RE: Can Windows Home Server really replace my NAS ?

["Richard" <rich_lists@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Its not a raid, it just puts the shares you tell it to on more then
one
disk.



I'm more keen on something like raid-z on open solaris, and if I have the
funds to get a whole new server together that will hold the existing ones
contents then I might change to that.



Last I looked the ability to just add a drive wasn't implemented yet, but
was promised soon. Then again, with open source stuff sometimes the most
obviously desirable features are the last to get implemented.



Home server looks more useful for someone who wants to buy an oem machine
in
order to keep backups of their laptops and other computers rather then use
as a huge media store.



From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
noughtomate
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 9:16 PM
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Can Windows Home Server really replace my NAS ?



Hi,

I appreciate there have been a few threads discussing WHS, but I'm
still not entierly clear if I can use it to replace or complment my
NAS drive.

My primary concern is that the WHS promos seems to plug it more as a
back up device than a playback device. I'm been trying to find out
these specific things :

- Can it act as a Media Server, with support for FTP, Samaba, NFS and
uPnP ?
My current NAS (Synology DS-101g+) supports all except NFS. But
because I'm not overly famiilar with Linux, I don't have the
confidence to apply an NFS hack. So just wondering if WHS can run
these protocols ?

- Can I install USB devices and install the drivers / software to
harness them ? i.e. Can I treat this like regular Windows ? Would XP /
Vista software which is not Graphics hungry run fine ?
I have a USB Caller Id modem and would prefer to use this as a server
device with my HTPC as the caller id client. I also want to use it as
a Home Automation Server to handle events that my Comfort can't
perform.

- Can it support disk spin down nativly within the OS ? i.e. If a HD
is not being used for X mins, it will stop spinning

- Is RAID hardware support a pre-requsite for installing WHS ? Or has
it been implmented on an OS level ?

- I'm seeking an ultra low powered device which can support multiple
disks (ideally 3+ internal drive SATA, without using USB / Firewire).
The only one I know of is the Tranquil PC T7, however this is a single
disk device. Could anyone tell me the manufaturer's that have a WHS
solution ? I'd love to build my own, but time does not allow me to.

Thanks in advance.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]