Qs on HTPC OS

[loganex]

I'm considering building an HTPC that will also act like a simple home server. Here's what I need it to do:

-- backup
-- remote access
-- network file sharing
-- manage video, picture, music files
-- PVR
-- video/audio playback on my TV
-- headless operation might be nice so i don't have to have a keyboard/mouse, but not a must

So I'm sure I'll need Windows Media Center since this is an HTPC after all. But I'm wondering if I can do backup and remote access with vista ultimate or home premium, or windows 7. I've seen some people integrate MCE into Windows Home Server, but it seems like a moderately usable workaround, at best. So my guess is that the better route would be to get vista HP and then add remote access software if necessary? Thoughts?

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: loganex
I'm considering building an HTPC that will also act like a simple home server. Here's what I need it to do:

-- backup
-- remote access
-- network file sharing
-- manage video, picture, music files
-- PVR
-- video/audio playback on my TV
-- headless operation might be nice so i don't have to have a keyboard/mouse, but not a must

So I'm sure I'll need Windows Media Center since this is an HTPC after all. But I'm wondering if I can do backup and remote access with vista ultimate or home premium, or windows 7. I've seen some people integrate MCE into Windows Home Server, but it seems like a moderately usable workaround, at best. So my guess is that the better route would be to get vista HP and then add remote access software if necessary? Thoughts?

1. Use Vista backup or some other image based backup solution and use a shared folder on the HTPC as the backup destination.
2. VPN server is built into Vista
3. Easy
4. What are you looking for here?
5. Vista MC
6. Hook the HTPC up to your TV
7. Vista MC is fine with the remote control, but I would keep a mouse and keyboard around

 

[Raduque]

I would say use two machines. HTPCs should really be sleeping when they're not being used and backup/fileservers should always be running, preferably headless and somewhere far away in a closet.

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: Raduque
I would say use two machines. HTPCs should really be sleeping when they're not being used and backup/fileservers should always be running, preferably headless and somewhere far away in a closet.

Why?

1. The fact that there are multiple efforts/plugins to get WHS to sleep (and WOL) proves that people are fine with having their fileserver sleep.

2. HTPC needs lots of space to store DVR data (just doesn't seem smart/efficient to have 2 systems with lots of storage space).

3. Is it because a HTPC is way more powerful than what you need for a fileserver and consumes more electricity? The price of a separate system and the fact that you then have 2 systems drawing electricity usually means that it would take YEARS before you notice a benefit from having a low power file server (if ever).

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: loganex
I'm considering building an HTPC that will also act like a simple home server. Here's what I need it to do:

-- backup
-- remote access
-- network file sharing
-- manage video, picture, music files
-- PVR
-- video/audio playback on my TV
-- headless operation might be nice so i don't have to have a keyboard/mouse, but not a must

So I'm sure I'll need Windows Media Center since this is an HTPC after all. But I'm wondering if I can do backup and remote access with vista ultimate or home premium, or windows 7. I've seen some people integrate MCE into Windows Home Server, but it seems like a moderately usable workaround, at best. So my guess is that the better route would be to get vista HP and then add remote access software if necessary? Thoughts?

What kind of remote access do you need? Just from another computer on your network or do you need to connect to it from work or something?

 

[loganex]

Yeah, I'd like to be able to access it from work or from my friends' houses. I think CoolV said a VPN might do this, but I'm not sure how to set that up. Still looking for a how-to somewhere. If you've got advice or a link, I'd appreciate it.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: loganex
Yeah, I'd like to be able to access it from work or from my friends' houses. I think CoolV said a VPN might do this, but I'm not sure how to set that up. Still looking for a how-to somewhere. If you've got advice or a link, I'd appreciate it.

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/...g/vista_vpn_client.htm

Or you could just remote desktop into the machine
How To

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: loganex
Yeah, I'd like to be able to access it from work or from my friends' houses. I think CoolV said a VPN might do this, but I'm not sure how to set that up. Still looking for a how-to somewhere. If you've got advice or a link, I'd appreciate it.

