Ian Dixon: Windows Home Server

Embedded Automation Releases mControl Add-In for Windows Home Server

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:03:30 GMT

Lots of news around Windows Home Server today, my pick of the day is the press release from Embedded Automation. They have announced an mControl add-in for Windows Home Server:

Today, in conjunction with the general availability of Microsoft’s Windows Home Server, Embedded Automation is releasing the mControl Add-In for Windows Home Server. Based on mControl v2 (Home Edition), the mControl Add-In provides ‘Digital Home’ control functionality to the Windows Home Server platform including the ability to:
>> Monitor and control home security systems and thermostats
>> View and record IP cameras
>> Monitor and control INSTEON, Z-Wave and other lighting devices
>> Send and respond to IR (remote control) messages
Embedded Automation has tailored the mControl Add-In to work seamlessly with Windows Home Server by:
>> Using the native Windows Home Server Add-In installation management functionality - simply copy the mControl Add-In to the Software Add-Ins share and use the Settings console to manage installation.
>> Adding a Windows Home Server Console tab to provide administrative and diagnostic functionality for the mControl Add-In.
>> Adding mControl as a Windows Home Server web application to provide convenient and secure remote access through a personalized login.
“The mControl Add-In is an exciting example of how Windows Home Server provides a platform for a wide range of solutions for the home,” said Steven VanRoekel, director of Windows Server Solutions at Microsoft. “We are thrilled to work with Embedded Automation to make the benefits of home automation available and affordable to a broad audience.”
“Windows Home Server is already a great platform because it provides a convenient and easy way to protect, centralize and share personal digital media. The mControl Add-in extends the capability of Windows Home Server by allowing users to monitor and control their home – from managing lights to viewing security cameras,” said Ted Singh, Business Development Manager of Embedded Automation. “Users have access to the entire mControl functionality from systems connected with their Windows Home Server, including networked Windows Media Center PCs and remote connections.”

The mControl Add-in for Windows Home Server is available from Embedded Automation’s website and other distributors.
For the corresponding press release from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/nov07/11-04WHSLaunchPR.mspx
Windows Home Server Virtual Pressroom from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/homeserver/default.mspx
Microsoft's 'Digital Home' Demo:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/demo/index.html
To download the mControl Add-In for Windows Home Server, please visit:
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/EAHAmControl.htm
The Installation Guide for the mControl Add-In for Windows Home Server:
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/mC...20Manual .pdf
About mControl
Thousands of customers worldwide use mControl software to view, manage and secure their “digital homes”. mControl integrates lighting systems, security panels, security cameras, climate control and audio/visual components into a unified interface which is accessible through televisions using a remote control, via an Internet browser, through touch screens and even by voice. mControl meshes seamlessly within a Media Center environment to provide an integrated home control and media management solution.
About Embedded Automation
Founded in 1998, Embedded Automation designs, manufactures, and markets solutions for “Digital Home” under the mHome product family. mHome products allow consumers to easily and affordably add control and media management capabilities to their homes. mHome products are available from Embedded Automation and through the mHome Authorized Dealer Network.

Technorati Tags: Windows Home Server , Home Automation

Live Video Reviews of Tranquil's Windows Home Server - Tuesday

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:00:19 GMT

By way of experimenting with ustream.tv, while I am recording a video review of Tranquil's Windows Home Server (and possible a new HD-DVD Media Center PC, if the unit is here by Tuesday) I am going to stream the session via Ustream.tv

I am not sure how many people are interested in joining in a live session but it is an interesting idea, especially with having the chat room and viewers can fire questions at me during the recording.

So I will give it a try at 8pm UK time Tuesday which I think is 12pm PST and I will post the URL on Tuesday

Technorati Tags: ustream.tv , Windows Home Server

What do you want to see in my Tranquil Windows Home Server Video Review

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:44:46 GMT

As I mentioned last week I have been review unit of a Windows Home Server by Tranquil PC. This is a fan less 1TB Windows Home Server and is a great example of a low power consumption WHS. Next week I will be recording a video review of the unit and I wondered what you would like to see on the review?

Obviously I want to show off the fantastic form factor but do you want to see Windows Home Server in action? The server is a headless unit so there will be no screens to show off

Do you want to see the review in a unboxing style?
Do you want to see the unit powered on?
Should I connect up to it from my tablet PC and show some of the Windows Home Server UI
Is there anything else you would like to see?

