Your home network contains vital files for your life in today's digital world — photos, records, personal correspondence, music. This guide shows you how to back up those files and access them from anywhere using Windows Home Server. It helps you define your needs and choose the right product, install and set up Windows Home Server, create and use accounts and permissions, manage automatic backups, set up a system to facilitate data storage, recover lost data, and keep your network healthy.
1. Introducing Windows Home Server.A New Kind of Computer.
Simple Backup.
Your Files, Anywhere.
Seamless Expansion.
Network Health.
Who Needs a Home Server?
Understanding what WHS Isn't.
2. Your Digital Life.
Developing a Strategy.
Committing to Using Centralized Storage.
Understanding Metadata.
Categorizing Your Information.
Warning about the “Unsorted” Category.
Organizing Your Categories.
Photos.
Chronological Organization.
Tagging.
Entertainment.
Documents.
How Can Windows Home Server Help?
Centralized Storage.
Predefined Shared Folders.
User-Defined Shared Folders.
Personal Shares.
Search Technology.
A Living Strategy.
3. Selecting Your Home Server.
Buying or Building Your Server.
Choosing a Prebuilt Server.
OEM / Retail.
System Builder.
Support.
Other Considerations.
Building Your Own Server.
Risk.
Cost.
Customization.
Satisfaction.
Selecting Your Server.
General Considerations.
CPU.
Hard Drives.
RAM.
Network Connection.
Chassis / Expansion.
Special Considerations for Prebuilt Retail/OEM Servers.
System Builder or Building Your Own.
Summary.
4. Setting Up Your Home Network.
Designing Your Network.
Parts of a Home Network.
Broadband Access Modems and Routers.
Switches or Hubs.
Computers and Servers.
Some Notes About Wireless.
Planning It Out.
Environmental Concerns.
Setting It Up.
Broadband Modems.
Routers.
Switches.
A Note on DHCP and Subnets.
Network Adapters.
Wireless Security.
WEP or WPA?
Summary.
5. Getting Started with Windows Home Server.
Finding your Home Server a Home.
Technical Requirements.
Power.
Network.
Other considerations.
Environmental Concerns.
Heat.
Dust.
Noise.
The Newest Member of Your Household.
Setting it up.
Setting up Windows Home Server on PC Hardware.
Setting up a Retail/OEM Windows Home Server.
Connecting Your Home Network.
Summary.
6. Creating User Accounts.
Basics of User Accounts.
Authentication.
Authorization.
Creating Accounts.
Creating an Account on Windows Home Server.
Creating an Account on Your PC.
Using the Update Password Tool.
Changing a Password.
Updating the Rest of Your PCs.
Should You Enable the Guest Account?
What Is the Guest Account Used For?
Enabling the Guest Account.
Managing Permissions.
Changing Folder Permissions.
Enabling and Disabling Remote Access.
Summary.
7. Creating Backups.
Backup Defaults.
Managing Your Backup Schedule.
Constraints.
Considerations for Your Backup Schedule.
Deciding on a Schedule.
Setting the Schedule.
Managing Backup Retention.
Considerations.
Deciding on Backup Retention.
Setting Backup Retention.
Disabling Backups for a Computer.
When to turn off backups.
How to Turn Off Backups for a Computer.
Turning Backups Back On.
Managing Volumes and Exclusions.
Considerations for Volumes.
Considerations for Folders and Files.
Other Thoughts on Volumes and Exclusions.
Running the Backup Configuration Wizard.
Turning Off Computers.
8. Digital Spring Cleaning.
Revisit Your Strategy.
Before you Begin.
Setting Up.
Creating User-defined Shares.
Creating Folders.
Data Collection.
Finding your Data.
Moving Files.
Staging.
Checking For More Files.
A Caution About Search.
Learning New Habits.
Set a Good Example.
Create Shortcuts.
Remind Others of Benefits.
Revisiting Spring Cleaning.
Summary.
9. Sharing Printers and Other Devices.
Centralize your Printer.
Limitations.
Setting Up Your Printer.
Connect The Printer.
Log In To Your Home Server.
Add Your Printer.
Log Off From Your Server.
Connecting Clients To Your Shared Printer.
Sharing Media with Windows Home Server.
Setting Up Media Library Sharing.
Accessing Media from your Xbox 360.
Accessing Media From Other Devices.
Summary.
10. Recovering Lost Data.
Recovering Data From Backups.
Opening Backups.
Restoring Files on WHS Shares.
Restoring a Deleted File.
Restoring a Previous Version of a Damaged File.
Recovering From A Hard Drive Failure.
Other Reasons For Using System Restore.
Starting Recovery.
The Restore Computer Wizard.
Summary.
11. Enabling Remote Access.
Enabling Remote Access On Your Server.
Configure User Accounts for Remote Access.
Open the Windows Home Server Console.
Configure Your Broadband Connection.
Basics of IP Addresses and Routing.
Setting up Port Forwarding for UPnP Routers.
Manually Setting Up Port Forwarding.
Enabling Remote Desktop Access on Home Computers.
Enabling Remote Desktop Access.
Configuring your Firewall to Allow Remote Desktop.
Security Considerations.
Connecting to Windows Home Server Shares.
Connecting to Home Computers.
Summary.
12. Care and Feeding of Your Home Server.
Common Problems and Alerts.
Failed Backups.
Missing or Disabled Security Elements.
Missing or Unhealthy Drives.
Low Disk Space.
Adding and Removing Hard Drives.
Adding a Drive.
Removing a Drive.
Preventative Maintenance.
Reviewing Operations of Windows Home Server.
Computers.
Users.
Shared Folders.
Server Storage.
Network Health.
Physical Maintenance.
Managing Heat.
Removing Dust.
Managing Electricity.
Maintaining Your Server for a Long Life.
Summary.
13. Using Windows Home Server with Windows Live OneCare.
How Windows Home Server Helps With Security.
Monitoring and Managing Home Network Health.
Understanding Security Suites.
Antivirus.
AntiSpyware.
Firewall.
Other Features.
Defense in Depth.
Tradeoffs.
Antivirus for Windows Home Server.
What Antivirus Software Will Work With Windows Home Server?
Patches and Updates.
Automatic Updates.
Enabling Automatic Updates on Client Computers.
Keeping Other Programs Updated.
Automatic Updates and Your Windows Home Server.
Summary.
14. Third Party Applications.
The Sky is The Limit.
Media Hub Enhancements.
Security and Home Automation.
Personal Publishing.
Data Security and Information Sharing.
Installing Add-ins.
Buy or Download the Software.
Install the Add-in.
Uninstall an Add-in.
Early Add-in Examples.
ASoft AutoExit 2008 for Windows Home Server.
ElectricPocket LobsterTunes.
KeepVault Windows Home Server.
PhotoSync for WHS.
Whiist -Website Management Plugin.
Windows Home Server Program Launcher.
Windows Home Server Website Manager.
Xbox Community Feeds.
Upcoming Add-ins.
Diskeeper Corporation's Diskeeper 2008.
Embedded Automation mControl for Windows Home Server.
Lagotek Corp.'s Home Intelligence Platform.
Riptopia.
SageTV for Windows Home Server.
Summary.
Appendix A. Where Can I Find More Help?