Headless WHS Build

[GJSNeptune]

I'm starting to run out of hard drive space, and I'd like to make backup copies of my music and movies. I figure I'll slap together a pretty cheap WHS box and move all my media to it. I ordered three 90-day WHS trials a long time ago and haven't had a box to use them on. Once the trials run out, I'll go ahead and get a licensed copy. When a trial ends, you can just plug in a new serial, right?

Antec Three Hundred
4850e - Retail
Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2 AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G mATX (6 SATA ports)
Corsair 400CX
G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2-800
4x WD10EADS

I've read that it may be a good idea to put WHS on a smaller hard drive. I have a WD2500AAKS that I could use as the OS drive. WHS doesn't use the landing zone anymore, right?

I don't need an optical drive. I can hook up my NEC 3550a via an IDE cable to install WHS real quick. Or can I transplant WHS to a thumb drive?

 

[nitrobass24]

I'm starting to run out of hard drive space, and I'd like to make backup copies of my music and movies. I figure I'll slap together a pretty cheap WHS box and move all my media to it. I ordered three 90-day WHS trials a long time ago and haven't had a box to use them on. Once the trials run out, I'll go ahead and get a licensed copy. When a trial ends, you can just plug in a new serial, right?

Antec Three Hundred
4850e - Retail
Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2 AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G mATX (6 SATA ports)
Corsair 400CX
G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2-800
4x WD10EADS

I've read that it may be a good idea to put WHS on a smaller hard drive. I have a WD2500AAKS that I could use as the OS drive. WHS doesn't use the landing zone anymore, right?

I don't need an optical drive. I can hook up my NEC 3550a via an IDE cable to install WHS real quick. Or can I transplant WHS to a thumb drive?

On the CD-keys im not sure if you can switch from one trial key to another....I do know that you cannot switch from Trial to OEM/retail Version.
Although since you have three trials I would just use those, and wait to buy until the new version comes out.

The specs you have will be plenty powerful so no worries there.

As for putting WHS on a smaller HDD for the OS.....Ive done it, and it worked equally well.
There is no Landing Zone anymore.
If you have an extra smaller drive laying around I would say do it, but if you have to buy something you might as well get some space.

 

[GJSNeptune]

Any word on the release of the new version?

 

[nitrobass24]

It will be released after Win7/2008r2

So My guess is Q1 2010....but its just a guess.

 

[Ockie]

Good config. You should be all set.

Don't worry about the new version, I don't expect to see anything till next year.

 

[[LYL]Homer]

At $99 just buy WHS and save yourself the hassle of dealing with the trial.

 

[GJSNeptune]

If a new version comes out within nine months, I'll stick to the trials. The OS will be on a separate hard drive. It'll be easy to switch over.

 

[Old Hippie]

When a trial ends, you can just plug in a new serial, right?

My WHS trial needed reinstalled and MS wouldn't give me another serial because they said it wouldn't work.

I had to do a complete reinstall with another serial.

This was @ 3 months ago and YMMV.

 

[GJSNeptune]

I just got two more WD10EADS, so I have four total in my main computer. I feel that once I build my WHS box, my huge Antec Twelve Hundred will be going to waste. I'll have one hard drive for my OS, plus another for games and such. That's two hard drives out of nine HDD slots (or eight since the video card is so long). If I knew the Nine Hundred Two was coming out, I'd have waited.

My motherboard had six SATA ports, so I can have five hard drives along with my BD/HD-DVD combo drive. This means I can have up to three storage drives. I don't have any SATA PCI cards, nor do I want to pay for one.

I have:
2x WD6400AAKS (one has XP Pro, one has games and such)
1x WD2500AKS (had to remove to accommodate
1x WD1200JS (or something, will probably use for WHS)
4x WD10EADS


Also, I read that WHS 2010 will be 64-bit only. I plan to use Windows 7 64-bit on my main rig as soon as I can afford it. Will there be any problems with my girlfriend's 32-bit Vista Home Premium laptop?

 

[nitrobass24]

I dont understand your first question, if there is one.

Yes WHS Vail will be 64 bit only...so make sure your cpu is x64 compatible.
No you will not have problems with the Vista Laptop

 

[GJSNeptune]

I don't know what to do with my huge case once I move my storage drives to a WHS box. Gonna have a bunch of empty HDD slots.

