Pimp my Home Server

Just before Christmas 2008 I bought the HP EX475 MediaSmart windows home server. After reading about it before I purchased it I already knew that the puny 512 MB ram that it came with was too little so I already had 2GB ready for installation when the server arrived.

Now a little over six months later the 1TB disks was already over 75% full and I was tired of the underpowered CPU chopping up performance whenever the server tried to do more than one thing at the same time. The server uses AMD AM2 slot CPU’s and I bought a new 2.6 GHz Athlon processor for just over 300 NOK which is a really nice price for a CPU. Following the excellent guide from Home Server Hacks the procedure was quick and painless. Installing a new 1TB disk was also done in a few seconds.

Now my EX475 has 4 times the RAM, 2 times the storage and a CPU that is clocked at 45% higher frequency (but also quadruples the L2 cache) compared to the original. In other words my EX 475 is now more like a EX 485 than the EX475 that it once were.

And to be honest it was needed. If you want to do anything other than sharing documents and backing up PC’s you need to upgrade the RAM and CPU.

Main screen

v1.1.0.0
- Fixed shortcut keys (F5, F6, F8 etc)
- Pattern matching for select and deselect of files
- New dialog for storage information and server uptime
- Revamped user interface to match the Home Server Console style

I’ve implemented the two top features you the users had voted for. Click to read more and download.

The above mentioned guide tells you how to create a new restore DVD from your existing setup so that you can roll back to what ever setup you have now.

Great news for all the HP MediaSmart owners (yes this tip is only for use since it makes use of the built in flash boot that’s in hardware).

New features:
- Support for removable storage (CD, DVD or USB disks that are not part of the storage pool)
- Support for opening files directly via the Home Server Console (files are opened on your local computer and not the server)
- Lots of bug fixes

I am now asking for feedback from the users about what further functions you would like to see in future versions.

Grab it from http://blog.paks.no/2009/03/29/whs-file-manager-add-in/

What about the EX470/EX475?

HP has earlier said that they would also release a software upgrade for the older EX47x series. But they still will not commit to a time line for this release and I’m starting to feel left out in the cold here. Is this yet another case of trying to hold existing customers warm by promises, but in reality they have no plan to actually release anyting, but hope we get tired of waiting that in the end we buy next new shiny device instead?  I’ve been “dumped” by HP, Dell, HTC etc. so many times I cannot count. It’s all a race about pushing new models with new features. You get a few updates in the beginning, but as soon as a newer model is out all but critical updates dry out. That’s a real shame, especially since the models are so similar. It would have been much better for HP to release one set of software for their MediaSmart series and then just disable or give a warning about things the older EX47x series might not be able to handle like the real-time video transcoding.

via:
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2009/04/12/hp-announces-25-software-update/

Changes in this version

1.0.0.5
- Does no longer show printers as shares
- Made current location of each pane to stand out more (easier to see)
- Made each folder in pane path (above panes) clickable for easy access to
any parent folder
- Fixed problem with caching of exe file icons (all exe files got same icon)
- Added support for sorting by clicking list headers
- Canceling a rename operation (clicking escape) does no longer give an error
- Changed default drag operation from move in 1.0.0.3 to copy.
- Removed a lot of the error messages and instead disable the command buttons when you have not selected and files.

Link to add-in
http://blog.paks.no/2009/03/29/whs-file-manager-add-in/

The configuration software is available in-box on HP’s MediaSmart Server or it can be downloaded from here if you have other brands of Home Server.

This add-in simply starts that configurator from within a Windows Home Server Console Tab and allows you to allow and block access from your home server to various media devices in the home – an Xbox 360 for example.

Released: 2009-04-28
Version: 1.0.0.2

From the main screen you can see which media devices that have tried to connect to your sever. Here you can choose to allow or disallow access from those devices. From the shares screen you can add, edit and remove the folder you want to share. And from the settings screen you can decide if Media Connect is to start up automatically, and if new devices will get approved for access by default or not. Click images to see full size.

Sometimes you need to click the “Media Connect” toolbar multiple times in order to get the application to dock in the WHS console.

License

This Add-In is available free of charge, for all users (private, organizations and companies). You can copy and share the Add-In (in MSI form) for free. The only restriction is that you cannot sell or otherwise charge for the product.

Disclaimer

Any use of this software is on your own risk. We take no responsibility for any problems, data loss, hair loss or otherwise that you might experience.

Prerequisite

Media Connect 2.0 (You probably have this already).

Download

Media Connect Configuration Add-In v1.0.0.2 (24 kB) 3611 downloads

Read post for more information.

8752 downloads

Released: 2009-05-16
Version: 1.1.1.0

This is a simple dual-pane file manager for the WHS management console. It allows you to safely copy, move and delete files on your home server. You can navigate all files shares on the server and any removable storage devices attached to the server. The latest version even lets you open/run files locally from your server.

Use command buttons in the middle to copy, move or delete files. Or you can drag and drop files and folders from one side to the other.

License

This add-in is available free of charge, for all users (private, organizations and companies). You can copy and share the add-in (in msi form) for free, but you cannot put the add-on online for download. Instead link to this page. You cannot sell or otherwise charge for the product.

Any use of this software is on your own risk. I take no responsibility for any problems, data loss, hair loss or otherwise that you might experience.

Change log

1.1.1.0
- Small bug fix release

1.1.0.0
- Fixed shortcut keys (F5, F6, F8 etc)
- Pattern matching for select and deselect of files
- New dialog for storage information and server uptime
- Revamped user interface to match the Home Server Console style

1.0.1.0
- Support for removable storage
- Support for opening files from the server (music, movies, documents etc)
- Fixed lots of bugs

1.0.0.5
- Does no longer show printers as shares
- Made current location of each pane to stand out more (easier to see)
- Made each folder in pane path (above panes) clickable for easy access to
any parent folder
- Fixed problem with caching of exe file icons (all exe files got same icon)
- Added support for sorting by clicking list headers
- Canceling a rename operation (clicking escape) does no longer give an error
- Changed default drag operation from move in 1.0.0.3 to copy.
- Removed a lot of the error messages and instead disable the command buttons when you have not selected and files.

Donate

If you like the product and if you want to contribute a small amount towards continued development feel free to donate a small amount via PayPal.

Installation

If you already have an older version of WHS File Manager installed please uninstall it via the WHS console first. Then copy the MSI file (download below) to \\myserver\software\addins\ (replace myserver with the name of your server) and install via the WHS console’s Add-Ins section under settings.

Download

WHS FileManager Add-In v1.1.1.0 (172 kB)
User manual (online)

Webmasters: Please don’t copy this software and upload to your own site. If you want to link to this add-in please link to the web page and not the msi file directly (since I loose control and the URL will change on updates).

New feature poll

Ok users, now it’s your turn to tell me which of the following features you think is most important to get into the product. You can select up to three of the features. If you have suggestions for other not listed features leave a comment.