XP, Vista, Win7 have a VPN server built in (of course you have to deal with dynamic IPs etc).
Otherwise, Live Mesh and Live Sync support remote desktop functionality (login, connect, voila!)

 

[BD2003]

Ive tried to integrate both, and it just didnt work out very well. The server operations tended to interfere with the media playback, and the result was a laggy interface and video that dropped frames, skipped around, or just outright paused for minutes at a time when WHS decided it was going to start disk balancing. There would be gaps in recorded TV, and it was just so sluggish for a few minutes every time I started to use it as a HTPC after it was a server for a few hours.

You might be able to get away with it if youre not going to use WHS, and just share files, but once you try to integrate I/O intensive stuff like backup, you're going to want separate boxes.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: BD2003
Ive tried to integrate both, and it just didnt work out very well. The server operations tended to interfere with the media playback, and the result was a laggy interface and video that dropped frames, skipped around, or just outright paused for minutes at a time when WHS decided it was going to start disk balancing. There would be gaps in recorded TV, and it was just so sluggish for a few minutes every time I started to use it as a HTPC after it was a server for a few hours.

You might be able to get away with it if youre not going to use WHS, and just share files, but once you try to integrate I/O intensive stuff like backup, you're going to want separate boxes.

Yeah, I learned this as well. It's best to have a machine soley for HTPC work.

IF I were you, I would keep the WHS as a file server and find an Xbox 360 refurb and use it as a media extender and use that to stream videos to the TV.

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: BD2003
Ive tried to integrate both, and it just didnt work out very well. The server operations tended to interfere with the media playback, and the result was a laggy interface and video that dropped frames, skipped around, or just outright paused for minutes at a time when WHS decided it was going to start disk balancing. There would be gaps in recorded TV, and it was just so sluggish for a few minutes every time I started to use it as a HTPC after it was a server for a few hours.

You might be able to get away with it if youre not going to use WHS, and just share files, but once you try to integrate I/O intensive stuff like backup, you're going to want separate boxes.

What you wrote doesn't make any sense.

Running Vista MC (with a couple of [free] add-ons for all the additional WHS functionality he wants) doesn't impact the performance as a HTPC at all.
And this is on a 5 year old P4 with 3GB RAM.

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: BD2003
Ive tried to integrate both, and it just didnt work out very well. The server operations tended to interfere with the media playback, and the result was a laggy interface and video that dropped frames, skipped around, or just outright paused for minutes at a time when WHS decided it was going to start disk balancing. There would be gaps in recorded TV, and it was just so sluggish for a few minutes every time I started to use it as a HTPC after it was a server for a few hours.

You might be able to get away with it if youre not going to use WHS, and just share files, but once you try to integrate I/O intensive stuff like backup, you're going to want separate boxes.

What you wrote doesn't make any sense.

Running Vista MC (with a couple of [free] add-ons for all the additional WHS functionality he wants) doesn't impact the performance as a HTPC at all.
And this is on a 5 year old P4 with 3GB RAM.

What's the name of the free add-on that does storage pooling of drives in the system, manages shadow copies, and balances the data across the drives without affecting the system? I'd really like to know.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: BD2003
Ive tried to integrate both, and it just didnt work out very well. The server operations tended to interfere with the media playback, and the result was a laggy interface and video that dropped frames, skipped around, or just outright paused for minutes at a time when WHS decided it was going to start disk balancing. There would be gaps in recorded TV, and it was just so sluggish for a few minutes every time I started to use it as a HTPC after it was a server for a few hours.

You might be able to get away with it if youre not going to use WHS, and just share files, but once you try to integrate I/O intensive stuff like backup, you're going to want separate boxes.

What you wrote doesn't make any sense.

Running Vista MC (with a couple of [free] add-ons for all the additional WHS functionality he wants) doesn't impact the performance as a HTPC at all.
And this is on a 5 year old P4 with 3GB RAM.