 

[nitrobass24]

I don't know what to do with my huge case once I move my storage drives to a WHS box. Gonna have a bunch of empty HDD slots.

I mean you could put your WHS in the huge case, and put your desktop in the small case?

 

[GJSNeptune]

I don't want my main rig to be in a Three Hundred. The video card needs cooling.

 

[leezard]

You will have to reinstall WHS every time the trial runs out and when you get a legit license. I did this for a year. You can not just "update the serial #"

It requires a "server reinstall" this wipes out everything on the OS drive (addins, users etc) but leaves all of your data stored in the folders (music, vidoes etc) in tact, so once you finish the reinstall you go back and add your users, re intall add ons etc and your set. It really is worth just paying the $99 for a license tho, I kept forgetting the trial was expiring then wondering why my WHS was rebooting itself every hour.

 

[GJSNeptune]

But a new version should be available once my nine months run out. I can't buy both. It shouldn't be a big deal with a separate OS drive.

 

[Ockie]

But a new version should be available once my nine months run out. I can't buy both. It shouldn't be a big deal with a separate OS drive.

nine months is awfully long in computer years. Besides, you may get a new WHS build with issues as the original WHS build had some serious issues, which placed it back another several months.

 

[farscapesg1]

But a new version should be available once my nine months run out. I can't buy both. It shouldn't be a big deal with a separate OS drive.

Just an FYI... don't expect a reinstall to go smoothly every time

From personal experience, I could not get WHS to run "reinstall" no matter what I did when I replaced my OS drive. That meant I had to disconnect all my drives, install WHS, reconnect he drives, and finally start moving all the data from the drives one at a time to the pool then add them to the pool. Let me say that with about 2.5 TB of data that was a pretty painful experience for me and my family since the WHS server servers as my SageTV server If I had to do this every 3 months I would probably throw it out the window. From other posts, I'm not alone in this either, so I can't just blame it on my hardware....

 

[rhouck]

Just an FYI... don't expect a reinstall to go smoothly every time

From personal experience, I could not get WHS to run "reinstall" no matter what I did when I replaced my OS drive. That meant I had to disconnect all my drives, install WHS, reconnect he drives, and finally start moving all the data from the drives one at a time to the pool then add them to the pool. Let me say that with about 2.5 TB of data that was a pretty painful experience for me and my family since the WHS server servers as my SageTV server If I had to do this every 3 months I would probably throw it out the window. From other posts, I'm not alone in this either, so I can't just blame it on my hardware....

And reading horror stories like these was why I took the plunge and just bought it instead of doing the trial

 

[nitrobass24]

Just an FYI... don't expect a reinstall to go smoothly every time

From personal experience, I could not get WHS to run "reinstall" no matter what I did when I replaced my OS drive. That meant I had to disconnect all my drives, install WHS, reconnect he drives, and finally start moving all the data from the drives one at a time to the pool then add them to the pool. Let me say that with about 2.5 TB of data that was a pretty painful experience for me and my family since the WHS server servers as my SageTV server If I had to do this every 3 months I would probably throw it out the window. From other posts, I'm not alone in this either, so I can't just blame it on my hardware....

while that did happen to me once, it was because I changed controllers, and the mobo at the same time. And it was a PITA
However at no time was I ever concerned about my data's integrity.

 

[vischo]

It will be released after Win7/2008r2

So My guess is Q1 2010....but its just a guess.

I was hopeful, but now I'm doubtful. There was a webcast scheduled for last Friday that was called "Home Server the Next Version". It was cancelled and substituted with a Home Server PP2 webcast. So it appears as things are behind schedule......

 

[leezard]

I was hopeful, but now I'm doubtful. There was a webcast scheduled for last Friday that was called "Home Server the Next Version". It was cancelled and substituted with a Home Server PP2 webcast. So it appears as things are behind schedule......

yeah i was signed up for that as well

 

[[LYL]Homer]

But a new version should be available once my nine months run out. I can't buy both. It shouldn't be a big deal with a separate OS drive.

Why can't you buy both? You can't save $10 a month? If WHS works as is (which it does), will you need to upgrade?

Part of the beauty of WHS is removing the PITA factor of data management. You're putting the PITA back in.

Something newer will always be out in 9 months.

 

[GJSNeptune]

It's my money, so I get to decide how to spend it. Thank you for the eye-rolling insight.

WHS has been out for almost two years.