I was also thinking of hooking up my webcam and streaming the session over ustream.tv just experiment with live broadcasting and you could fire questions at me via the chat room.

What do you think?

Leave a comment or email me ian at TheDigitalLifestyle.com

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server, Tranquil PC

If your having problems with the Windows Home Server Connector

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:31:42 GMT

Yesterday I reported on an update for Windows Home Server and Richard Miller sent me an email about possible problems after installing the update.

Once the update has been installed you have to update the connector software and Richard points out that you can run into an issue when updating the connector, if you do try this:

Open the software folder on your Windows Home server (\\HOME SERVER NAME\Software\Home Server Connector Software)
You should find that there are two temporary (TMP) files which are similar in size to the WHSConnector and Setup file.
Delete the WHSConnector and Setup files and rename the smaller temp file as Setup.exe and the larger temp file as WHConnector.msi
Then reinstall the connector software from this folder.

Thanks for the tip Richard!

Windows Home Server News

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:29:47 GMT

It looks like Microsoft have the first batch of updates for Windows Home Server coming out soon, all via Windows Update. I must admit since getting the release version installed I hardly ever touch my Windows Home Server, it all just takes care of it's self.

Here are the details of the improvements in the upcoming update (taken from the Windows Home Server blog)

· The out-of-the-box experience warns users not to reboot Windows Home Server while updates are being downloaded and applied
o A text message has been added to the “Windows Home Server Update” step of the home server setup explicitly instructing users to not reboot their home servers.
· Windows Home Server Connector Firewall Blocking Issues
o The installation of the Windows Home Server Connector software can fail due to firewall software installed on a home computer.   The Windows Home Server Connector software and corresponding help files have been updated to help further identify and troubleshoot issues with firewall software or incorrect proxy server settings on home computers.
· Remote Access Configuration and Troubleshooting
o Remote Access configuration steps and corresponding help files have been enhanced to help a user better understand and troubleshoot issues with their home network router/firewall and broadband provider’s offering.
· Users and Passwords
o Based on feedback from our customers and partners we have made changes to provide additional guidance on creating user accounts and passwords on Windows Home Server.    The User Accounts tab in the Windows Home Server Console has been improved to provide additional information and user education about user accounts and passwords to first-time users of the product.
· Improvements in Home Computer Backup technologies
o Network interruptions may occur in a home network environment because of some connectivity problems. This update enhances the backup technologies in Windows Home Server, helping customers backup a home computer if a network interruption occurs.
· Using Single File Restore no longer asks users to reboot when driver is installed
o The file system driver installation required to mount a backup on a user’s home computer incorrectly reports that it requires a reboot to complete installation. A text message has been added to the Opening Backup dialog to ignore the reboot request.
· OEM product users are no longer asked to enter a product key during initial setup
o Our OEM hardware partners pre-configure and pre-activate their offerings with a Windows Home Server product key. In the initial release, users were asked to enter a software product key, which was an unnecessary step. Customers who purchase non-OEM built systems will still be required to enter their software product key.

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server

HomeServer.com

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:36:24 GMT

If you using Windows Home Server for remote access (like I am) you will have seen that you get a domain name as part of the package. So you got examplename.Livenode.com and you could then browse your system on the web via that Dynamic DNS without having to have a static IP address.

Today over on the the Windows Home Server blog they announced that if you have a registered domain on livenode.com prior to August 3rd when you install the RTM version of Windows Home Server your domain will be transferred to HomeServer.com, as way of a thanks for the early testers, not that it makes much difference but still its a better domain name

More details HERE

Oh and I love my WHS, it is working great for me for Remote Access and backups

Technorati tags: Windows home server

Windows Home Server has been released to manufacturing

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:35:31 GMT

Congratulations to the Windows Home Server team. Today they announced it has been RTMed (released to manufacturing)

There will be a 120 day evaluation period, Iomega and Fujitsu-Siemens Computers will be shipping Windows Home Server.

mControl on Window Home Server

Wed, 16 May 2007 08:01:07 GMT

Embedded Automation are launching mControl (their home automation software) as an Add-In to Windows Home Server. This is a great idea as Windows Home Server is the always on center of the digital home. You will still be able to use mControl on Windows Media Center as the UI can still run on Media Center (Vista or XP).

