THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS "DIVA" : Home Server

Can Home Server been a micro-business server?

bradley — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:39:00 GMT

http://smbnation.com/Publications/SMBPartnerCommunityMagazineQ32009/tabid/267/Default.aspx

Can Home Server been a micro-business server? Aaron and several other partners think so.

So does LPI

Microsoft BPOS - LPI Level Platforms Inc.:
http://www.levelplatforms.com/Vendors/Microsoft_BPOS.aspx
In combination with Microsoft’s Windows Home Server, Business Productivity Online Suite and Managed Workplace form a full and compelling solution for businesses with 10 or fewer PCs. With Windows Home Server, a cost effective solution is now available that provides onsite server capabilities, facilities to backup critical systems and data, a focal point for remote monitoring and management, and a gateway to hosted applications like Exchange, SharePoint, Office Live Meeting and Office Communications Online. Small customers now possess the same technological capabilities that larger organizations have with the benefits of a local server, as well as advanced applications delivered online, and all managed through a central managed services dashboard.

Windows Home Server Team Blog : Windows Home Server will be at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans:

bradley — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:21:00 GMT

Windows Home Server Team Blog : Windows Home Server will be at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans:
http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver/archive/2009/07/08/windows-home-server-will-be-at-the-microsoft-worldwide-partner-conference-in-new-orleans.aspx

stay at home server on Flickr - Photo Sharing!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronliao/3527401817/
EDIT: I will be doing demos on Windows Home Server again at WPC09 (WorldWide Partner Conference) in New Orleans in July - if you happen to be there, stop by and say hi! Else, stay tuned for more freebies when I come back...

Way cool! Aaron Liao who was a FANTASTIC ambassador of Windows Home Server at Teched is reprising his "Booth Babe" duties in New Orleans.

Here he was in Los Angeles. So for those of you going to New Orleans... say Hi to Aaron and tell him that Susan sent you!

Don't forget to backup those workstations

bradley — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:08:00 GMT

Windows Home Server Team Blog : Get Your Life Back - Windows Home Server Image Based Backup Software:
http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver/archive/2009/03/19/get-your-life-back-windows-home-server-image-based-backup-software.aspx
SBS, WHS and Backup Software - KWSupport:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/kwsupport/archive/2009/03/20/sbs-whs-and-backup-software.aspx

With Windows Home Server PowerPack II out the door, it reminds me that I've said this before, I'll say this again what separates the small biz marketplace from the enterprise space is the 'hand crafted' nature of the workstations. A large firm will flatten them in a heartbeat, a small firm will attempt at all costs to keep that data intact. But in todays day and age of malware, backup software, imagebased backup software and even cloud backup software, we may think that the server is the only thing to worry about. But it's not and that's why an image based backup software that grabs what's important on the workstations can be just as important as an image based backup of the server.

What's unique about Windows Home Server is how it makes the backups and is savvy enough not to repeat the same parts of the backup over and over again, and thereby having you buy a lot of harddrives. For every XP you have in an office, a huge amount of the bits under the hood are the same bits on each workstation. Mind you I still say the remote access and the remote sharing folder also makes it a great solution in many venues, but the image based backup isn't to sneeze over either :-) I am blown away at the number of add ons, tools, podcasts and resources as well.

For those looking for a Small Home office solution, Windows Home Server with hosted email is indeed a viable solution.

One can never be too paranoid about backup software when it comes to precious things.

Take a read of those blog posts about Windows Home Server and check it out if you haven't considered it for those clients of yours considering new home based businesses.

Windows Home Server Team Blog : Windows Home Server - Now available on MSDN

bradley — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:06:00 GMT

Windows Home Server Team Blog : Windows Home Server - Now available on MSDN:
http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver/archive/2009/03/23/windows-home-server-now-available-on-msdn.aspx
(for those partners that are certified partners that now means it's on MSDN for you guys.

