Microsoft launching Windows home server product at CES
By Ryan Block 
posted Jan 5th 2007 10:11AM
posted Jan 5th 2007 10:11AM
We know there's been a bit of speculation this way or that as to whether Microsoft would launch a home (media) server version of Windows to accompany its alread home media serving-centric Media Center (and Vista Ultimate) Windows builds, but we can finally say with some certainty that they will. A trusted source confirmed with us what ZDNet is referring to as "Windows Home Server". We don't yet have a final working name (it's internally codenamed Q and Quattro, as we understand), exact launch details, or real ideas of how it's going to operate, we know it'll be announced by Microsoft at CES. Our gut tells us it's going to turn out like an end-user version of Windows Storage Server 2003, which is a slightly obscure embedded-devices / network storage Windows build intended specifically for headless network-accessible NAS and SAN devices. Then again, maybe they'll release the server OS for desktops of all shapes and sizes so we can all have something to do with our old junker PCs that might still be a little too good to take over duty as a m0n0wall box. Either way, as we said, we know it's coming, it'll be announced at CES, and we're a little stoked that maybe Microsoft will have something here that'll take some of the common annoyances out of home media and data serving.
". . .it's internally codenamed Q and Quattro. . ."
Quick! Get Motorola and Audi on the horn to ready those retarded lawsuits!
FINALLY. However only cool if you can do some sort of domain no matter how stripped down. Don't need a full AD implementation at home, but would be nice to be able to lock down shares at home and not confuse the hell out of others with a ton of usernames and passwords for each machine. (Make them hack kerberos after they hack my WEP key) Also, unified logon/roaming user profile would be nice, one time parental control settings-locking down little Johnny with slightly crippled Group Policy.
I am fed up with managing the profiles and files of four users on two machines, not to mention the kids squabbling about which PC they saved their homework on. A **simple** way that allows users to seamlessly roam between computers would be great.
The ideal home server product would have 2 features.
1) Easy file serving sharing, possibly some home directory features to allow people to store on it rather than locally.
2) Robust backup features, allowing you to backup all the other computers to it. It would be above and beyond if it allowed remote backup too, for that sibling at college, or your grandparents that just got a laptop, but somehow I think that's too much to expect.
Anyone know of anything of that nature for consumers??
>LOL!!!!< >That Said "My Home Network No Touchey"
No, dummy, it'll be a home MEDIA server, for photos and music and whatnot.
A home server with basic AD and basic Exchange would be amazing. Yes, obviously file sharing, file serving, and perhaps a IIS7-powered easy to setup/manage web server.
I am quite excited about the possibilities of this.
Considering my PC was making a sound like a dying yakk this morning before it crashed and I left for work, you could always send me one of those old junkers. : )
That pic is classic :D
I hope it has cablecard/media center support in a server role function... I want a vista media center, but since I use my 360 as an extended I'd rather not pay for a beefy video card.
Hm... my Windows Server 2003 R2 working quite well... who needs cutted functionality?...
Home server? I already have one ... his name is Jives the butler.
Apple better come out with some type of headless home server/NAS/SAN at this Macworld Expo! I have no room to buy anymore iTunes TV Shows/Movies until they offer some type of home network storage server to store them on.
How about a link to a full size image (funny pic) ;)
transcode on the fly from any format and i'm there :)