Home Server Show

I want to build one too!!! My Windows Home Server Build Sheet

This article was written for release on July 21st but Power Pack One being released that day got all the news.  This post would have been shuffled to the back very quickly.  I decided to hold onto it so the pricing may not be timely.

Everybody is publishing a build sheet for a home grown Windows Home Server. I can’t let the opportunity pass me by since I occasionally build gaming rigs.  It’s a labor of love mostly.

Cue the drum-roll and trumpets, here is my list!

Before you commence with the comment flames understand that this is not your normal WHS build.  I thought about it and instead of building what the masses wants, I decided to build what I want. It’s a server that a gamer would love!

Lets start with the case.

Antec Three Hundred - Six drive bays - $59.99 (on sale for $55.98) at Amazon - comes with 2 fans, top and rear.  Two more are needed if you are going to load up hard drives in it.  This is a great case for gamers and it’s perfect as a server.  Looks good too.  There is nothing flimsy about it.  It does not have hot swappable external drives but it’s going to hold six internal and the drive bays themselves are removable from the front.  Each drive bay holds three drives and has a place holder for a 120 mm fan.  This fan will draw cool air in over the drives and the case fans will expel it.  It also has a side case fan option for the graphics area.  This is a BAD A** case!  I own one and will continue to recommend it.

I chose a moderate power supply.  It’s not going to run a SLI rig but it should have enough juice for future hard drives.  It’s a good price too.

Now, on to the issue that should spark the most debate.  The motherboard.  Disclaimer: Although these are quality parts I have not actually purchased them and built a WHS with them.  I realize other sites have builds that are proven.  This is a paper build just to appease my curiosity in building a server.  They should work just fine.  The issue i cannot prove is WHS running ok on the motherboard.  I did find posts and drivers on the WIFI version of the motherboard and it’s compatibility with Windows 2000. I also found NewEgg reviews that stated 2003 Server was running on the board.  It will take some driver work probably.  No guarantees.  If you would like to buy these items and ship them to me I’ll build it and ship it back to you!  Then we can prove it!  Back to the motherboard.

The ASUS P5K-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard was my choice. (Review Here) This is a lot of motherboard!  It’s more expensive than other boards but it’s also a lot more board!  Six SATA ports onboard, two eSata external ports, six external USB ports.  It also has two onboard USB connectors that support an additional 4 ports.  1 Floppy port, 1 IDE Connector in case you want to slip a couple of old drives in your system or maybe that old DVD drive you have laying around.  (Cost saver, cha-ching!)
This board supports many processors.  You may even have one laying around.  Intel®  Core™2 Quad / Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Duo / Pentium® Extreme / Pentium® D / Pentium® 4 Processors.  Dual-channel DDR2 1066/800/667 MHz.  It has one onboard Gigabit LAN port.  This board should be fine with a stock cooler and it will overclock.  Asus boards overclock very well in my opinion and you should be able to get a small percentage of CPU gain by overclocking with the stock cooler and the RAM.
So if you change your mind or give up on WHS in the future you have a nice board waiting for you. (In my recent review of an external drive see if you can find an Asus box in a photo)

What, no onboard video?  Well, with the end product we don’t want video.  Remote Desktop will serve just fine but here is a cheap-ola video card for this board.  Cheapest I can find, $33.99 with a $15 rebate.  Use it to install and pull it out.  Now you have a nice backup video card for just about anything.

Processors
You can go as low as $40 for a celeron.  This motherboard will support a ton of CPU’s.  The least expensive Core2 Duo you can get is the E4600.  It’s $119.99 at the Egg.   Lets go with that.

RAM
Lets go least expensive but still a good vendor.  Corsair Valueselect 2×512MB.   $20 bills at the Egg.

HD -$79.99, Seagate 500GB

DVD Drive -     ASUS Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE 21.99

WHS OEM - $149.99

Cost savers - You probably have a DVD drive somewhere abouts.  Possibly a video card for a temporary install?

Add-Ons
For $5 more you can get the Asus P5K-E/Wifi - it adds a Wifi chip to the mobo.  That was another reason I chose this board.  I would add the wifi for $5.  That’s a deal.  If you are needing a good DVD burner check out some of the deals at Newegg, get a nice SATA drive, use it for the install, and sneak it into your own rig!

