So it has been a couple months now since I got a Windows Home Server (WHS) and just thought I would post some thoughts on the experience so far. Though it may come off negative, I would rate the WHS a 8.5 out of 10 and have recommended WHS servers to several people.
Ok so I ordered the WHS Wednesday late afternoon from Hewlett Packard (HP)… It arrived at 3:02pm Thursday! I ordered it for next day delivery, considering it how much I got off the order. I expected to get the WHS on Friday, not today…. Well I set it up and it has been relatively smooth, I am having a problem finding the server from my work laptop and it may not be possible to install the connector. There are some security issues with my laptop and a home network. My employer configures all computers to be part of a domain and this has caused some issues in the past. The VPN service is also “interesting”…. As long as I can backup my backup drive for the work laptop I am fine….
I just bought a Windows Home Server from HP tonight. I purchased the EX485 that has a single 750 GB hard drive for $449.00. This is a two day sale from HP and is about the best price I have seen for the EX485 in the last 6 months that I have been looking at the WHS systems. I was starting to lean towards building my own system due to costs, but for $449.00 the EX485 is a very good deal… It is also especially good since I purchased it through Bing Cash Back.
As my home network has grown and my paranoia of losing data has increased, I have decided to get some central storeage… I have looked at standard NAS devices and almost purchased a DLink system. Then I realized there is no way I can get my wife to manually backup her data on a consistent basis. I have also had low success with with backup software and not overwriting good data and keeping it sync’d between multiple devices. So after some reading it looks like I will go with a Windows Home Server.
