I'm doing the unthinkable! This April FOSS-Flap column turns away from free and open source software to something very proprietary: Microsoft Windows Home Server. Hopefully this idea might also work for you.
My winter project has been to automatically backup a group of four aging WindowsXP computers at my church. Non-profits typically never have money to own a real server with backup capability and keep their fingers crossed that irreplaceable data can always be recovered when problems occur. This is not smart, and Windows Home Server was the best inexpensive hardware/software solution I could find. This graphic shows several Windows Home Server devices.
I bought the Asus TS Mini with 500GB storage for $300 including shipping at NewEgg (now lists at $350).
Here is the ASUS announcement blurb:
| "Asus takes aim at the top of the home server market and hits it spot with the TS Mini SOHO series. This compact box is more than just a drive controller and some connectors. It's powered by an extremely energy efficient Intel Atom 1.66GHz processor with 1GB of DDR2 memory. Windows Home Server operating system helps you to easily store, access, share and protect your digital files. |
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It already includes a large 500GB SATA drive for great storage, and you can add additional hard drives without tools. If that isn't enough, there are 6 external USB 2.0 ports for external storage devices, printers and wireless networking. Or, if you want to go wired, there's a Gigabit Ethernet port. Two e-SATA ports are provided for high-speed external drives. This gives you redundancy or the ability to attach networked devices. |
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Automatically manage files, back up multiple computers and deliver security protection. You can even set up a personal web address to be used for remote access and for visitors. Enjoy the functionality home server system with ASUS TS Mini SOHO Home Server!" |
Windows Home Server software comes pre-installed. The small case device consists of a motherboard/ processor, ram, power supply, hard drive, one Ethernet jack and lots of USB and SATA connections. The efficient 90 watt power supply is external like a laptop; the unit typically draws about 30 watts. There is room to install a second hard drive but no keyboard, mouse, CD-ROM or VGA output. The Asus manual is complete and they do supply discs to reinstall server software or restore workgroup computers if necessary.
After unpacking the TS Mini, I attached it to the network with the Ethernet cable. On one workgroup computer I installed the Home Server Connector software from the CD. As part of the installation, you name your server and give it a strong administrator password. (A strong password is seven characters long and contains at least three of these sets: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.) At this time, I also ran Windows Update to get the latest changes. An administrative user at other Windows workgroup computers can install Home Server Connector software from the CD or the server itself by opening a browser to http://servername:55000.
I was now able to log into the server from workgroup computers, first using a wizard where I set a wake time on each computer for automatic backup daily between midnight and 6:00AM.
Another nice Home Server feature is shared server folders and files, that may be accessed at any workgroup computer. Users added to the server with strong passwords may have full, read-only, or no privileges. This is perfect for media files, data, and folders.
I ran preliminary manual backups from each computer, to be sure there were no issues, and then waited till next morning to see backups had successfully run overnight. I'm currently using the default backup setting that runs daily backups and retains data in weekly data sets for three months. Here are graphics of my network dashboard with four computers connected (the top computer is sleeping). The second graphic shows the Home Server Settings. This is the only place where the server may be properly shut down, and this is only accessed on a workgroup computer.
Asus includes software to add a second hard drive, Xtor Manager to synchronize data to external USB/eSATA drives, ASUS WebStorage (a one year account to store 500GB online), and ASWM (a browser-based server administration utility). Some additional Home Server add-ins are available to download at Microsoft.
So far I haven't set up remote access to the Home Server. It's impossible to set the Home Server at a fixed or static IP and DHCP and my aging router does not communicate via UPnP. This is a small hindrance and the entire network is much more secure. I have VNC connectivity into one workstation, so I presently control and check the Home Server installation via my Linux box at home.
So, I really did the unthinkable... I never dreamed my Winter project would be proprietary (or headless). The server is technically headless since it uses no input or output devices. Backups work well, and while not open source, Windows Home Server meets the need at the right cost, is extremely quiet, occupies little physical space, and Windows users seem to easily accept it running in the background.
Next month, I'll be back reporting on Open Source <g>, and my topic will be using WordPress — not for blogging, but for websites.
What is the FOSS-SIG?
The FOSS-SIG is a TBCS Special Interest Group that advocates the use of Free and Open Source Software. We meet at the TBCS Resource Center the last Thursday of each month, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, skipping the November and December meetings (holiday weeks). We broadcast live, so check the TBCS website for live and recorded meeting links. Please plan to join us April 29th for the next meeting.
Our website at fosssig.com includes content from past meetings, upcoming agendas, "FOSS Finder Links" to locate open source programs, items awaiting review (on the back burner) and much more. Please visit the website and make suggestions.
Till next month...