I will get Ted Singh from Embedded Automation back on to the show to explain more on a future show, for now here is the press release:

Embedded Automation Announces mControl’s Support for Windows Home Server
Surrey, BC – May 15, 2007
Today, in conjunction Mircosoft’s announcement of Windows Home Server hardware and software partners at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), Embedded Automation announced it’s popular mControl Digital Home Software will be available as a Windows Home Server Add-in.
Embedded Automation’s support of the Windows Home Server platform will allow users of mControl to:
Ø Easily install mControl using the native Windows Home Server Add-in functionality
Ø Conveniently administer the mControl system using the Windows Home Server console
Ø Serve mControl user-interface clients – including via Media Center clients (Windows Vista and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005) and Windows Mobile clients
Ø Allow authenticated user access of mControl remotely using the native IIS web server functionality of Windows Home Server
“Applications like mControl extend the possibilities and customer benefits of the Windows Home Server platform,” said Steven VanRoekel, director of Windows Server Solutions at Microsoft. “Working together, Windows Home Server and mControl will make home automation and management more accessible and cost effective for customers.”
“We've have evaluated Windows Home Server beta technology and look forward to the product’s final release. We believe it will be a great platform for the ‘Digital Home’ because, first and foremost, it provides a convenient and easy way to centralize, share and protect personal digital media and data. But secondly, and importantly to Embedded Automation, it provides a great platform for mControl”, said Ted Singh, Business Development Manager of Embedded Automation. “With Windows Home Server, mControl can be ‘always on’ and can be conveniently located to Ethernet and other interfaces. The combination of mControl and Windows Home Server is just another piece of the digital home puzzle falling into place.”
mControl will be available as a Windows Home Server Add-in after the release of Windows Home Server later this year.

For the corresponding press release from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/.../05-15WHSNewHardwarePR.mspx
For the Bill Gates webcast and transcript from WinHEC:
http://www.microsoft.com/events/executives/billgates.mspx
For information on Windows Home Server from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/.../windowshomeserver/default.mspx
For Embedded Automation's analysis of the Windows Home Server beta:
http://www.embeddedautomation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334

About mControl
Thousands of customers worldwide use mControl software to view, manage and secure their “digital homes”. mControl integrates lighting systems, security panels, cameras, climate control and audio/visual components into a unified interface which is accessible through televisions using a remote control, via an Internet browser, through touch screens and even by voice. mControl meshes seamlessly within a Media Center environment to provide an integrated home control and media management solution.
About Embedded Automation
Founded in 1998, Embedded Automation designs, manufactures, and markets solutions for “Digital Home” under the mHome product family. mHome products allow consumers to easily and affordably add control and media management capabilities to their homes. mHome products are available from Embedded Automation and through the mHome Authorized Dealer Network.
Contact Information
Embedded Automation Inc.
http://www.embeddedautomation.com
sales@embeddedautomation.com
(604) 596-4999

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server, Windows Media Center, Home Automation

Wake on LAN addin for Windows Home Server

Thu, 03 May 2007 12:41:51 GMT

Evangelos Hadjichristodoulou a Microsoft MVP has posted a great tool for Windows Home Server to wake up a sleeping PC that supports Wake on Lan, which will be great when a machine is sleeping when you want to remote control it.

More details from Forums.Microsoft.com

Technorati tags: windows home server

Ed Bott on Windows Home Server

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:18:58 GMT

Technorati tags: windows home server

Ed Bott has a great post about Windows Home Server as he says "Microsoft hits a home run with Windows Home Server" and I have to agree with him, the latest build is a big improvement over the last beta and I have it fully integrated in to me home network.

In fact last week I had a corrupt Cubase file (the software I use for writing and recording music) and it was so easy to open a previous backup pull out the single file I needed and put it back on to my Tablet PC, it took minutes to locate and restore the file and I was back working on the song. This is how backup should work, it is fully automated and I don't have to think about it.

Windows Home Server CTP Build

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 07:49:44 GMT

Looks like a new build of Windows Home Server is out, this product is now an essential part of my network, serving Remote Access, shared files and backups.

If your looking to share Recorded TV with Media Center follow this guide on The Digital Lifestyle forums, and here are some of the new features:

CTP provides a wide range of code fixes, user interface improvements and feature enhancements, such as:

A more complete and simplified "out of box" experience, including an easy, 7-step setup process after installation, personalized home server naming, and the ability to configure a standalone Windows Home Server from an existing home computer.

You can now set up and configure Remote Access capabilities from the Windows Home Server Console, including selection of a personalized web address from the Windows Live Custom Domains service.