Conclusion:  If you factor in the cost savers you have a one drive WHS for as little as six Benjamins!

That’s a pretty decent deal.  It will be pretty but probably not as pretty as this one. Nor as green.  It’s a tad cheaper than this build when all the drives are factored in.  Same amount of ports too.  It will never compare to this hand crafted perfection! Is it as ExtremeTech as this build? I dunno.  It’s certainly not as “published” as this build. Is it as “Popular” as this one?   What, these guys again?  Hmmm….as “Whistful” as this one? Vladvilles. Mr. Kindel. I‘ve used the case in this build before!

Wow, that got out of hand quickly.  I only stopped because the linkback section of my Wordpress is going to die once I post this! Please forgive me.  There were so many posts on builds that I couldn’t resist.  If we are not building one, we are linking to one.  Good stuff.  It shows you how popular this platform has become in such a short time.

So, take my build sheet and give it a whirl.  I think it’s a cool looking box that would look good in your server room (closet) next to another one that is just like it. (Maybe your Media Center?)

Oh, wait a minute…don’t go anywhere…how about this!  A PCI or PCI-E SATA card, and a SATA backplane!  Add 3 to 4 more drives!

I’m curious now.  What would it cost to completely fill this box?

I added the 9 drives, backplane, and SATA card.  That’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I probably should beef up the power supply at this point!

Buy List
Antec Three Hundred Gaming Case External 3 X 5.25; Internal 6 X 3.5 2*Usb2.0
ASUS P5K-E ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 2.4GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

Antec Basiq BP500UB 500W Power Supply

CORSAIR 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3450 100233L Video Card
ASUS Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A/A6/QT_B+W

Microsoft Windows Home Server 32 Bit 1 Pack

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Optional:
Rosewill RC-218 PCI Express x4 (x8 and x16 slot compatible) SATA II 3G Controller Card/ 4 internal SATA with 2 external eSATA Design

Athena Power BP-SATA2131B 2 x 5.25″Bays to 3 x 3.5″HD (SATA) Backplane

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP ATX Intel Motherboard

Disclaimer: Although these are quality parts I have not actually purchased them and built a WHS with them.  I realize other sites have builds that are proven.  This is a paper build just to appease my curiosity in building a server.  They should work just fine.  The issue i cannot prove is WHS running ok on the motherboard.  I did find posts and drivers on the WIFI version of the motherboard and it’s compatibility with Windows 2000. I also found NewEgg reviews that stated 2003 Server was running on the board.  It will take some driver work probably.  No guarantees.  If you would like to buy these items and ship them to me I’ll build it and ship it back to you!  Then we can prove it!


The Home Server Show Podcast - 12 HP MediaSmart Server Update

Show 12 covers news, e-mail, and the HP MediaSmart Server Update including PVConnect and McAfee.

Update: HP MSS Discontinued?  MediaSmartServer.net Forum Link HP Website Link

HP has responded to this link by saying, “The discontinued link on the HP site is an error.  There should be no link to Home Servers on the Discontinued/Retired page on the site. “  Thanks for clearing that up but as I said in the show I was hoping to see that new server soon!

Add-In: WHS Outlook Beta

All the WHS news you will ever need is at MSWHS.Com

First Feed Awards.  If you were a First Feed Award recipient please click here.

WHS WishList - I am starting a new segment in the podcast.  I will share my wishlist with you so leave a comment on what you are wishing for when it comes to Windows Home Server.  My wish this week is to have an Add-In that interfaces to Gallery2.

New Blog:  http://www.paulstimesink.com

Today’s Topic - HP Mediasmart Server Update, blunder or Wonder?

If you are not a HP MediaSmart owner you still need to hear this information!

Engadget Article

PVConnect Issues MediaSmartServer.net Forums

PVConnect/Twonky Forums

Don’t forget to vote for the Home Server Show at Podcast Alley. Thank you!

*I’m exporting the MP3 as VBR so the time of the podcast is hosed.  I hope to have that fixed next episode.

 

 The Home Server Show Podcast - 12 HP MediaSmart Server Update: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

New Egg Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $69.99 w/ Free Shipping

Here is another good deal on a 500Gig hard drive.