Windows Home Server Team Blog : Windows Home Server - Announcing Power Pack 2:
http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver/archive/2009/03/23/windows-home-server-announcing-power-pack-2.aspx

Backing up the desktops in a small network

bradley — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:45:00 GMT

The other day Larry mentioned that he was installing a third home server into one of his small business networks. Why in the world would he want to install one home server, let alone three in a small business network? In asking around on a small business managed services listserve, Larry is not alone. Others are either doing this, or thinking about this.

But why in the world would they see value in backing up the desktops in a small business network? We should be saving all the important documents on the server, right?

Because of the differences between how we in small business handle our desktops versus how people in big businesses do.

Small businesses:

Each desktop is unique. The user's icons are just so. Move a user's icon and they about kill you for moving their icons. Each user may have unique programs that only they are licensed for. A small business normally purchases a new computer one or two at a time. So when something happens to that desktop it may take 2 to 3 hours to rebuild that image and get the desktop back to the way the person wants it so that they are the most efficient. Rebuilding a machine is a non trivial issue, license keys have to be found, it may take hours to get everything back the way it was.

Big businesses:

Each desktop is a standard build. Desktops are locked down, wallpapers are standardized. If you need to repair a computer, an image is pushed down. I've even seen a large firm push down new images to their workers once a quarter. To rebuild a system, is a trival and is done in a normal course of operations.

Notice the difference?

So along comes Home Server who's only job in life is to take backups of each workstation and to compare via hash values the data that has been backed up and if it sees a match, it won't back up that same data point making it a smaller backup. So that's the technical guts of the backup, but not the real impact that adding a Home Server to a network can do.

I once talked about backing up the desktops in a small network to a security guy and he made the point that one shouldn't worry about losing the desktops as you needed to ensure that the key data files were on the server, better protected than they would be on the workstations. But that's missing what really is the impact in a small firm. Getting that desktop back to where the icons are just so, the shortcuts are where they should be, applicationso are installed and with their proper licenses means you have a happy and efficient end user.

Backing up the desktops in a small firm, whether it's being done by Home Server with it's file technology or another imaging solution where they don't have that technology, is ensuring that you can get those workers in the office, the ones that earn the revenue, back to working condition as soon as you can.

Read Larry's post -- http://ts2community.com/blogs/larrylentz/archive/2009/02/16/restoring-from-windows-home-server.aspx

5W/50 Series - Business Opportunities with Windows Home Server

bradley — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:59:00 GMT

5W/50 Series - Business Opportunities with Windows Home Server

Windows Small Business Server 2008 will not ship with any client backup software, so how will you make sure the top employees at each of your customers sites are backed up (Imaged) everyday? This webcast will cover what you can use Windows Home Server for in small businesses that may not be a good fit for Small Business Server, as well as businesses that may need to use Windows Home Server as a complement to Small Business Server. You will learn the key points you need to know to add this to your arsenal of solutions for your customers.

Date: 11/14/08

Time: 9:00-10:00am PDT

Registration: https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=253638#

Live Meeting

Presenter:

Kevin Royalty, Managing Partner, MCSE & SBS MVP, Total Care Computer Consulting

Since 1986, Kevin has been satisfying the needs of clients as an IT professional. As a highly successful author and consultant, with both a programming and network engineering background, he is a frequent public speaker at industry conferences and public computer shows.

Kevin serves as President of the Cincinnati Network Professional Association, President of the Cincinnati Small Business Server Users Group, and sits on the board of the Information Technology Advisory Team for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and CincyTechUSA.

Kevin has been recognized by Microsoft as a leading expert on their Small Business Server product line. The “Most Valuable Professional” (MVP) designation is a rare honor that is bestowed on a small number of people each year. It recognizes product expertise, community leadership, and willingness to help others. Kevin is a nationally known Small Business Server expert, author, and regular speaker at industry conferences.

Kevin is a Computer Science graduate, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and is certified by Microsoft for support of their Small Business Server products.

Check out Kevin's presentation about how the Server that "stays at home" can also be the server you take to work.

