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WHS 2011 questions

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dar124

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Jan 21, 2012
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Hello. I came across the forum while looking for some info on putting together a home media server. I’ve been reading thru the posts for a bit and joined a couple of weeks ago. I’ve seen a handful of similar posts, but figured that I’d put one together with info specific to my setup/situation, instead of trying to piece together a lot of different info from multiple posts, etc.


What I have:

HP dc7600 motherboard
3 GB of RAM
2 x 2TB WD green HD’s
Windows Home Server 2011
A generic case (I’ve attached a pic, does anyone knows the make/model of the case?? The most info I could find are a few ebay postings listing it just as a “Pentium D” which doesnt tell me anything about the case).

2012-01-31_17-29-47_73.jpg




What I’m trying to do:

I was initially running low on space in my desktop PC, and I figured instead of just buying a larger hard drive for my desktop, then having the same issues and have to replace that hard drive down the road. I could set up a networked media server using this extra PC & case that I have. And then as I need more storage, I would just add drives to the server without having to move data and re-install programs, etc on my desktop PC. Because I already had this case and motherboard, I only needed to buy the 2 x 2TB hard and WHS 2011.

So I’m planning on using the 2 x 2TB drives with either an extra 160GB or 250GB drive that I have available, which should give me plenty (4TB +) of available storage space for the time being. I only need the server for documents, music, movie/DVD streaming/storage and will have an external drive for backups.

I’m pretty much trying to end up with a large network drive that I can expand as I need additional space. I’d want to be able to access this network drive from my desktop PC, laptop and occasionally online from another location.

I’ve read a bit about FlexRAID and Drive Bender, but wasn’t sure about pros/cons. I kinda like the idea of just having the available hard drive space just listed as one large drive, instead of E, F, G, etc as the server gains more and more drives.

I’d like to get some opinions about what I’ve got, what I’m trying to do and any suggestions about other things to consider as I’m going forward. Thanks in advance.
 
I'm not sure about the mother board that was previously in that case, but I've put a HP dc7600 in there now. And from everything that I've read the dc7600 seems to be 64-bit capable. Some people have posted about problems problems finding 64-bit drivers, but I dont think I'll need many drivers if this is just gonna be used as a home server.
 
I threw a copy of XP on there a couple of weeks ago to update the bios, etc. I dont have numbers off of the processor, but from system properties I can tell it's an Intel, Pentium4, 3GHz and it does have Hyper-Threading. Device manager shows "ACPI\GENUINEINTEL-X86 FAMILY 15 MODEL 4\0".
 
Thanks for the confirmation LhasaCM. One less thing to worry about this weekend!!! :D
 
So, after confirming that my motherboard is 64-bit capable ... does anyone have suggestions / input as I go forward installing WHS 2011?? Thanks.
 
A few thoughts:
1. Go with whichever is the faster of the 160GB or 250GB hard drives.
2. You'll want to make sure that drive is the primary drive in your system, so that's where the OS is installed. If in doubt, you can always install WHS with just that drive and add your 2TB drives later.
3. As far as the drive letter issue - the way WHS is set up by default is through the creation of various shared folders (Music, Pictures, Videos, etc.) that reside on a single drive letter. By default, the folders are created on the primary hard drive, but can be easily moved (and re-moved down the road if need be.) Obviously, if you want to just have a single shared folder of "Stuff" that everything's in, then some form of drive pooling would help out. If not, then you might be okay without adding that layer of complexity at this time.
3a. Other folks will have to speak to FlexRAID vs. Drive Bender vs. StableBit vs. just spanning drives in Windows vs. etc. Since my WHS machine has a few huge shared folders (I have a Media Center PC that archives recorded tv here, which is at 3TB and counting right now), I ended up getting a hardware RAID card, so I haven't kept up on how those Drive Extender replacements or other software RAID alternatives are doing.
3b. Windows 8 and its brethren will have a new drive pooling setup (Storage Spaces I think is what they called it)...so if you like to mess around with things a lot, you might want to wait before investing in some other pooling approach.
4. Local connectivity is easy. Remote connectivity that's built-in is a bit more limited, but still nice (and add-ins can help). Your router and ISP will have to cooperate, though (allowing inbound connections on the HTTP, HTTPS, and RDP ports, and your router forwarding them correctly to the WHS machine).
 