New Egg Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $69.99 w/ Free Shipping

Use Promo Code: EMCAHCKAF at checkout!

HP Update Slowing down MediaSmart Windows Home Servers?

In Podcast 11 I reported a slowdown of my HP Media Smart Server after installing PVConnect.  I attributed this to PVConnect creating a database of the many Photos, Videos, and Music files I have stored on my MSS.  I viewed it as a normal process.  Indexing takes CPU cycles and hits the hard drives hard.

Engadget is reporting much worse symptoms but it seems they are reporting issues with both PVConnect installed and the new McAfee Antivirus Add-In installed.  This would certainly make sense but you would think this issue would have been addressed. The MS and HP bashers are having fun with the comments section.  “Doood, Leeeenix can cure that.”  Oh, sorry, I’m supposed to be professional.  Give me a break though Linux guy.

A good explanation of the slowdown can be found at withinwindows.com as reported by mswhs.com.  Could we see an officially supported RAM Upgrade procedure from HP?  I hardly think so but it’s looking more likely that my virgin MSS is soon to be violated.

Here is your chance…sound off about the new Add-Ins and the HP Update in general.  Did you have the cajones to install both Add-Ins?  At the same time?

How to access PVConnect from a Web Browser

It is possible to access the PVConnect settings from a browser but you first have to enable it.  In order to access it from PC’s on your network you have to first make changes from the local browser.  You will need to be comfortable with Remote Desktop in order to continue.

1.       Start a Remote Desktop Session to you HP Media Smart Server.

2.       Login as administrator.

3.       Open a web browser.

4.       Access your http://yourservername:9000.  Example:  http://hpserver:9000.  If you are blocked by browser security it may be necessary to add this to your trusted sites.

You should be greeted with this screen.  Click Twonky Media Settings.

Click Network.

Now change the web access to Public Access and save changes.  You are done!  You can now access this page from any browser on your network.

But wait!  Did you see the mobile browser links on that first page?

Oh yeah baby!  Have fun!

Update: Here is a shot of my HTC connected to WHS via it’s Wi-Fi.

Disclaimer:  I have only used web access to PVConnect in order to view settings.  I have not made changes and I cannot say if it has any effect or ill-effect on the WHS Add-In.   I’m just recklessly publishing what I found!  Thanks goes out to the twonky forums and mediasmartserver.net forums for keeping us up to date on PVConnect.

Hard Drive Deals at NewEgg.com

I mentioned in Podcast 11 that I’ll be on the lookout for hard drive deals.  Here are the latest deals at NewEgg.com


Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$84.99 with promo code: EMCAHCFAD Free Shipping!


Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$74.99 with Promo Code: EMCAHCFAF Free Shipping!


Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$179.99 with Promo Code: EMCAHCFAC Free Shipping!

The Home Server Show 11 - Power Pack 1 Extravaganza!

Todays Show - PP1 eXtravaganza! PVConnect review, restore CD for Windows Home Server, PP1 external backup, email and news.

Don’t forget to vote at Podcast Alley.

News

Drashna and GaMeR have proven that MCE2005 will run on WHS and you can check their progress in the WGS forums.

I have a new blog over on “thedigitalLifestyle.com.”  Ian Dixon has graciously given me some space to post my WHS happenings.  Ian was the first guest on the podcast and a big reason for it getting off the ground.  So thanks to Ian.  Please head over to the site and subscribe to Ian’s Podcast.  His Thursday show has Allen Buckner and they talk about the HP update to WHS.

I recently picked up a Windows Mobile 6 PDA Phone.  It’s the HTC PPC680 touchscreen.  Since I got this I obviously want to look at my sites on the mobile so I have enabled mobile on this site.  There are two different modes, iPhone and Windows based PDA.  I don’t have an iPhone so will someone with the iPhone jump on the site and give me some feedback?  I’m enjoying the new HTC and look forward to testing Mesh as well as using it with WHS and Media Center.

Listen to the end of the show to find out how to access Windows Home Server PVConnect for the HP MediaSmart Server VIA a web browser instead of the WHS Console.

New version of Home computer restore CD for Windows Home Server.

