February 2008
HP MediaSmart Server: First Look
A hub for your home network
Vacation ended two weeks ago and you're longing to relive some of those memories. You log onto your computer, but soon realize
that the vacation photos are stored on your spouse's PC. So, instead, you decide to finish watching the movie you and the
kids downloaded the other day. But, it's stored on your daughter's laptop. By the way, has she backed up that computer lately?
Those kinds of problems, typical in a networked multi-PC home, are what the HP MediaSmart Server ($750 for 1 terabyte of storage; $600 for 500GB) is designed to solve—which it does efficiently, though expensively. We took a First Look at this micro-tower, which runs Windows Home Server.
What it is. The MediaSmart Server is the first device of its kind to use Windows Home Server, Microsoft's all-in-one backup, file-sharing, and remote-access solution for homes with two or more networked PCs. Packaged in a micro-tower case (see top image), about one foot tall and deep, HP's server has none of the usual accoutrements of a normal desktop PC, like keyboard, mouse, and a port for a display. But it doesn't need them: You configure it entirely through a web-page interface from any PC on your home network. The box has just five ports—one for Ethernet, one for eSATA, plus three USB for attaching external drives. Depending on the model, there are two or three free bays for additional internal hard drives, the least-expensive way to increase storage.
WHS can back up each Windows XP or Vista computer on your network, and it maintains a common set of shared folders for music, photos, and videos, plus one for downloaded software, all accessible by any permitted user in your home. You can create other shared folders as well. Each user also gets a personal folder, accessible only to them. WHS allows up to 10 users, each with their own rights to any of the shared folders.
HP adds a customized user interface to the MediaSmart Server, plus some extra features.
HIGHS
Easy backup. The Home Server creates a backup plan automatically, which you can modify. By default, it backs up the entire contents of all networked computers' hard drives daily. It only updates files that have been added, moved, or changed, keeping each backup brief, and working invisibly in the background. We found that it could back up even an open Microsoft Outlook data file, which some products have problems doing when that file is in use.
When you want to restore a file, you open the server "console" by clicking the Home Server icon, and enter the server password. Choose your computer, choose a backup date, and open the backup. A folder list that looks just like the one on your computer pops up, from which you can drag and drop files you want to restore.
To restore your entire PC—say, because your hard drive was replaced—you can boot up using a supplied Restore CD, which communicates with the WHS and rebuilds your drive from scratch. It even provides any hardware drivers needed for your computer to access the WHS.
Media sharing. You can aggregate your media files in one place that stays available to all computers in your home—and to those you allow outside your home. HP's iTunes "aggregator" gathers iTunes media content from the various computers in your home and serves as a one-stop media library that everyone can access. Its photo-sharing application puts a pretty face on your collection of photos, and lets other users (at home, or on the web if you allow it) browse your photo albums, view slideshows, and save them. Close friends or family with proper access can even upload their own photos into albums to share.
Microsoft also has a free, downloadable add-in for WHS called WebGuide (in beta) that provides an alternative photo and music-sharing interface.
Remote access. Designated users can get secure remote access over the Internet to shared folders, through a free web address and a server home page. They can also establish a remote connection and operate all computers in the home that are capable of using Windows Remote Desktop sharing (a feature of Windows XP Pro and Vista Business or Ultimate). Secure web protocols make it relatively safe.
Expandability. If you run low on storage, you can plug in extra hard drives, either internally (MediaSmart Server has at least two free bays), or externally via the USB or eSATA ports.
Security features. You'll see an icon in the Windows notification area (lower right of the Desktop) that is green when all is well. If Home Server finds that any computer in the house has not been backed up for a while (say, it's been turned off), the icon turns orange and a warning pops up telling you which computer is off schedule. Similarly, if the Windows Security Center on any PC detects a problem with security (say, your antivirus has expired), the icon on the other PCs will turn red and an alert will appear.
LOWS
Windows only. WHS works on Windows PCs only. Any Macs running OS X on your home network must use other backup solutions like Mac OS Leopard's Time Machine.
Limited router compatibility. Your router needs to support Universal Plug-and-Play so that WHS can set it up for remote access. If the router doesn't support UPnP, you'll have to make some arcane settings on your own.
Domain name not free. Not surprisingly, HP steers you toward a partner company, TZO.com, to buy the domain name you need for remote access, saying, "Other providers may limit functionality." A domain name costs $10 per year after the first year. (The TZO-based domain name is supposed to allow you to be notified by e-mail when a user uploads new photos.) Microsoft offers an alternative "myname.homeserver.com" domain name free of charge that has no functionality limitations that we could see.
10-user limit. Only 10 users/PCs can log into shared media. While that's not an obvious problem for home users, consider that all devices that might share media are counted, including media receivers, X-Box consoles, and PCs running Media Player 11. An active household could run into the limit.
It's pricey. A networked hard drive could provide a less-expensive alternative to Windows Home Server, but there are some features you'd miss with that option, including: easy access to shared music, photos, and other files from all connected computers and digital media receivers without leaving a computer running as a media server, remote access over the Internet to your media files, automatic backup, the certainty that all security products are updated and running properly, signals that let you know that your backups and security programs are running properly, or that tell you when there's a problem.
