WHS Technical Briefs

Trepidati0n

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Plese read the document at the following link. MS has updated the document explaining the drive extender which covers about 95% of the "storage" questions asked in regards to WHS. There are also other technical briefs linked at the bottom covering some of the other features of WHS.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...CC-B85F-45FE-8C5C-F103C894A5E2&displaylang=en

EDIT: I highly recommend people read the backup/restore brief. It isn't until you read this that you realize how powerful the system is.
 
Can anyone answer this?

What happens if the main drive crashes?

If the drive where WHS is stored crashes, can it be restored?

Maybe I am missing something but WHS backs up other computers. So how do I make sure I can recover my WHS if it crashes?
 
The short answer is if it is corrupted I think you can do a repair installation and your data will be as it was.

If the drive is dead then any non-duped data on the balance of your main drive (that is - the pool part of the main drive) will be lost. Then you hook a new drive up and load WHS like a new install, then you can transfer your data back into the pool - this most likely will involve 'leapfrogging' your drives if they are near full.
 
cool, i was lookin for this last week, and needed to dl the office 2k7 compatability pack.
i didnt get a chance to go through it all...
can WHS be tied/networked to another WHS server?
how do ppl here use/implment this with multiTB drives? do they duplicate everything? so its shared among drives?
 
so if i wanted to protect against a drive failure, i would need to duplicate the data to another drive? can WHS be tied/networked to another WHS server? can u only dupe between drives? how is this implemented on big multiTB servers w/o using raid5? i think im missing some details...

Did you read the first post?
 
[LYL]Homer;1033257323 said:
The short answer is if it is corrupted I think you can do a repair installation and your data will be as it was.

If the drive is dead then any non-duped data on the balance of your main drive (that is - the pool part of the main drive) will be lost. Then you hook a new drive up and load WHS like a new install, then you can transfer your data back into the pool - this most likely will involve 'leapfrogging' your drives if they are near full.

Homer thanks for your reply. Based on your answer I was able to find the info in the help file.

You are correct, but in orfer to ensure the main drive (or server) is backed up, you have to designate a drive as "Use this hard drive to back up files that are stored on your home server" as opposed to "Add this hard drive to your server storage to increase the storage capacity of your home server ".

Here is the info from the help file:

Connect a Server Backup Hard Drive to your home server to begin to restore your files. A Server Backup Hard Drive enables you to restore your home server's shared folders and files.

You can use a Server Backup Hard Drive if you accidentally delete files or if you want to restore shared folders to a previous point in time. If you replace your home server, you can use a Server Backup Hard Drive to restore your files to your new home server.

If your home server is no longer usable (perhaps due to a fire, flood, or other catastrophe), you can connect the Server Backup Hard Drive to any home computer that is running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista. You can browse the Server Backup Hard Drive, choose files that you want to duplicate, and then copy the files to that home computer. Each backup is located in a folder that uses the date and time for the folder name.

Important
To reset your home server's system files, you must reinstall Windows Home Server. For more information, see Windows Home Server Reinstallation.


When you connect a Server Backup Hard Drive, it should appear as a Server Backup Hard Drive on the Server Storage tab. If it appears as a Non-Storage Hard Drive, select it and click Add to start the Add a Hard Drive wizard, and then select Use this hard drive to back up files that are stored on your home server.

Note
Do not format the Server Backup Hard Drive if you want to keep files that currently exist on it.


After you connect the Server Backup Hard Drive, you can restore a backup from the Computers & Backup console tab. Select your home server and click View Backups. Select a backup, and then click Restore.

When you restore your shared folders, you can choose one the following options:

Overwrite your existing files if they are in the backup.
This option overwrites any existing files with the corresponding files from the backup. Files in your shared folders that are not in the backup are preserved.
Choose this option if some files are accidentally deleted from your home server, but you don’t want to lose changes to other files that exist on your home server.

Delete all files in the selected folders, and then restore from the backup.
This option deletes all the existing files in your shared folders and then restores the files from the backup.
Choose this option if you want your shared folders to be restored exactly as they existed at the time of a backup.
 
BTW, WHS is dropping in price.

"Beginning this Saturday, November 1, the System Builder SKU for Windows Home Server will retail at $100-110 - down from the current price range of around $150-160," Microsoft announced on Friday.
 
$99 right now at ZZF.... increadible.
 
I know its far far away, but I can't wait to see what the next WHS (the one based on Windows 7 codebase) will have. It will have features like integration with Live Mesh, support for Libraries etc.

Another product I'm waiting for is the new HP MediaSmart codenamed Encore.
 
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