 

[[LYL]Homer]

I'm still running XP on my main system since it works great. WHS is another 'good' MS product and just plain works and now has the bugs worked out.

While I am fine with being nearer the bleeding edge with desktops, servers are a bit different. But that depends on how much you value your data (or backups). I won't be on the bleeding edge of the next version of WHS, but if it's a good product I'll eventually upgrade when it seems to have the kinks ironed out.

As you say, your call.

 

[Ockie]

I'm still running XP on my main system since it works great. WHS is another 'good' MS product and just plain works and now has the bugs worked out.

While I am fine with being nearer the bleeding edge with desktops, servers are a bit different. But that depends on how much you value your data (or backups). I won't be on the bleeding edge of the next version of WHS, but if it's a good product I'll eventually upgrade when it seems to have the kinks ironed out.

As you say, your call.

Yep same here. I still run 2003 on my servers, no way am I ready to dump latest operating systems on a production machine. I waited quite a while before jumping on WHS, less than a year, about a year after WHS release to be exact.

 

[nitrobass24]

Yep same here. I still run 2003 on my servers, no way am I ready to dump latest operating systems on a production machine. I waited quite a while before jumping on WHS, less than a year, about a year after WHS release to be exact.

Yea i thought you would never switch.
Next thing I know Ockie has 6 Norco 4020's on order.

 

[GJSNeptune]

Let me say that with about 2.5 TB of data that was a pretty painful experience for me and my family since the WHS server servers as my SageTV server

How are you liking SageTV? I was dead-set on building an HTPC eventually, but then I discovered SageTV, and the money I'd save by getting one instead of building both a WHS box and an HTPC seems like a no-brainer.

 

[GJSNeptune]

I've been on the SageTV website and I'm a little confused. If I buy the HD Theater box for my HDTV in the living room, I would additionally have to buy the SageTV Media Center software, correct? Or is the software only if I want to watch TV through the HD Theater box and not through my Time Warner HD DVR box?

And if I wanted to use SageTV with my bedroom TV, I'd need another HD Theater box?

 

[nitrobass24]

I've been on the SageTV website and I'm a little confused. If I buy the HD Theater box for my HDTV in the living room, I would additionally have to buy the SageTV Media Center software, correct? Or is the software only if I want to watch TV through the HD Theater box and not through my Time Warner HD DVR box?

And if I wanted to use SageTV with my bedroom TV, I'd need another HD Theater box?

I think you can use the HD theatre without Sage software....you can just point it to file shares.
You need the software to watch live TV, if you use Tunercards in a PC.

 

[farscapesg1]

The HD200 will work without the SageTV server software, but only as a media center app. To get TV recording/viewing features you would need the SageTV software (and there is a WHS add-in to make installation easier). In "standalone" mode, as nitrobass24 mentioned you just point it to the shares (theoretically). In practice I still have issues getting it to connect and see my media but I haven't really messed with it much because I have the server software and never run in "standalone" mode.

As for the bedroom question, you would need a HD200 for each TV you want to view information off of your network, just like you would need multiple XBox 360's if you were using them as extenders. You would also need network drops since it doesn't have wireless (not that I would recommend wireless for video streaming though).

In my case, I have 2 HD200's (one for the game room and one for the living room), 1 HD100 (the older model - in my bedroom), and the SageTV software on my WHS box in the office (with 2 Nvidia DualTV cards and a HDHomerun connected to the network). I also have a couple client licenses, one on my laptop and one on my office PC. These have all been purchased over time, so I just try not to think about how much I have spent...

I have to say that I love my HD200's for two main reasons...
1) ease of use - no more messing with codecs, drivers, replacing hardware, quiet
2) portability - while I would prefer to have an internal hard drive, being able to take the box and an external HD or large USB drive on trips is REALLY nice. I would have pulled my hair out if I didn't have my daughter's Backyardigan's and Word World episodes when we went to San Antonio.

For the $200 per unit I just can't justify putting together a HTPC anymore. Maybe if I played more games it might be useful, but just for watching TV/movies/music they do everything I could ask (well, being able to just connect an external BD drive and watch a movie without putting it in my server would be really nice).

I have not played around with MS Media Center or many other media center apps, but I will say that the basic layout and use of the HD200 in "standalone" mode is pretty clunky. It was better than nothing on my trip, but I really missed my SageMC mod at home.