Deep Burner - CD/DVD Burning software.  It’s free and you can get it here.

Add-In: Media Connect Controller

PVConnect Review - You are going to need these links!

PVConnects official forum

MediasmartServer.net Forums - Look in Software

Here is a screen capture of the Add a Shared Folder box in PVConnect.  As I stated on the podcast if you click the folder name in the top portion and then change the content type in the bottom box, your folder selection will reset and you will not be adding the folder you selected.

PP1 External Backup

MSWHS.com mentions Paul Therrott’s Supersite for Windows PP1 Backup article

Did you know that you can add an external drive to your WHS and use it as an external backup solution and not have to format the drive?  

Normally, when you add a drive to the storage pool WHS formats it and adds it up.  If you attach an external drive to WHS you have the option of formatting it and adding it to the pool or using it as an External Back Up Drive.

When properly added it gives you the option of formatting the drive or preserving the files that are already on it.  That is very nice.  When you backup your WHS shares to the external they are visible on any computer you should plug the drive into.  So if you have sensitive information and take the drive to an off site location remember that.  If you would like to read more about this topic check the blog for a link to Edward Casiti’s blog.

He has a good writeup and shares his thoughts about the backup process.

Lastly, I need to thank Microsoft.  For some odd reason this whole bug experience has raised my awareness on backing up my precious photos and videos.  I’ll never again feel 100% secure and safe about my files.  Never.  Not that this is a bad thing and a ding against Microsoft.  This is just probably how you should feel if you really care about your data.

Don’t forget to vote for the podcast at podcast alley and send me your feedback, good or bad.

Dave

 

 The Home Server Show 11 - Power Pack 1 Extravaganza: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Power Pack 1 Integration in progress!

Windows Home Server users have been busy for the last couple of days.  PP1 was released on Monday, July 21st, and after the celebration WHS owners got busy.  Downloading and installing PP1 was the easy part but each PC on your network had to be updated with a new connector.  A few ran into troubles running the PP1 update file and others with the connectors but for the most part it was a seamless transition.

Now the real work begins. I personally have been busy copying photos and video from external drives to WHS Shared Folders.  I also converted all four drive bays of my HP MediaSmart Server to WHS drive storage.  It was nice to see four blue lights on the front of the server.  I have four, 500 Gig drives in the server and I’m already starting to think that I need to convert to 1 TB drives!

I bet all the you 64 bit guys and gals are happy campers now!  Not to mention the HP users.  The HP update coming on the heels of PP1 was crazy!  Add-In’s galore awaiting install.  Oh, and a note to HP.  You can resume selling MediaSmart Servers with two drives in them.  Like you needed me to tell you that.

I am interested in how the release of PP1 is changing the way you use your WHS.

• Are you moving your My Documents folder to WHS?
• Did you move all your photos and video to WHS Shared Folders?
• Install any Add-Ins that you have been wanting to use?
• Turning on Shared Folder duplication?
• Are you using the new external drive backup feature?
• HP owners, are you happy with the new update?  Installed the Add-Ins?

Windows Home Server owners; wipe the sweat off your brow, sit back and admire the results of your work over the last few days, and let your WHS take care of the rest.  It’s Miller time.  (for you non-stateside folks insert the name of your most favorite brew)

Lastly, I would like to thank the WHS team for getting the update to us as well as the HP team for a great server and update.  It is going to be fun to watch the product evolve more fully now.  I have a feeling the information in the community will evolve as well.  Happiness is “KB 946676″ in your rear-view mirror!

PP1 Released! Windows Home Server Users Rejoice!!!

At 9:00 PST Microsoft announced the release of PP1.  This is a big day for Windows Home Server Owners who have patiently awaited the “bug fix” that has plagued this platform thus far.  Even though the pre-requisites required in order to be affected by the bug are numerous, it nevertheless hurt the platform immensly.  The press and attention to the issue was great.  One couldn’t hardly mention “Windows Home Server” without another pointing out it’s starting-gate stumble.

Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server includes other niceties such as the x64 client.  The WHS Connector is required in order to take advantage of its many features including it’s most powerful managed backup service.  Other improvements in this realease include the ability to backup the shared folders to a removable drive, improved performance, efficiency, and remote access improvements.