Thanks for the info LhasaCM. That should give me a good starting point.
 
Hello, I just wanted to check back here for a little more input.

I had a couple of questions about the WD hard drives that I've got so far. I currently have 2 x 2TB caviar green WD20EARS drives for storage and 1 x 160GB WD1600BEKT scorpio black laptop drive (to save space in the case) for the OS. I've been reading about people having issues with WD SecurePark and using "wdidle3" to adjust the amount of time that it takes for the WD hard drives to park their heads, etc. If you need additional info from each of the drives let me know.

If I'm going to run WHS2011 is this something that I have to worry about or try to adjust with any of these 3 drives?? There seems to be so much info out there on SecurePark, but it's almost too much info. So I figured that I'd run it by the forum here. Thanks in advance.
 
I am in pretty much the same boat as you. I just upgraded to WHS 2011 and went with Drive Bender as my replacement for DE. So far its working fine and is easy to use. I figured id let you know its a pretty easy solution.

P.S. I wont know how well it really works until I have a catastrophic dirve failure.
 
Yeah, I'm gonna use this server mostly for storage/streaming audio & video files. I'll eventually set up a backup drive for the server. So I'm thinking I'll eventually use Driver Bender. But since this is my first server setup, I'll probably run it without for a while just to see how WHS runs "as is".

Does anyone know if I'll have issues with Western Digital's SecurePark running the 2 x 2TB caviar green WD20EARS drives and 1 x 160GB WD1600BEKT scorpio black laptop drive with WHS??
 
So I came across this web page and PDF file with some info on WD's SecurePark and wdidle3:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5357

https://docs.google.com/viewer?pid=explorer&srcid=0B23K3YtezQgbNWY2ZDgzNjQtNmNkYy00Yjc4LWJmODAtYjM0NmEyZTRlYmQz&chrome=true&docid=577ca6e92c0f31c1128909a196a4511b%7Cab61e070c64870e8f3bbda453a2f8d5b&a=bi&pagenumber=1&w=800


It lists my 2Tb drives (WD20EARS) as being affected, but not the 160GB (WD1600BEKT) drive that I have. So I guess that I do or will have some issues with WD's SecurePark.

If I'm going to use the 160GB drive for the server OS and the 2TB drives for storage in the server, will I have issues with SecurePark on the storage drives?? Has anyone else had issues with SecurePark on these WD green hard drives using WHS?? If so, have there been improvements after using the wdidle utility?? Or are there any other work arounds recommended?? Thanks.
 
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Hey, just a quick update with my WD 2TB Green drives.

I downloaded and created a wdidle3.exe disk for the WD 2TB Green drives. I connected the disk, booted from the CD and updated the "intellipark time" to 5 minutes using the "wdidle3.exe /S300" command. Then using "wdidle3.exe /r" I verified that the park time had been updated. So hopefully that'll eliminate any issues I would have had with the WD drives!!!



And a quick WHS 2011 question.

I'd like to be able to connect to my WHS system remotely. That way I'd have access to my pics, songs and movies where ever I'm at. If I set this up will I need to have an antivirus program on the WHS system?? I dont hear much about anti virus programs for servers, but with it being connected to the internet I wanted to make sure.
 
Many people use Eset Nod 32 on 2011. The only AV made for it ( Gdata ) really has problems.
 
