Download Windows Home Server

[Old Hippie]

I suppose this is the right section.

It's always been free, but if you're wanting to try WHS, it's now avaliable for DL from your friends at MS.

The link is here.

This OS is pretty nice and at this price everyone should at least try it.

 

[SAWYER]

This can be bought for 99 bucks at newegg and it's freaking great, highly recommended

 

[LongTimePCUser]

Not the retail product.
"Windows Home Server 120 Day Evaluation Kit"

Doesn't that mean it stops working after 120 days?

 

[Old Hippie]

Doesn't that mean it stops working after 120 days?

Yep, generally that's the case with a trial.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: LongTimePCUser
Not the retail product.
"Windows Home Server 120 Day Evaluation Kit"

Doesn't that mean it stops working after 120 days?

Yes, used to you would sign up for the 120 day evaluation then wait up to 3-5 weeks for the DVD's to be shipped for you. Now you can sign up and immediately download the install. The only thing that's changed here is making it much faster to actually getting to try out WHS, which I say thumbs up to MS for finally doing.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

What is the advantage of this over an FTP server?

 

[heymrdj]

Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

I'm sure I could do it on Linux for free though.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

I'm sure I could do it on Linux for free though.

I'm not one to preach for MS, but I would love to see your writeup on a linux distro that can do all that Home server can (spread you data redundancy acrossed multiple drives, auto backup your network, set up network share for online access without being a router guru ect). On top of that, do all this from the install disc and the user know nothing about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code.

I await your full write up.

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

I'm sure I could do it on Linux for free though.

I'm not one to preach for MS, but I would love to see your writeup on a linux distro that can do all that Home server can (spread you data redundancy acrossed multiple drives, auto backup your network, set up network share for online access without being a router guru ect). On top of that, do all this from the install disc and the user know nothing about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code.

I await your full write up.

I don't meant to turn this into a WHS bashing thread either, but in response to your Linux comment...

It can do this though, without a full writeup. That's why a lot of people use it, and it's free.


Windows Home Server basically made it 'easier' for someone to manage server-like functionality that has been around for awhile. While free to do on Linux (albeit harder), doing something like this with other Windows products was too costly. At least that's how I understand it.

Note to anyone using this, be sure to get the Service Pack for WHS. Otherwise you could be haunted by the data corruption issues it has. Also, I've read performance wise it's nothing to smile about.

 

[heymrdj]

Originally posted by: Tarrant64

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

I'm sure I could do it on Linux for free though.

I'm not one to preach for MS, but I would love to see your writeup on a linux distro that can do all that Home server can (spread you data redundancy acrossed multiple drives, auto backup your network, set up network share for online access without being a router guru ect). On top of that, do all this from the install disc and the user know nothing about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code.

I await your full write up.

It can do this though, without a full writeup. That's why a lot of people use it, and it's free.

Note to anyone using this, be sure to get the Service Pack for WHS. Otherwise you could be haunted by the data corruption issues it has. Also, I've read performance wise it's nothing to smile about.

I have studied *alot* of distros and I have not yet seen one do all this OUT OF THE BOX. But I'll gladly eat my words if you can show me a distro that does all this without any beyond average computer user work.

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: Tarrant64

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

I'm sure I could do it on Linux for free though.

I'm not one to preach for MS, but I would love to see your writeup on a linux distro that can do all that Home server can (spread you data redundancy acrossed multiple drives, auto backup your network, set up network share for online access without being a router guru ect). On top of that, do all this from the install disc and the user know nothing about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code.

I await your full write up.

It can do this though, without a full writeup. That's why a lot of people use it, and it's free.

Note to anyone using this, be sure to get the Service Pack for WHS. Otherwise you could be haunted by the data corruption issues it has. Also, I've read performance wise it's nothing to smile about.

I have studied *alot* of distros and I have not yet seen one do all this OUT OF THE BOX. But I'll gladly eat my words if you can show me a distro that does all this without any beyond average computer user work.

My last comment on this.

A lot of the distros you can install via DVD that has all of the features available to install. It can come down to what people consider beyond average computer user work. OOTB WHS looks to be a good product, however I just wanted to state that all this is indeed something Linux can do without too much work. As bolded above, these are all things Linux can, and as far as I can tell, has been able to do for awhile.


Thanks the link.

 

[middlehead]

If I had a system worth putting this on, I'd hit it in the butt. I still haven't decided if I want to build a rig for this or just get a 4 or 6 bay NAS box.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

I'm sure I could do it on Linux for free though.

I'm not one to preach for MS, but I would love to see your writeup on a linux distro that can do all that Home server can (spread you data redundancy acrossed multiple drives, auto backup your network, set up network share for online access without being a router guru ect). On top of that, do all this from the install disc and the user know nothing about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code.

I await your full write up.

Notice I said I could do it. Obviously WHS is for the average user but most people on Anandtech are tech enthusiasts who could probably do it for free. If a user doesn't know anything about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code then they shouldn't use Linux.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

For me an external drive or NAS drive is enough. I don't need to dedicate an entire PC to automatically backing up my data.

 

[Liberator21]

By the way, I've used several evaluational licenses (not WHS) and they all have had 2 to 4 "extensions." Meaning once the trial was over you could re-enter the key and it would be good for that period again.

I don't know if this has changed, but I believe it to be an unadvertised aspect still in use. (I used it twice on my second copy of Server 2008, and the EULA states 3 times legally)

 

[krylon]

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: heymrdj

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem

Originally posted by: heymrdj
Go to the MS website and read that. We're talking about an entire intelligent OS here working to manage your files and network, not just a little FTP server loaning files out of a directory onto the net.

I'm sure I could do it on Linux for free though.

I'm not one to preach for MS, but I would love to see your writeup on a linux distro that can do all that Home server can (spread you data redundancy acrossed multiple drives, auto backup your network, set up network share for online access without being a router guru ect). On top of that, do all this from the install disc and the user know nothing about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code.

I await your full write up.

Notice I said I could do it. Obviously WHS is for the average user but most people on Anandtech are tech enthusiasts who could probably do it for free. If a user doesn't know anything about command line, apt/yum, repositories, binaries, or source code then they shouldn't use Linux.

I value my time so $100 for WHS is worth it over a linux solution any day.