WHS Coming to MSDN « MS Windows Home Server

bradley — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:03:00 GMT

WHS Coming to MSDN « MS Windows Home Server:
http://mswhs.com/2008/11/03/whs-coming-to-msdn/

http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/ES11/

62 minutes into the webcast

CJ Saretto states "Home Server will be coming to MSDN in the coming weeks"

Sometimes you go huh?

bradley — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 07:55:00 GMT

http://msmvps.com/blogs/bradley/archive/2008/11/02/product-key-issue-with-home-server-media-in-the-action-pack.aspx

For those of you that are SBSC's and are certified or gold certified, don't worry about waiting for that Home Server media. You see it's only included in the Action pack. If you are a certified or gold certified partner, you can't download it (it's not on MSDN even though Home Server had not one but TWO sessions at the PDC), nor can you specially order the media as a SBSC benefit.

Okay you'll say "But Susan, they can order it as the System builder price just decreased" to which I will say ... understand the message being sent here to your SBSC certified and gold partners. Think about it. Do you really want to send the message that as a SBSC "larger" partners that they get less of a software offering than the registered partners in the area of Windows Home Server? That that they don't have the same potential home office installs as your Registered partners?

All I'm saying is that sometimes look at the message being given and go, "Huh?"

As was blogged later, Home Server will soon be in MSDN, thus solving this issue for the Gold and Certified customers.

Home Server not to be on MSDN

bradley — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:16:00 GMT

Windows Home Server - a follow up

Several of you have been asking about if and when Windows Home Server would be available on MSDN Subscriber Downloads. My last post on this indicated that discussions were still underway, but that it looked promising that it wold be added.

Unfortuntely it is not going to be made available for MSDN Subscribers at this time, based on additional discussions between the Product Group and the Subscriptions Teams.

I don't have any first hand knowledge of what went into this decision, but understand several of you will be disappointed by the decision. As you are aware, it might be added in the future, but it is not being included at this time.

1/17/08 Update: Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on this decision - through the blog or through mail from the blog. I will be letting the WHS Product Group and other business decision makers know of the sentiment, and see if they would be willing to share any of the reasoning behind the decision.

-------

If you want access to trial version of Home Server, join a SBS/SMB partner group and ask their leader to arrange for a Home Server user group meeting.

I can understand a bit why they probably don't want it on msdn, but I am amazed at the add ons that folks have built for it.

The buzz about "Stuff" Server... I mean "Home Server" at SMBnation

bradley — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 05:05:00 GMT

At SMBnation we were joking that Windows Home Server needed a better name....because many felt that it wasn't just about a "Home", that it could also go into a SOHO office with Hosted Exchange. That's that perfect fit of a server below SBS that we haven't had a product that was a good fit for.

But I think there's even an additional use of Windows Home Server, side by side with SBS. I think the marketing department would cringe at anyone calling Home Server, "Windows Crap Server" or "Windows Stuff Server" but that's sometimes what we need don't we? A backup place for our "stuff". You know like George Carlin says... we have too much "stuff" even in small firms, even with a SBS server. I'm having to do house cleaning at the server at the office and I'm finding that we don't organize that server well. We have "Stuff" all over the place. And some of it is "stuff" that while it's not business related, I still want to keep it centrally located. And with it being called the "Stuff Server" it would describe the role that I envision it to be.

And then there's the personal "stuff" that ends up on the workstations. We don't keep confidential information on there, but when the managing partner has the grandchildren's photos on the local desktop because he prints out the pictures, I'm not sure those priceless photos that are sitting on a workstation that I'm not backing up are being attended to.

So as a test I set up Windows Home Server, changed the workgroup to the same name as the domain and then used what we do in XP Home when dealing with a domain, just a case of "Pass through authentication" and matched the user names and passwords of the SBS server to set up the usernames and passwords on the "Stuff Server", aka the Windows Home Server.

I then installed the Windows Home server connector "on" the SBS box and forced it to take a backup of the running SBS.

Now I'm not here to advocate using this to backup technology to backup the actual server for real... as the only official backup that is supported by CSS/PSS is ntbackup...but the more I think about Home Server, the more I think it could quite easily be a "Stuff Server" for all the "stuff" that we really shouldn't be placing on the business server...but when you have a small firm you have to realize that "stuff" comes in the network, and in particular on workstations that typically aren't backed up at all.

