Microsoft releases Windows Home Server to manufacturing

If you've been itching to get your hands on a new flavor of Windows, or if you're just sick and tired of being teased by that release candidate, the wait for Microsoft's Windows Home Server is drawing to a close. Reportedly, the firm has released the software to manufacturing, where it should flow down and hit pre-fabricated boxes "in late September and early October." According to Joel Sider, senior product manager, the move to RTM means that the company has "wrapped up WHS and handed it off to its internal distribution teams and hardware partners." Additionally, Iomega and Fujitsu-Siemens were added to the list of OEM partners that already included HP, Gateway, LaCie, and Medion. Notably, there won't be a great many alterations in the final release compared to RC1, as the main change stated (aside from squashing a few stray bugs) was that the "domain for remote access is now homeserver.com." Hold tight folks, Windows Home Server will be coming your way soon, and the brigade will be led by HP's forthcoming MediaSmart Server.

[Via ArsTechnica]

[Mark @ Jul 16th 2007 3:47PM]

Can we get it from anywhere else?

[Randy @ Jul 16th 2007 4:15PM]

@Mark,

Yeah, the pirate bay.. ;-)

[CoryB @ Jul 16th 2007 4:16PM]

There has not been a formal announcement however it has widely been suggested that there will be a "System Builders" version available for people wishing to build their own server.

[Alex @ Jul 16th 2007 4:16PM]

Does anyone know if I will be able to buy an OEM version of WHS so I can install it on a machine I build myself?

[NoK610 @ Jul 16th 2007 4:25PM]

Microsoft had sent me an invitation to help test the OS and I have to say it's pretty cool. They will be releasing an OEM version for those of us who prefer to use our own system. One thing to note was that they said they might only release a 64-bit version of the OS. I hope they don't since it will force me to upgrade.

[Peter @ Jul 16th 2007 6:09PM]

NoK610 - Where did you hear that? I was in the beta too and never heard anything about 64-bit only. Seems to be contrary to the idea that you could build it on an order box you just have lying around.

[Clayj @ Jul 16th 2007 4:32PM]

Awesome!

Now if only they could incorporate Exchange functionality into it, so that I could have a combined file storage/mail server all in one.

[jstueve @ Jul 16th 2007 10:33PM]

They do... the product is called Small Business Server

[reticulate @ Jul 16th 2007 4:54PM]

Awesome, I've been looking forward to playing around with this since it was announced.

Note to Microsoft: Make with an OEM version.

[Randy @ Jul 16th 2007 5:00PM]

From what I've read of it, WHS might fit the bill for me, but as one other poster said before me, I'd like to see some kind of exchange functionality, I don't need public folders just messaging/calendaring, and push email.

I probably could set this all up right now w/ Windows 2003 Server except for the difficulty factor; I would have to setup DNS, DHCP, WINS, Active Directory, and Exchange. Not fun or easy or worth the hassle, when all I have are 4 machines total on my home network.

But I do like where this is going...

[ItGuy @ Jul 16th 2007 6:34PM]

Grab a Linux distro - you can do this and a whole lot more. You'll get a more reliable, stable, and secure setup.

[Mile @ Jul 16th 2007 5:04PM]

Will it be allowed to join an existing domain or is that a no-no so small biz won't be able to easily use it?

[Peter @ Jul 16th 2007 6:11PM]

I was in the beta and I believe WHS does not support domain membership. There were also lots of reports of problems if the client machines were joined to a domain so I seriously doubt it would support domains.

[Steve H @ Jul 16th 2007 5:18PM]

Windows Home Server is a NAS plain and simple, but unlike a NAS you can add-on different apps like Wake-On Lan, PhotoSync. WSUS works, but it drags systems down I suspect exchange and active directory would do the same. Those ideas are nice, but it would have made the price of software extremely high.

According Thurott(SP ?) it's being released as a retail software only version and OEM version for HP and others wanting a Home Server based NAS.

[Peter @ Jul 16th 2007 6:08PM]

Steve H - It is MUCH more than a NAS. One major difference is that in incorporates daily image/delta backups controlled by the Home Server. So you don't need to configure each machine to run backups and you don't have to remember to do them. Just put the client in sleep or standby at night WHS will wake it up, do the backup and put it back to sleep.

That is much more than an off-the-shelf NAS can do.

[Steve H @ Jul 16th 2007 10:47PM]

I agree Peter it's very relieving to know I have a system in place for backups before this came along I did nothing. I leave my current MCE HTPC and my main system on pretty much all the time, but yes it is nice that it wakes up the system and then tucks it back into bed again.

[joe @ Jul 16th 2007 5:55PM]

I am in the BETA and as I understand it WHS is being designed to run on an OLD PC that you have loaded with hard drives. I would have to say it is more than a NAS.

