Word of the Day: ptarmic - substance causing sneezing - Sheesh! That pepper is really ptarmic, man!
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Windows Home Server 2011 hits release candidate status
SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Microsoft has announced that its Windows Home Server (WHS) 2011 has reached release candidate status.
Formerly known by the Vail codename, Microsoft's second version of Windows Home Server has generated grumbling among users after the firm decided to dump the popular Drive Extender feature. While users bemoaned its loss, Microsoft decided to outline a wizard designed to make moving files from one drive to another easier, which didn't go down well.
Microsoft had a rare success with WHS, with OEMs and users liking its features and ease of use, however by dropping the ability to 'merge' drives making them appear as a single volume, Microsoft has managed to alienate a number of users. The firm claims that as hard drive capacities are getting so large, there is no longer need for the Drive Extender feature.
Microsoft has seemingly not considered the fact that while hard drive capacities are increasing, so are users' libraries of videos and music. For many users buying a new hard drive to replace a previous unit not only offers poor value for money but adds the task of copying all the files over or rejigging software configuration files to recognise new file paths.
Despite the clamour for Microsoft to bring back Drive Extender, Microsoft has revealed that Acer is prepping a consumer server box running WHS 2011.
However, with comments such as, "Hopeless - I simply cannot believe that after all of the outcry against removing DE, you [Microsoft] have still gone ahead and developed the next version of WHS without it," Acer might not ring up many sales from previous WHS users.
The latest version of WHS is at present available for OEMs, with one potential punter lamenting the lack of downloads. "With all the people saying they won't have anything to do with Vail [WHS 2011] because drive extender is gone, I wouldn't expect the servers to be so busy."
So it looks like Microsoft has done a bang-up job of shutting down one of its rare success stories. µ
Tags: Microsoft
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I have WHS. I beta-tested Vail. I bought a surplus server chassis with an Acera RAID card that supports JBOD in firmware, and a 2GB USB stick. I installed FreeNAS on the USB stick (so the OS takes zero space on the 4 SATA drives) and am now using this PC to back up the data on my WHS server. when the WHS server dies (as all PCs do, eventually), I'll replace it with another FreeNAS server. Currently, the FreeNAS server has 6 TB of space. Probably enough for another 2 years at least. And FreeNAS has built-in data duplication abilities.
Microsoft Windows is just *so* Twentieth Century!
When one has several of the new drives and they are full how can I move all the data to a new one? It won't fit. I'm stuck. Thanks Microsoft.
I have to agree. I have an HP EX495 and a HP LX195.
I will not move to WHS 2011 as Drive Extender is a must.
Microsoft really needs to listen to their customers.