I wanted to follow up here again on the forum about WHS 2011 anti-virus programs. I've done a little bit of googling and came across 2 free AV programs that seem to work (at least from their online reviews) with WHS 2011. Just wanted to get some opinions from the forum about them.


http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html?ClickID=alvswzwaz99s0zarasstlllonrppw9lvkltv#System Requirements

http://www.clamwin.com/


I'm not planning on accessing the web from my server, but I will be remoting into it from outside PC's to access various files, etc. So from what I've been reading, I dont really think that an AV program is 100% necessary. I just figured that an extra bit of protection might be worth it.

Thanks in advance.
 
Clamwin made my WHS V1 system garbage until I uninstalled it. Many people seem to be using it with success though.
 
Thanks for the reply S-F. Yeah, I hadnt heard of "Clamwin" until a couple of days ago when I came across it in a google search. I'll keep searching around for more info/reviews, etc.
 
So I finally got my Server PC together and installed WHS 2011!!! :D But in the process I came across 2 things that I've got questions on and was hoping to get some input from the forum.


LhasaCM said:
A few thoughts:
1. Go with whichever is the faster of the 160GB or 250GB hard drives.
2. You'll want to make sure that drive is the primary drive in your system, so that's where the OS is installed. If in doubt, you can always install WHS with just that drive and add your 2TB drives later.
Click to expand...


1 - I took LhasaCM's previous advice and just initially connected the 160GB drive for the install. WHS partitioned the drive into aprox 60GB for the OS and 100GB for the shared folders. I will eventually connect my 2x2TB and 250GB drives and move these shared folders from the 100GB partition over to these larger drives. But then I'm not sure what to do with the 100GB partition that will be left?? I wouldnt think that I shouldnt store anything on it since it's part of the OS drive, but I dont really want to have 100GB just sitting out there unused. And the one time in the past that I've tried to move a partition on a system drive caused me a week of rescuing data and reinstalling Windows. Which, as fun as it was, I'd like to avoid. ;)


2 - In the WHS Dashboard I added my home desktop pc and laptop. But I also see the option/need to add Users. So I guess that I'm a bit confused with having to add both the computers and also add users. I understand the difference (at work my PC has a unique name, but as a user I can log into my PC or a PC across the hall or on a different floor and have access to all of my files, etc). But for this home use, if I start up my desktop PC and log in it just seems redundant to have to log in again as a user to WHS to access files??


Thanks in advance for any input.
 
dar124 said:
So I finally got my Server PC together and installed WHS 2011!!! :D But in the process I came across 2 things that I've got questions on and was hoping to get some input from the forum.





1 - I took LhasaCM's previous advice and just initially connected the 160GB drive for the install. WHS partitioned the drive into aprox 60GB for the OS and 100GB for the shared folders. I will eventually connect my 2x2TB and 250GB drives and move these shared folders from the 100GB partition over to these larger drives. But then I'm not sure what to do with the 100GB partition that will be left?? I wouldnt think that I shouldnt store anything on it since it's part of the OS drive, but I dont really want to have 100GB just sitting out there unused. And the one time in the past that I've tried to move a partition on a system drive caused me a week of rescuing data and reinstalling Windows. Which, as fun as it was, I'd like to avoid. ;)


2 - In the WHS Dashboard I added my home desktop pc and laptop. But I also see the option/need to add Users. So I guess that I'm a bit confused with having to add both the computers and also add users. I understand the difference (at work my PC has a unique name, but as a user I can log into my PC or a PC across the hall or on a different floor and have access to all of my files, etc). But for this home use, if I start up my desktop PC and log in it just seems redundant to have to log in again as a user to WHS to access files??


Thanks in advance for any input.
Click to expand...

1. You could keep a smaller shared folder there if you want to use it (or use it for a second copy of things you want to have stored in multiple places).
2. Adding computers really is just for backup purposes and kicks off the "adding the dashboard application" process. It's adding users that allows individuals on other machines to access the (selected if you so choose) files on the home server. So yes, you really do need to do both.
 