[ceaseoleo @ Jul 16th 2007 5:57PM]

This is the funniest joke of the day. Cheaper solution, get cheap pc's, run linux, and you have (n) nas servers.

[Peter @ Jul 16th 2007 6:20PM]

ceaseoleo - You are correct that WHS might not make sense for the more technically inclined Engadget crowd, but for the more mainstream user WHS would be a great product. How many average Windows users could set up a Linux NAS from scratch on old hardware, create the shares and configure backups? Not too many.

[jstueve @ Jul 16th 2007 7:14PM]

My understanding is it should be available via normal OEM/System Builder channels (i.e. TigerDirect, NewEgg). When exactly, I haven't the foggiest.

[NoK610 @ Jul 16th 2007 7:37PM]

It's on page 5 of the Getting started guide.

"Recommended: Pentium4, AMDx64, or newer processor.
WindowsHomeServer includes a 32-bit operating system, which runs on 32-bit and 64-bit (Intel EM64T and AMD x64) architectures. Future versions of WindowsHomeServer may support 64-bit processors only, so it is recommended that you use a 64-bit compatible processor in order to make sure that you can upgrade to future versions."

Like I said before, hopefully this doesn't happen, but that's what they stated.

[NoK610 @ Jul 16th 2007 8:00PM]

It's more than a NAS, you can actually stream video, pictures, music and movies to any media receiver, i.e. Xbox 360, Medialounge, etc. You can set up a remote access to your WHS via the internet which allows it to act as an FTP and it will let you remotely connect to any pc on the network, as long as it's running WinXP PRO / WinXP Media Center / Vista. As someone stated before, it backs up all the pc's on your network for you automatically. One of the cooler features of the WHS is that it will actually allow to add more storage and protect your data more efficiently than RAID according to MS. Users can select the data they deem valuable so they can choose to backup only that specific data. It reports the status of your pc's and of the hard drives health in the WHS. So if one is failing, it will warn you ahead of time and you can easily swap it out and replace it with any size hard drive. For most technically advanced users, it seems like a poser server trying to fit the needs of the technically challenged... it is. But I've been using it for 2 months now and I don't think I will go back. I don't have to worry about it crapping out, and rebuilding a RAID array especially when I'm working a 40hr week as a PC Tech. It's convenient, easy to use and I don't have to waste my weekends.

[Bryce @ Jul 16th 2007 9:01PM]

I downloaded the release candidate and installed 2 weeks ago. So far it has been nothing but stable and dead simple to use. To those who say "download linux" show me one distro that has everything in WHS and can be installed in less than 45 minutes. Yes you can do most of things in WHS in Linux, but WHS really does pull it together into a slick easy to use package. I'm not a huge Microsoft fan in general but this time they nailed the major points pretty well.

[Chris @ Jul 16th 2007 10:29PM]

1 phrase is the reason WHS slams any distro of linux tweaked to do the same... "EASE OF USE!" this thing is easy as pie and does pretty much everything i could ask for... as for a mail server they already said in a future version perhaps... remember this is the first edition EVER of WHS ... and for a first release this thing rocks...

As for linux being more "solid" sorry to tell you this but WHS is stripped to the minimum attack surface wise and from all my testing is damn solid... but then again so is win2k3... but idiots seem to neglect to realize how badass windows server is these last few years. WHS and win2k8 are even more so.

[Russell @ Jul 16th 2007 11:13PM]

WHS is pretty damn sweet, as an IT guy... I've got W2k3 and 2k8 beta servers all over the place at work, but just a handful of systems at home with a ghetto rigged "one box to rule them all" file server...

I will be using my MSDN copy to build a WHS or maybe just throw down for the nice HP with warranty etc... Even for tech guys, ease of use matters in the home. Unless you love f'ing with your personal stuff till wee hours just to save a few dollars.

[Tomahawk @ Jul 17th 2007 8:40AM]

The stupid thing is that this is just another flavor of 2003 Server. It makes no sense, with 2008 Server just a couple months from RTM, you would think that it would be a flavor of 2008, since this is meant for Vista systems and Vista shares almost all of its code with 2008. I just can't figure out M$. Just like when they released the Windows XP UMPC a couple months before Vista was released, Where's the sense in that.....oh that's right....Vista's a memory hog! Way to go Microsoft keep up the good work!!!

[Chris @ Jul 17th 2007 10:06AM]

1 phrase is the reason WHS slams any distro of linux tweaked to do the same... "EASE OF USE!" this thing is easy as pie and does pretty much everything i could ask for... as for a mail server they already said in a future version perhaps... remember this is the first edition EVER of WHS ... and for a first release this thing rocks...

As for linux being more "solid" sorry to tell you this but WHS is stripped to the minimum attack surface wise and from all my testing is damn solid... but then again so is win2k3... but idiots seem to neglect to realize how badass windows server is these last few years. WHS and win2k8 are even more so.