Main > Everything Else
Windows Home Server review
shmokes:
--- Quote from: HarumaN on December 15, 2009, 09:10:45 am ---
It was just a particularly glowing review...
--- End quote ---
Here are some minor disappointments in my device:
* The built-in app that streams music and photos over the web does not stream videos, which would have been awesome
* No internal expansion and no eSATA ports creates a pretty terrible bottleneck when it comes to accessing data over the network that is stored on an external drive. This complaint is exclusive to my particular device and not to WHS in general
* It FORCES me to use a strong password for any user that will have remote access (any kind of remote access, even just to a shared folder). The password must be at least 8 characters and have 3 of the 4 following characteristics: 1) lower-case letters, 2) upper-case letters, 3) numbers, 4) symbols. I don't mind the suggestion, but god dammit Microsoft it is MY server and it is MY data. You have no business forcing me to be responsible with it. The whole industry has been going nuts in a ---smurfing--- password arms race and it is in many ways counterproductive. But whether it's effective or not isn't the point. I own both the box and the data. MS has no right to act as though it has an ownership interest in my data.
* No option for local data redundancy out of the box. This is also exclusive to my device, since many have eSATA ports, multiple hard drive bays and presumably built-in RAID options. However, external hard drives can be attached so you can back up the drives or turn on a cool folder duplication feature that will just keep specified folders synced between hard drives. And, as I mentioned, it can back itself up to an Amazon Cloud account.
Like i say, though, these are minor annoyances. Overall I am extremely pleased with the product.
shmokes:
--- Quote from: ChadTower on December 15, 2009, 09:33:10 am ---
--- Quote from: Cakemeister on December 15, 2009, 09:31:02 am ---Some of these run on Atom processors (The HP uses a Celeron) and either no video or built-in video. They are designed to use a lot less power than a normal box would, and are most likely quieter.
--- End quote ---
I don't really care about sound as it would run in my basement - it'd have to be a real clanker to be heard. Might be nice if I could get this going on a machine with a wake-on lan. No need to run it when nobody is around but I'd hate to have to do that manually.
--- End quote ---
Mine runs on an Atom processor and has no hardware for video or sound output. And it's VERY quiet . . . I have it sitting in my media center alongside my game consoles and A/V equipment and I don't notice it running at all. It can also be set to go to sleep during certain hours. It can also wake up the computers on your network even out of hibernation to pull a backup off them and then it will put them back to sleep when it's finished.
ChadTower:
Cool. Doesn't directly address power but it's in that direction. Of course, your device was stated as $250, which is well out of the range I'm playing in for network storage. There is a feature price to be paid for being at the back end of the cost curve.
shmokes:
FWIW my device was stated as $250 cos that's what it costs now. During the week leading up to Black Friday Newegg was selling it for $200. So if you keep your eyes peeled you may be able to find it at this price again in the near future.
Cakemeister: You should check out this Acer box: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B001WGX15W?tag=betteraddons-20
It sounds like it is what you are looking for, and it's really inexpensive compared to similarly spec'ed devices from its competitors. It won't have a couple of the software features I've described here since it's not coming from HP. It's too bad you didn't bite in the week before Black Friday, as it was being sold for $299 versus its current $399.
ChadTower:
--- Quote from: shmokes on December 15, 2009, 09:48:24 am ---FWIW my device was stated as $250 cos that's what it costs now. During the week leading up to Black Friday Newegg was selling it for $200. So if you keep your eyes peeled you may be able to find it at this price again in the near future.
--- End quote ---
Better but I'm swimming in the $100 waters. ;D I'm keeping my eyes peeled on ebay for used 2 drive Buffalo NAS units. They are floating in the $100 shipped range without drives and in the $150 range before shipping with drives.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version