Thanks for the response Lhasa.

Eventhough it's partitioned as another drive, I was a bit hesitant to use that space on the OS drive to store data. After moving the shared folders to other drives, I just wanted to make sure that I wasnt missing an easy step to combine that space back to the C: drive. But using it to store a 2nd copy of some files is a good idea.
 
So I'm working thru configuring WHS and I came 2 across more questions. I finally got my 2 computers and 2 user accounts set up in WHS. I still have a few minor adjustments to make so right now the server does not have any data on it.


1. Everytime I boot the server (or it reboots after an update) I have to Ctrl+Alt+Del and log in. This isnt a big deal now, as I'm still configuring the server and connected to a monitor and keyboard. But in the next few weeks when the server is running "headless" I dont want to have to go down to the basement and Ctrl+Alt+Del to log into WHS. Or if I'm away from home and there is a reboot, I wont have access until I get home and can physically log in, etc. I was thinking that the server should be set to "auto login" after a reboot. Just looking for some input on this and the best way to set up WHS to "auto-login".

2. I think that I've decided to use StableBit for my server drivepooling. Right now the shared folders are still on the main drive's D:\ partition. Does it matter if I install StableBit then move the shared folders to the pooled drive or should I move the folders on to the (2x2TB & 250GB) drives and then install StableBit to create the drive pool?? Just looking for suggestions/input for when I install this add-in onto the server. StableBit seems pretty straight forward, but I'll always take advice from someone who's use it before. :D


Thanks in advance.
 
dar124 said:
Everytime I boot the server (or it reboots after an update) I have to Ctrl+Alt+Del and log in. This isnt a big deal now, as I'm still configuring the server and connected to a monitor and keyboard. But in the next few weeks when the server is running "headless" I dont want to have to go down to the basement and Ctrl+Alt+Del to log into WHS. Or if I'm away from home and there is a reboot, I wont have access until I get home and can physically log in, etc. I was thinking that the server should be set to "auto login" after a reboot. Just looking for some input on this and the best way to set up WHS to "auto-login"..
Click to expand...

I don't understand. Seriously I don't. You must have something garbled in your understanding on how to use WHS.

1. All your management should be done through the Home Server Console which is there once you install the connector software. This does not require C-A-D. You should never have to get to the "core os" unless shit is broken.

2. If you are running headless and need core OS access, nearly every remote application supports the ability to log-in and send the ctrl-alt-del command to it (tight vnc has an icon for this). Thus, this who auto login makes ZERO sense.
 
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At a more basic level, any access needed to the WHS box can be done without being logged into the machine directly.

1. If you need to administer the server (run updates, install software that isn't packaged for WHS, etc.) you can log in using remote desktop and log out when you're done.
2. If you just need to access the server (accessing data on other machines or once it's configured to be reached over the internet as opposed to just on the home network) you don't need to be logged in locally. So long as the computer is on, everything necessary is already started as a service.

You don't need any sort of "auto-login." It's a server OS. It's meant to operate without someone being directly logged in.
 
dar124 said:
1. Everytime I boot the server (or it reboots after an update) I have to Ctrl+Alt+Del and log in. This isnt a big deal now, as I'm still configuring the server and connected to a monitor and keyboard. But in the next few weeks when the server is running "headless" I dont want to have to go down to the basement and Ctrl+Alt+Del to log into WHS. Or if I'm away from home and there is a reboot, I wont have access until I get home and can physically log in, etc. I was thinking that the server should be set to "auto login" after a reboot. Just looking for some input on this and the best way to set up WHS to "auto-login".
Click to expand...

Think of the Login screen as the front door. The house has all the lights in, but only certain keys can open the door. Remotely logging in just simply opens the garage door instead :)
 
Hey guys, thanks for the responses. I think that I might have not explained my previous post as well as I should have.