I mean look at this image..how many small firms end up with itune repositories on the real business server that shouldn't be there in the first place? (And I'm assuming that they are paid for tunes, let's hope shall we?)

And this one..

Are you thinking about what I'm thinking? This is a short cut and view FROM a test SBS box. Now imagine if a a client/workstation was connected to both the SBS box "and" the "Stuff Server" at the same time? The "Stuff Server" picks up it's DHCP from the SBS box, and each workstation can install the Home server software as the connector

From there they can see the "Stuff Server" and be backed up by it.

Yes, that's a SBS box backed up "by" the "Stuff Server". I would have connected a Vista box and gotten all of these screen shots of it talking to the SBS box and the "Stuff server" and backing up it's "stuff" to the "Stuff Server" but in the words of Mark Crall, you'll just have to use your imagination on that one.

That there is the "PFM" of the backup. The process takes a hash value. If the hash of the cluster changes, a new backup of just the changed items is taken. Wayne said that he's got about 500 gigs of data that he can backup in about a 100 gigs because the backups are single instance storage. They look at the hash values. If there's a difference..the backup is made. Kewl huh?

So am I all wacko in my thoughts? That someone can use the "Stuff" server for all the business' stuff that really doesn't belong on the SBS box, and then in addition be the backup NAS device of the desktops to ensure that the desktops are just as protected as our SBS server is?

What do you think?

P.P.S...these are not my original thoughts BTW... there were lots of folks at SMBnation thinkin' the same thing I was...both in terms of the SOHO server and as a side server to the SBS network.

Windows Home Server MVP

bradley — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 07:02:00 GMT

https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/communities/mvp.aspx?product=1&competency=Windows+-+Home+Server

I should be sad, but instead I'm very proud and excited to know that our "Gramps" of SBS is now "Gramps" of Windows Home Server. For many many years he had been (and . will still be) the "Dad" of our SBS group. He's the one that always taught me to be patient with folks, to treat all people with respect. Thus in hearing that our "Gramps" is now the first Home Server MVP and he will now be the 'rock' of Home Server, well it's sorta hard to explain how one feels about Grey. Just that he is, and always will be the way we treat people in community.

Grey .. he's just "still Grey" as his tag line always has it...

Windows Home Server pricing

bradley — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:18:00 GMT

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136246-c,servers/article.html

PCworld points out that Amazon spilled the beans on the price tag of the OEM Windows Home Servers.

http://www.amazon.com/EX470-MediaSmart-Server-Sempron-Processor/dp/B000UY1WSK/ref=sr_1_1/104-5376807-0469558?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1187796286&sr=8-1

Looks like Amazon took the prices off, but sounds like they start at $599 for the 500 gig model.

Windows Home Server

bradley — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 00:43:00 GMT

Windows Home Server Blog : Where's the documentation?:
http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver/archive/2007/07/18/where-s-the-documentation.aspx

Okay so Microsoft built this for the Home server market place but there's a fair number of consultants that are looking at this to install in their smaller shops.

It's been RTM'd and will be in OEM pcs and system builder channels later this fall.

The Home server

bradley — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 04:57:00 GMT

http://news.com.com/Gates+sees+a+home+server+in+your+future/2008-1041_3-6147885.html

Watching the CES broadcast they talked about a "home server" offering and then blocked it out saying it was intellectual property.... I don't think they had the funny video at CES block out ... so I guess this was the "blocked event" of the evening? But in surfing around the net I've found some links already...

Well I have a home server and yeah.. we've been saying for a long time that they need to take SBS and make a home server out of it....

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/archives/2007/01/07/exclusive-windows-home-server-in-detail/

http://on10.net/Blogs/jesse/windows-home-server-will-live-in-your-closet-simplify-your-life/

http://kindel.com/blogs/charlie/archive/2007/01/07/3602.aspx

http://www.stopdigitalamnesia.com/