Your reading comprehension skills are lacking, because you're actually agreeing with me.

Allow me to simplify.

Adding HTPC software to WHS = bad idea.

Sharing files from an HTPC = decent idea.

Trying to remote access, copy files, record TV and backup, all at the same time on said HTPC = bad idea. Even if you could pull it off by somehow preventing all of these operations from overlapping, it wouldnt be nearly as good a server as a real WHS.

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: Raduque

What's the name of the free add-on that does storage pooling of drives in the system, manages shadow copies, and balances the data across the drives without affecting the system? I'd really like to know.

storage pooling = even built into winxp (although I don't really see the point)
shadow copies = welcome to win vista
balance data = RAID (actually much better than WHS's software approach)

Originally posted by: BD2003

Adding HTPC software to WHS = bad idea.

Agreed.

Originally posted by: BD2003

Trying to remote access, copy files, record TV and backup, all at the same time on said HTPC = bad idea. Even if you could pull it off by somehow preventing all of these operations from overlapping, it wouldnt be nearly as good a server as a real WHS.

Wrong. Don't know what kind of computer you are using, but as I wrote above ... works fine on a 5 year old PC ... let alone a new dual core or something like it.
But go ahead! Waste your money! Waste electricity!

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: Raduque

What's the name of the free add-on that does storage pooling of drives in the system, manages shadow copies, and balances the data across the drives without affecting the system? I'd really like to know.

storage pooling = even built into winxp (although I don't really see the point)
shadow copies = welcome to win vista
balance data = RAID (actually much better than WHS's software approach)

OK fine, now show me something that bundles all 3 into one piece of software that's painless to setup (actually, requires no setup at all aside from simply installing it and telling it which drives to use), easy to maintain and so simple to use that even my mother can administer the server?

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: Raduque

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: Raduque

What's the name of the free add-on that does storage pooling of drives in the system, manages shadow copies, and balances the data across the drives without affecting the system? I'd really like to know.

storage pooling = even built into winxp (although I don't really see the point)
shadow copies = welcome to win vista
balance data = RAID (actually much better than WHS's software approach)

OK fine, now show me something that bundles all 3 into one piece of software that's painless to setup (actually, requires no setup at all aside from simply installing it and telling it which drives to use), easy to maintain and so simple to use that even my mother can administer the server?

1. Install Vista on RAID1
2. Wait for it ...
3. Profit!

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: Raduque

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: Raduque

What's the name of the free add-on that does storage pooling of drives in the system, manages shadow copies, and balances the data across the drives without affecting the system? I'd really like to know.

storage pooling = even built into winxp (although I don't really see the point)
shadow copies = welcome to win vista
balance data = RAID (actually much better than WHS's software approach)

OK fine, now show me something that bundles all 3 into one piece of software that's painless to setup (actually, requires no setup at all aside from simply installing it and telling it which drives to use), easy to maintain and so simple to use that even my mother can administer the server?

1. Install Vista on RAID1
2. Wait for it ...
3. Profit!

No sorry, that's fail, but thanks for playing.

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: Raduque

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: Raduque

Originally posted by: coolVariable

Originally posted by: Raduque

What's the name of the free add-on that does storage pooling of drives in the system, manages shadow copies, and balances the data across the drives without affecting the system? I'd really like to know.

storage pooling = even built into winxp (although I don't really see the point)
shadow copies = welcome to win vista
balance data = RAID (actually much better than WHS's software approach)

OK fine, now show me something that bundles all 3 into one piece of software that's painless to setup (actually, requires no setup at all aside from simply installing it and telling it which drives to use), easy to maintain and so simple to use that even my mother can administer the server?

1. Install Vista on RAID1
2. Wait for it ...
3. Profit!

No sorry, that's fail, but thanks for playing.

Oh. I am sorry. I didn't know that you were special and wouldn't understand.
If you install Vista on this super special setup called RAID1, it can do all 3 of the above! Super!