Note:I could find no category "Windows Home Server", or I would have put this there. WHS is based on Win Biz Server 2008, which is the same core build as Vista. So this was the closest category I could find.
I got the 120-day free eval of Windows Home Server. Thought I'd try it out to see how I like it since I have an old case sitting around doing nothing, and I happen to need a file server.
The problem I ran into is that while the MSFT website and product packaging claim a 120-day free eval, the actual eval period expired after something like 90 days. Not even, in fact. So while the "Console" interface says that the eval will expire in May, I found out by looking into the event log that MSFT already considers the eval period to have expired.
So rather than me getting a popup or something inside the console saying, "your eval period will expire in X days", or even, "your eval period has expired", or even some kind of network status alert similar to what they do to tell you a backup failed, what do I get? The computer reboots every 2 hours. And I don't mean a soft reboot that waits for you to shut things down. It kicks off immediately, open-files-be-d@mned, just like hitting the reset button.
That's not good. I don't want my hardware cycled every two hours. I don't want my files getting corrupted because they are stuck open in the middle of a reboot.
So fair warning to fellow enthusiasts: if you're evaluating MSFT WHS, keep an eye on the machine's up-time and make sure it doesn't start kicking over on you (months before it's supposed to!).
Anyone else have this happen?
Anyone recommend something better for a file server that does the backups, is expandable, redundant, etc. but doesn't require a lot of maintenance?
I got the 120-day free eval of Windows Home Server. Thought I'd try it out to see how I like it since I have an old case sitting around doing nothing, and I happen to need a file server.
The problem I ran into is that while the MSFT website and product packaging claim a 120-day free eval, the actual eval period expired after something like 90 days. Not even, in fact. So while the "Console" interface says that the eval will expire in May, I found out by looking into the event log that MSFT already considers the eval period to have expired.
So rather than me getting a popup or something inside the console saying, "your eval period will expire in X days", or even, "your eval period has expired", or even some kind of network status alert similar to what they do to tell you a backup failed, what do I get? The computer reboots every 2 hours. And I don't mean a soft reboot that waits for you to shut things down. It kicks off immediately, open-files-be-d@mned, just like hitting the reset button.
That's not good. I don't want my hardware cycled every two hours. I don't want my files getting corrupted because they are stuck open in the middle of a reboot.
So fair warning to fellow enthusiasts: if you're evaluating MSFT WHS, keep an eye on the machine's up-time and make sure it doesn't start kicking over on you (months before it's supposed to!).
Anyone else have this happen?
Anyone recommend something better for a file server that does the backups, is expandable, redundant, etc. but doesn't require a lot of maintenance?