Need to build a Windows Home Server

[jasonmatty1]

I have a customer who is looking for a Windows Home Server. We decided the best option for them is to build one versus buying a prebuilt. She needs a lot of space and wants the mirrored capacity. So we are going to put in 2 sets of mirrored 1.5 TBs to give her a total of 3TB of usable space.
Here are the specs we are looking at:

MSI AM2+ Board
AMD 7750
4GB Memory
DVD Drive
650 PSU
Windows Home Server

My main question is as to what drivers it will use. Is it compatible with XP or vista drivers or does it need windows server 2003 drivers?
Also has anyone had experience setting this up? I’ve done thousands of windows setups before just not this.

 

[MrUnknown]

from what I understand, Windows Home Server is based off of Windows Server 2003. so yes, you will need server drivers.

 

[angry_geek]

I think we're missing most of the pie here. First is why does she want Home Server? Second is does she need Home Server? People see commercials and think that is what they need. What does she want to do with it? Is it just for storage and backup? Or does she intend to do home automation? Does she want something for streaming media? Wireless or wired?

 

[lawson_jl]

My take on this is if you need a home server then you should be able to build one yourself. I can think of no reason any consumer needs a server of any type.

 

[MrUnknown]

There can still be a time when they would want/need WHS, which is really just a very nice automatic backup system. For 3TB of storage, I could see someone maybe doing video or image editing for print and needing access to them across multiple home PCs.

either way, why are we questioning weither or not this other person's client needs something or not instead of answering the question? Based on the post, he has spoken with the client and recommended a system based on their needs. OR, the client decided they wanted one and he is just complying.

 

[frostbyte5014]

If all she needs is storage she doesn't need a server. You can turn an old pc into a NAS or get some USB hard drives. Unless she is hosting a website, game server or application it is doubtful she needs a server.

If she actually needs a server, I would use an Intel system. Don't get me wrong I love AMD, but you don't put them in a server. Please don't tell me that I'm stepping on anyone's toes about the AMD thing or I will LOL!

 

[jasonmatty1]

She owns a property management company and they have to take thousands of pictures a day of various properties. Right now they are using a xp machine that 8 other machines are being manually backed up to. The best solution is to back up to a server which will also mirror the data across several hard drives as her business will be toast without the information.

 

[frostbyte5014]

I guess we all were confused when you said home server. Sounds like she has a real business. I would still recommend a NAS maybe with a raid.

 

[angry_geek]

I would recommend a NAS as well. However, a better solution may be a linux box with a hardware-based raid array. I would also suggest a gigabit connection to the network for the server. That much data will overwhelm a 100 m connection. You can set each machine to automatically back up to the server. You should also consider disaster recovery. Consider a rotation of esata drives, so there is always a copy of the data off-site.

 

[hondablaster]

Don't get me wrong I love AMD, but you don't put them in a server. Please don't tell me that I'm stepping on anyone's toes about the AMD thing or I will LOL!

MSI motherboard. They are OK. They usually die on me. Ive never had to replace an ASUS I owned Ive bought and sold a few.

Looking for support? Drivers, large user community. Save yourself a headache go ASUS. A P5Q or N force series with a low wattage wolfdale core.

I like ASUS!!!!!!!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=asus+p5q&x=0&y=0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...r=BESTMATCH&Description=wolfdale+core&x=0&y=0

Use a 80 certified PSU.

 

[MrUnknown]

NAS could also work.

for disaster recovery, WHS could also work. It can do a full system restore because it takes an image of the system. It also stores only 1 copy of unique files to save space.