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Minggu, 05 Juni 2011

HP EX485 MediaSmart Home Server Review

Average Reviews:
3.8 out of 5 stars

(More customer reviews)UPDATED at Bottom on 05/05/2009

Hi All,

I have been using different types of NAS solutions, including a Drobo, for a while now and wanted to give the Windows Home Server solution a shot for my home.I am an IT person by trait.I know that it is fairly easy to build a small home server but I had heard so much about the HP interface that I wanted to give this a shot.Unfortunately I did not buy from AMAZON and had to use a third party to get the item....but that's neither here or there.My review is about the product itself.

The box includes the server, the rescue cd, the restore cd, and a cd for both mac/pc workstations.Remove the item from the box, plug in the power and a ethernet cord to your router/switch and you are ready to roll.The first setup of the client software MUST be done on a PC so that you can set the server up.Very easy and very well made software that will guide you through the entire process.

(A Side Note - HP Recommends that you use a router that has UPNP on it so that the remote capabilities of this server can be used without issues.A list of some routers is below. I was unfortunately using Apple Airport Extreme Base Stations but had a handy dandy D-Link DIR-655 at home...which I switched to immediately and permanently so I can use this server.Product Link for DIR-655: D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router

Once the setup process is concluded (5-10 minutes) you are able to start using the server at once and create user accounts, media syncing, iTunes servers, etc.Very Very simplistic approach.One of the reasons I give it a 5/5.One feature that I want to mention, which puts this device over the others, is that it has a built in plug-in that allows me to use an Amazon s3 account to backup the entire server...normally you would have to use a 3rd party software (jungle disk, which i own) to do this but having it built into the server and having the server manage the backup to the cloud is amazing.

MAC Specific: I wanted to see how this server would work on a MAC and what the ramifications would be of using time machine over the network without having to buy Apple's time capsule.Again, very easy.I installed the software on my macbook pro.It has a section where you define the amount of space you want to use on the server for your time machine backup...10-20-30-40-etc gb....Set the space, it creates the area on the server, hit the start button, go to time machine preferences and use this new hard drive which shows up in the list as HP Mediasmart Server and VOILA....you are time machining away at gigabit speeds.Did I mention the ethernet on this is Gigabit.

Dynamic DNS:We all have some sort of broadband if we consider devices like this and most of us do not opt to pay the exorbitant costs for static ip addresses....instead we just use DHCP from Cable or DSL.Those addresses change..maybe not often..but they do change.One of the features of WHS is to allow you remote access from where ever you may be...and or for a family member to get in and take a look at some files you have stored for them...pictures, music, etc...The server has a built in feature to allow you to use two or three services....TZO (if I remember correctly is one that is included free for one year--allows custom domain names), Microsoft offers a free domain if you have a FREE Microsoft Live ID.I opted for the free service as it allows me to use a simple name like tarun . homeserver . com.You simply pick a name for your server (tarun) and it goes and checks if it is available...if it is you are all set.This is when a UPNP router comes into play so that media smart can set the router up to allow incoming connections to the proper ports for the server....VOILA...works like a charm.I can get to the server from work and upload files, download, etc....very very nice and very easy.

I can get in to much broader detail about the setup but then that would defeat the purpose of this review.I think I have already typed to my hearts content.I really love this device...it is worth its price.I am sure we can all build it cheaper and smaller...but hey...for me I don't want to tinker with hardware since it is time consuming and I would much rather hang out with the kids.

This is a great device which, backed by HP, will only get better with time.

5/5

ps.If you have any questions...please feel free to comment and I will answer them as best as I can.

Quick Note 02-28-2009:If you are a PC user then the WHS agent will pull all of your music and pictures to the server and make them available...this includes iTunes music and playlists.If you are a MAC user...u are out of luck for automation...but you can copy your entire iTunes music folder over to the WHS Manually.WHS will make the iTunes library and playlists available to all network users.I moved my iTunes from my mac to the WHS and then simply told iTunes the new location...so if I add new music, podcasts, etc...I dont have to sync directories...iTunes will just add them to the WHS Music Folder...which is mounted on the mac as a volume.Hope that helps a bit.

ps..Firefly is what WHS/HP use for iTunes....something which I believe can be installed on a drobo with droboshare.

UPDATE 03-06-09 - If you are a opendns user then there may be some issues in regard to pinging and browsing to your whs using the connector on pc's.There is a simple fix...add an exception at [...] for your server.Example: server.local where server is your server name and .local is your home.I did it today and my pc was able to find the server without issue.Some routers may not experience this problem...but I had it with both the apple airport extreme and the d-link.A simple fix....

UPDATE 03-10-09 - Compatible Routers:
The Good:
* D-Link DGL-4100 GamerLounge Broadband Gigabit
* D-Link DGL-4300 GamerLounge Broadband Gigabit
* D-Link DIR-655 Wireless Xtreme N Gigabit
* D-Link EBR-2310 Ethernet Broadband
* D-Link WBR-1310 Wireless-G
* Linksys WRT150N Wireless N Broadband
* Linksys WRT54G3G-ST Wireless G for Mobile Broadband
* Linksys WRT54GC Compact Wireless-G Broadband
* Netgear WPN824NA RangeMax Wireless Router
* Trendnet TEW-631BRP Wireless N Draft
The BAD:
* Linksys WRT330N Wireless-N Gigabit Gaming
* Microsoft MN-500 Broadband Networking Wireless Base
* Apple Airport Extreme Base Station
* Linksys WRT55AG Wireless 4 Port
* Qwest Actiontec m1000DSL
* US Robotics USR8001 DSL/Cable with Print Server

Quick Update 03/13/2009 - