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it. Instead, you pop up your browser and
type http://server name/connect, where the
server name is the name you gave the server
during setup. Then you can download WHS
Connector and install it on the target system.
Note that a version of Connector is down-
loadable for Mac OS X as well as Windows.
If you have your PC set to automatically
log in when you start up Windows, the WHS
Connector install will want you to disable
that feature. Until WHS is up and running,
and all passwords are consistently set, you’ll
need to manually log in. Since this is a home
server, not a business server, you’ll wantyour system login and your WHS account
login to be the same. Once the logins and
passwords are created and are the same,
you can re-enable auto-login on your PC.
The Vail dashboard resembles the old
WHS dashboard, but offers more user-
friendly help. You’ll want to create logins
for other users on the network. The backup
wizard steps you through the process of set-
ting up backups for all the users, as well.
You can also more easily configure
backups of the server than in the original
WHS—after all, if the server goes down,
you’ll lose your backups, so having a backupof the server is pretty important.
Vail also offers a built-in media server,
which is fully DLNA-compliant. If you plan
on streaming media from the server, you’ll
want to configure the media server.
Once you’ve got users and the server
itself configured, you’re ready to go.The Vail Dashboard is more user-friendly, and actually has useful built-in help and walk-throughs.You’ll want to confi gure automatic backups once
you’ve got all your systems set up.It’s easy to confi gure the new media server capa-
bilities, including transcoding-quality settings.VAIL’S LANDSCAPEAbout Features and Add-ins
Unlike the fi rst WHS, Vail now natively understands Windows 7,
including Win7 homegroups. Note that Vail is 64-bit only, so systems
running it will need a native 64-bit processor. This means that some
Atom-based systems (Atom N2xx, Atom Z500, and Z600) will not run
Vail. This also means that upgrading from the current WHS to Vail will
be diffi cult. Even if the CPU is 64-bit capable, the current Windows
Home Server is 32-bit with PAE support. So, if you plan on migrating
an existing Windows Home Server installation to Vail, you’ll want to
back up your data, then reformat your hard drives before installing Vail.
Vail has the familiar Windows Home Server Dashboard. How-
ever, there’s also a new Launchpad. The Launchpad allows an indi-
vidual user to access shared folders, confi gure, or launch a backup.
The media server built into Vail surpasses the original WHS,
and reduces the need for a third-party media server add-in, like
Twonkymedia. Given its full DLNA support, you can even connectfrom DLNA-equipped consumer electronics devices and game con-
soles. Note that the transcoding support currently doesn’t work with
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
The new WHS is built on top of the Windows Advanced Server
2008 core. The WHS dev forum is full of messages regarding various
add-ins that don’t work or have limited functionality. (Remember,
this is beta software!) If you’re running WHS with either free or
commercial add-ins, consider your migration carefully. Current-gen
WHS add-ins won’t work with Vail. However, companies are busy
developing add-ins, such as Awieco’s WakeOnLan (www.awieco.
com/Products/WakeOnLan). If you’re dependent on an add-in you’re
currently using (for, say, home automation), you’ll want to make
sure it’s Vail-ready before making the switch.
Remote access is now more robust, and will even support
streaming media to remote devices. So you can show off your home
movies and photos of the family while you’re on the road. As with
the original WHS, you can also log in remotely and perform system
management chores.