On the heels of this release is supposedly the release of the HP Update for its MediaSmart Server.  The HP update includes various new offerings such as McAfee for WHS as well as PVConnect.  The PVConnect software widens the scope of WHS in its ability to stream media to such devices as the PS3, Xbox360, as well as added transcoding abilities.

Hopefully, the “stay-at-home” server has finally found it’s home.  Download here.

UPDATE:  The HP update is live as well.  When your done installing and configuring come back here and let me know what you think.  If you would like to share thoughts for the next podcast please e-mail them or drop a comment right here.  I’ll be busy copying all my photos and video to my fresh WHS!

TheHome Server Show 10 - News and Review

Today we will be discussing the news and going over an external eSata enclosure.

MSWHS - Hi Grade Home Server Review

PCMag(I referred to it as PCWeek in the podcast) Home Server Build

HomeServerHacks.com - Home Server Build (Updated)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
- $74.99 July 18th price is $79.99

Review
Rosewill RX-358-S BLK (Black) 3.5″ SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan

Price - $44.99

Contents List:
External Enclosure
AC power adapter
eSATA Cable
eSATA Bracket
USB Cable
Screws

Warranty – 1 Year Parts and Labor
NewEgg Customer reviews – There are 135 and 70% are 5 Eggs.
I chose this drive because it mostly resemble the WHS, it has a Fan,a fan on/off switch, a case on /off switch, USB, and eSata ports, and comes with PC eSata bracket.

The feel of the case material was good and it was sturdy. The drive slid in very nicely and the case did not feel cheap. I have some super cheap IDE external cases that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone!

WHS recognizes the drive just fine. This is not PP1 so I can’t use it as a backup external and I don’t want to add it to my drive pool for this review. The OS will not have it registered as a drive without a little work. I partitioned and formatted the drive via Server 2003 Disk Management. Assigned it a drive letter and now it’s visible under My Computer. This was all done via a remote desktop session to the server.
A non-scientific* data transfer test was performed with the unit using a Western Digital WD5000AAKS, 500Gigabyte, 7200 RPM, 16MB cache, SATA Hard drive AND, a HP EX-470.
13 Gig File transfer via eSata – 4 Minutes, 7 seconds.
13 Gig File transfer via USB – 8 Minutes, 43 seconds.
The eSata is a full 4 and a half minutes faster than USB. We all know it’s faster but here is “real world” trial with the Windows Home Server.
*This was timed via stopwatch and not the file transfer “Time Remaining” indicator. I did notice however, the time remaining predictor was all over the place with the USB connection transfer. The eSata transfer was much more reliable.

Conclusion
I find that this external drive case satisfies the requirements in which I purchased it for. I wanted it to closely resemble the HP MediaSmart Server and also have a fan, USB, and eSata connectors. The bonus of this case is the fan’s on/off switch. I also found it nice that an eSata expansion adapter was included for a full size PC.
The speed of eSata compared to USB is a no brainer. The million dollar question is will I use the drive on the eSata port? Probably not. Seeing those speeds I will save this port for a multiple drive enclosure that I will add larger drives to my WHS data pool. This enclosure will find a nice cozy USB port and it will be a PP1 external drive. Meaning, I will back up the entire WHS with this drive when PP1 is fully released.
The fan is a bit loud but I’m thankful to have it. You could fry an egg on some of the older enclosures I used to run. The last thing, it’s a bit clunky looking and I could do without the bright blue LED’s.

It’s not a big deal since I’m after function, not form but it’s not the prettiest and the “nuclear” bright LED’s will be way too bright at night if your server is visible. Speaking of LED’s, there are two on the enclosure. My unit only had one working but I was thankful for that. Lastly, $44.99 is a tad on the high side. I would like to see that price come down around $5.00.
Overall it’s a great enclosure and I would recommend it if you are in the market for one.

Purchase this enclosure:
Rosewill RX-358-S BLK (Black) 3.5″ SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan - Retail



Rosewill RX-358-S BLK (Black) 3.5″ SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan - Retail Rosewill RX-358-S BLK (Black) 3.5″ SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan - Retail

 

 TheHome Server Show 10 - News and Review: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download