that duplication takes place.

Don't be too afraid to try it out the new version, there's a lot of other goodies in the package. Biggest missing thing for me at the moment is a disk allocation pie chart dashboard widget.

John London

02-12-2011, 12:18 AM

Jason Dunn

02-12-2011, 12:19 AM

firedog

02-17-2011, 03:57 PM

Apparently a company is writing an add-in for WHS-2011 that will put DE back into the o/s. You can check the article out...
http://www.wegotserved.com/2011/02/11/stablebit-drivepool-addin-set-bring-storage-pooling-folder-duplication-windows-home-server-2011/

So, not hope is lost in WHS-2011. Just wondering what MS stance will be in the future when it come to WHS? After all the complaints does MS scrap WHS?

No DE certainly would make it a non-starter for me and many other users. The whole point of WHS for me is redundant backups with no effort needed on my part. This app seems like it would solve the problem, but it's just another example something where you ask, "Why doesn't Microsoft offer this?" - at least as an option.

It's the same question I've often asked about file managers: after all these years, why has Microsoft never offered a more sophisticated file manager, say something that has a dual pane option?

Sven Johannsen

02-18-2011, 05:06 AM

Just the other day, a 500G external USB drive on my WHS died on me. I told it to take it out of the pool. It did. I unplugged it and replaced it with a 500G pocket USB drive I happenned to have. Told it to integrate that drive. It did. Essentially a hot swap. Try that with a typical PC RAID array. DE made things so simple and painless for the average home user, that it made sense. That was the target market, was it not? Guess the small cadre of folks who realize there are consumers out there moved from WHS to Windows Phone, and were replaced by the WM guys who couldn't see beyond enterprise.

I'll probably load up a 2011 WHS box, because I can. Not expecting to recommend it as freely as I have in the past to friends though.