You can enable or disable home network health notifications and can dictate where and when various notifications are displayed on their computers.

Users can clearly define their password settings, and designate a password hint to assist in recovering a forgotten Windows Home Server password.

And you can now add and remove Windows Home Server Add-in programs developed with the Windows Home Server Software Development Kit.

Link to Windows Home Server Blog

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server

Using Windows Home Server to store Recorded TV

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 19:05:54 GMT

Out of the box Windows Home Server will store and share music, pictures and other files but getting it to play nice with Windows Media Center to store Recorded TV is not that simple. So Richard Miller (with a little help from me) has come up with a nice guide on how to enable sharing Recorded TV. I have used this guide to share recorded TV to my Media Center PC's around the home with Windows Home Server and it works great

Follow the Instructions posted on The Digital Lifestyle Forums

Software Development Kit for Windows Home Server

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 07:47:31 GMT

Something I have been waiting for since I got my Windows Home Server setup is the SDK (Software Development Kit)

The possibilities with an always on connected device are endless and just as I loved playing with the Windows Media Center SDK I am going enjoy playing with this

I can't wait to see what some clever developers come up with

Check it out at: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb425866.aspx

Source: Windows Home Server Blog

Windows Home Server - Knowledge and Documentation

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:57:05 GMT

My Windows Home Server is still going great, I haven't had a monitor plugged in to it for weeks and I haven't touched remote desktop either. The box just runs and I use the Windows Home Server Console to get at the features I need.

On the Windows Home Server Blog they are asking "What additional documentation / knowledge can we share with you? If I could produce a 5-6 page document, what would be the title of it?"

I would like to see some guides for setting up common usage scenarios, such as sharing TV content or how to setup a network configuration

What do you think?

Knowledge and Documentation

Technorati tags: windows home server

The Digital Lifestyle Video Show #2 - Windows Home Server (Part 2)

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:34:52 GMT

Over on TheDigitalLifestyle.com I have posted part two of my look at Windows Home Server, In part one I looked at the Windows Home Server console and this week I am looking at restoring a file from a backup, the web based user interface and remote access functions.

For more info on Windows Home Server listen to The Media Center Show #97

The Digital Lifestyle Video Show #2 - Windows Home Server (Part 2)

The Digital Lifestyle Video Show #1 - Windows Home Server

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:11:05 GMT

Over on The Digital Lifestyle I have posted the first video: The Digital Lifestyle Video Show #1 - Windows Home Server

I have been interested in Windows Home Server since it was announced at CES and so as soon as I could get hold of the beta bits I did. In this video I walk through the features of the Windows Home Server console, looking at Shared Folders, Users accounts and Backups.

In part 2 I will be looking at restoring items from a backup, taking a look at web based UI and the remote desktop functions.

Download in HD
Watch via YouTube
Watch via MSN Soapbox

More info on Windows Home Server on this weeks Media Center Show - The Media Center Show #97 - Todd Headrick on Windows Home Server

There is a RSS feed for the Video show

The Digital Lifestyle Video Show #1 - Windows Home Server

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server

Using Windows Home Server (Part 1)

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:22:24 GMT

So I got my Windows Home Server setup and I thought I would give my first thoughts.

First off I bought a small form factor PC with a 160gb drive in and added a 500gb SATA drive.

This is my box:

it's a Biostart with AMD Sempron 3400 with 1gb of memory. I think the spec is a bit over kill as the box seems to never break a sweat.

Then I installed the Home server software on the box and the setup looked a lot like Windows Server 2003

Once the server has installed (for more details on the install see this great post) I installed the Connector software on my Media Center PC and Tablet PC

The two areas of Windows Home Server that interested me so start with are the shared storage and the backups. So first I thought I would take a look at backups. This is one area I always feel bad about as I have never had a really good backup solution, I have a external harddrive that I use to backup vital data like pictures etc but no image backup and seeing as my main Media Center PC is critical to a happy family life I was eager to try a backup.

Once the Windows Home Server client software is installed is very easy to take a full backup. Basically you right click on the Home Server icon in the toolbar and select Backup now.

The first backup tool some time (a couple of hours) which is not to bad as I have loads of recorded TV. You can exclude folders too, (some are excluded automatically). Subsequent backups are quicker as Home Server uses an intelligent backup system and knows what has changed on the harddisk and this includes other machines too, so if you have two machines with Vista installed the OS files are not duplicated on the backup. Backups are automatic and and I set mine for 1am

If your hard disk fails you can boot from a recovery CD and restore the whole PC or if you just want one file you can get a single file off any of the automatic or manual backups. The restore function works just browsing a folder, you pick the backup and then browse for the file you want.