It has taken me a while to get all the parts together for my server, and I'm still in the process of installing/setting up WHS. I'm just now setting up my users, computers, shared folders and remote access, etc. Ideally I'd have hours and hours all in one day to get this done, but life always seems to get in the way and it seems like I just get an hour here and a half hour there, etc. So I realize that "eventually" the server will run pretty much 24/7 and I'd just access it via remote desktop or the connector software. But right now I dont have any data stored on it, so I usually shut it down after working on it for a while, because I know it'll be days before I can get back down there to look at it again.

So logging in with Ctrl+Alt+Del wont normally be an issue since it'll be pretty much a 24/7 machine, but I was just wondering about logging in after a WHS update that required a reboot. If the server reboots after an update, it'll sit there on the login screen and I didnt think that I'd be able to access it via remote desktop?? I was just trying to think ahead and avoid an access issue down the road.
 
dar124 said:
Hey guys, thanks for the responses. I think that I might have not explained my previous post as well as I should have.

It has taken me a while to get all the parts together for my server, and I'm still in the process of installing/setting up WHS. I'm just now setting up my users, computers, shared folders and remote access, etc. Ideally I'd have hours and hours all in one day to get this done, but life always seems to get in the way and it seems like I just get an hour here and a half hour there, etc. So I realize that "eventually" the server will run pretty much 24/7 and I'd just access it via remote desktop or the connector software. But right now I dont have any data stored on it, so I usually shut it down after working on it for a while, because I know it'll be days before I can get back down there to look at it again.

So logging in with Ctrl+Alt+Del wont normally be an issue since it'll be pretty much a 24/7 machine, but I was just wondering about logging in after a WHS update that required a reboot. If the server reboots after an update, it'll sit there on the login screen and I didnt think that I'd be able to access it via remote desktop?? I was just trying to think ahead and avoid an access issue down the road.
Click to expand...

ive been running mine for a few weeks now. after the initial install it has been running without a monitor or kb/m connected. i have no problem using rdp after the pc restarts.
 
Ok, thanks tricky. I would have thought that the server would need to be logged in to remote to it, but if that's not the case then it's good news!!! :D

Just trying to run thru some different scenarios before I come across the issue and have a problem. Thanks again.
 
dar124 said:
Ok, thanks tricky. I would have thought that the server would need to be logged in to remote to it, but if that's not the case then it's good news!!! :D

Just trying to run thru some different scenarios before I come across the issue and have a problem. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Really the only time you'd want any type of "auto-login" setup is if you had a special application that required a user session. If everything on your server is "Service based" rather then "application based" then there's no reason to log into your server. You're goal as the admin is to try and make everything you have "service based". Which means that everytime you restart the server you don't need to click any icons to start those processes.

Service based - Runs in the background and will start on its own regardless of who's logged into PC/Server. Usually they have built in configs or configuration files that tell the process what to do at startup. (Antivirus would be prime example)

Application based - a program or application that you have to manually start and may require initial settings or configurations to get working each time. (game or internet explorer a prime example)


If you already understand all this already my apologies.. :)
 
Thanks Chimay. Definitely appreciate the response. Service based vs. Application based makes sense.

I'd prefer to have multiple responses. Each one can make sense in a different way and give more of a complete understanding.

Thanks again.
 
So, I'm not sure what I was doing wrong before but now I have no problems remoting to my WHS server. The only thing that I can think is that I wasnt waiting long enough to try to connect and WHS wasnt fully loaded yet?? Who know, at least its working now!! :D
 
dar124 said:
So, I'm not sure what I was doing wrong before but now I have no problems remoting to my WHS server. The only thing that I can think is that I wasnt waiting long enough to try to connect and WHS wasnt fully loaded yet?? Who know, at least its working now!! :D
Click to expand...

Yep, that would do it. WHS takes a bit, in general, to become fully available after you see the "login screen". For my old WHS box (and my new WHS2 box in testing), the time is ~5 minutes to have fully access to all processes.
 
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