BOTTOM LINE
The HP MediaSmart Server is a thorough, if pricey, backup and security solution for a multi-PC home running Windows PCs. While it's not difficult to set up and maintain, having some computer-savvy, or knowing someone who does, helps. The media-sharing and remote-access features are icing on the cake. If your family uses its PCs heavily for photography and music, you'll really appreciate those features.
Those kinds of problems, typical in a networked multi-PC home, are what the HP MediaSmart Server ($750 for 1 terabyte of storage; $600 for 500GB) is designed to solve—which it does efficiently, though expensively. We took a First Look at this micro-tower, which runs Windows Home Server.
What it is. The MediaSmart Server is the first device of its kind to use Windows Home Server, Microsoft's all-in-one backup, file-sharing, and remote-access solution for homes with two or more networked PCs. Packaged in a micro-tower case (see top image), about one foot tall and deep, HP's server has none of the usual accoutrements of a normal desktop PC, like keyboard, mouse, and a port for a display. But it doesn't need them: You configure it entirely through a web-page interface from any PC on your home network. The box has just five ports—one for Ethernet, one for eSATA, plus three USB for attaching external drives. Depending on the model, there are two or three free bays for additional internal hard drives, the least-expensive way to increase storage.
WHS can back up each Windows XP or Vista computer on your network, and it maintains a common set of shared folders for music, photos, and videos, plus one for downloaded software, all accessible by any permitted user in your home. You can create other shared folders as well. Each user also gets a personal folder, accessible only to them. WHS allows up to 10 users, each with their own rights to any of the shared folders.
HP adds a customized user interface to the MediaSmart Server, plus some extra features.
HIGHS
Easy backup. The Home Server creates a backup plan automatically, which you can modify. By default, it backs up the entire contents of all networked computers' hard drives daily. It only updates files that have been added, moved, or changed, keeping each backup brief, and working invisibly in the background. We found that it could back up even an open Microsoft Outlook data file, which some products have problems doing when that file is in use.
When you want to restore a file, you open the server "console" by clicking the Home Server icon, and enter the server password. Choose your computer, choose a backup date, and open the backup. A folder list that looks just like the one on your computer pops up, from which you can drag and drop files you want to restore.
To restore your entire PC—say, because your hard drive was replaced—you can boot up using a supplied Restore CD, which communicates with the WHS and rebuilds your drive from scratch. It even provides any hardware drivers needed for your computer to access the WHS.
Media sharing. You can aggregate your media files in one place that stays available to all computers in your home—and to those you allow outside your home. HP's iTunes "aggregator" gathers iTunes media content from the various computers in your home and serves as a one-stop media library that everyone can access. Its photo-sharing application puts a pretty face on your collection of photos, and lets other users (at home, or on the web if you allow it) browse your photo albums, view slideshows, and save them. Close friends or family with proper access can even upload their own photos into albums to share.
Microsoft also has a free, downloadable add-in for WHS called WebGuide (in beta) that provides an alternative photo and music-sharing interface.
Remote access. Designated users can get secure remote access over the Internet to shared folders, through a free web address and a server home page. They can also establish a remote connection and operate all computers in the home that are capable of using Windows Remote Desktop sharing (a feature of Windows XP Pro and Vista Business or Ultimate). Secure web protocols make it relatively safe.
Expandability. If you run low on storage, you can plug in extra hard drives, either internally (MediaSmart Server has at least two free bays), or externally via the USB or eSATA ports.
Security features. You'll see an icon in the Windows notification area (lower right of the Desktop) that is green when all is well. If Home Server finds that any computer in the house has not been backed up for a while (say, it's been turned off), the icon turns orange and a warning pops up telling you which computer is off schedule. Similarly, if the Windows Security Center on any PC detects a problem with security (say, your antivirus has expired), the icon on the other PCs will turn red and an alert will appear.
LOWS
Windows only. WHS works on Windows PCs only. Any Macs running OS X on your home network must use other backup solutions like Mac OS Leopard's Time Machine.
Limited router compatibility. Your router needs to support Universal Plug-and-Play so that WHS can set it up for remote access. If the router doesn't support UPnP, you'll have to make some arcane settings on your own.
Domain name not free. Not surprisingly, HP steers you toward a partner company, TZO.com, to buy the domain name you need for remote access, saying, "Other providers may limit functionality." A domain name costs $10 per year after the first year. (The TZO-based domain name is supposed to allow you to be notified by e-mail when a user uploads new photos.) Microsoft offers an alternative "myname.homeserver.com" domain name free of charge that has no functionality limitations that we could see.
10-user limit. Only 10 users/PCs can log into shared media. While that's not an obvious problem for home users, consider that all devices that might share media are counted, including media receivers, X-Box consoles, and PCs running Media Player 11. An active household could run into the limit.
It's pricey. A networked hard drive could provide a less-expensive alternative to Windows Home Server, but there are some features you'd miss with that option, including: easy access to shared music, photos, and other files from all connected computers and digital media receivers without leaving a computer running as a media server, remote access over the Internet to your media files, automatic backup, the certainty that all security products are updated and running properly, signals that let you know that your backups and security programs are running properly, or that tell you when there's a problem.
BOTTOM LINE
The HP MediaSmart Server is a thorough, if pricey, backup and security solution for a multi-PC home running Windows PCs. While it's not difficult to set up and maintain, having some computer-savvy, or knowing someone who does, helps. The media-sharing and remote-access features are icing on the cake. If your family uses its PCs heavily for photography and music, you'll really appreciate those features.