One very nice feature is the remote access function. So from my PC at work I can log in to the server via a web UI and then remote desktop on to any machine on the network. In Beta 2 this requires a couple of routes creating on the server.

From the Computers tab I can Remote desktop my to any of my pc's or I can download items from the shared folders.

Oh and once you have the server up and running you can disconnect the monitor, keyboard and mouse.

There is a great deal of potential in Windows Home Server, at the moment for me its handling backups and shared files. I will do a post on shared folders another time and how to get Media Center working with the shared folders.

Part two will be on managing Windows Home Server using the Windows Home Server Console, which is a very nice tool for setting up users, shares and managing the whole server.

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server

Installing Windows Home Server

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:06:55 GMT

I have been planning to do a post on using Windows Home Server but not had the time to write it up yet. So I was pleased to see a post on building a Windows Home Server. The post details the steps taken in setting up the server and has lots of screen shots showing the installation process.

When the final OEM products come out all the installation will be taken care by the manufacturer but for the enthusiast that want to build there own you can see that is not that different from setting up Windows 2003 Server.

I will try and post some info on using Home Server next week, and I will have a interview on Windows Home Server that goes in to detail on what the product can do coming out early March

http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/2007/02/14/installing-windows-home-server-beta-2/

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server

Get Windows Home Server Beta 2

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:14:44 GMT

According to the Windows Home Server Blog you can get hold of Beta 2 now. So if you want to start beta testing the software you can register HERE

People that are interested in participating in Beta 2 can register here so we have their names as we steadily expand the program. We can't guarantee you'll be invited to participate right away (or at all), but if you're interested get yourself registered. Keep in mind that Beta 2 does not really represent the "consumer experience." Most consumers will ultimately buy Home Server as an integrated hardware/software solution that's very plug and play, e.g. the HP MediaSmart Server. Beta 2 is software only, of course, meaning evaluators will need to know how to install and configure a server operating system. Beta 2 participants will also need a dedicated machine for Home Server - Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM and two or more internal hard drives with at least 300 GB primary system hard drive is recommended - and at least 2 client PCs and a broadband connection

Don't forget the the Windows Home Server forum on TheDigitalLifestyle.com and I will have having a member of the team on the podcast soon.

Technorati tags: Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server Blog - One Household at a Time

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 11:19:40 GMT

Over on the Windows Home Server Blog there is a nice overview of the high level features of the first version of Windows Home Server, and it looks like more details are coming soon on the blog

When we started formulating ideas for solving the problems for households with multiple PCs and a broadband connection, we focused on the development of solutions that solved problems one household at a time, instead of a single PC at a time. And based on the customer research, multiple usability tests, and some "gut feel" decisions, we opted to deliver the following high-level features and functionality in the first version of Windows Home Server:
Continued on the blog

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The Windows Home Server Forums open

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:58:11 GMT

I am really excited about Windows Home Server, I think its going to be a great product for people like me with multiple PCs in the home. I am going to be talking about it on The Media Center Show in the future and have opened a new set of forums to discuss Home Server.

There is a forum for general discussion and a forum for developers to discuss developing for Windows Home Server.

To start things off I have posted a set of useful links about Windows Home Server and if you have any suggestions for additional links please use this thread. I have also created a thread for posting questions to ask on the show about Home Server.

There is also a Poll on whether you will be buying or building a Home Server

So please take a look and get posting, I will be adding more content as more details come out.

Windows Home Server for developers

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:02:34 GMT

One of the Microsoft products I saw at CES that I am really excited about is Windows Home Server. It has the potential to be a great product for the enthusiast, as well as the great backup/sharing/remote access features its a platform that developers can have a go with.

Dan Fernandez (Lead Product Manager for Visual Studio Express) has posted on his blog about the opportunities for Hobbyist developers. He points out that as its built on Windows Server technology (including IIS) and can run .net applications developers extend its function.

Read the blog for more details and have a listen to The Media Center Show #91 for more details on what home server can do.

I intend to talk more about Home Server in the future

Windows Home Server Management Add-ins
We’re also working with the WHS team to create Visual Studio Express Project Templates to create add-ins/snap-ins to the Home Server management interface for your own custom application, like a Home Automation management tool to be able to control your lights from anywhere.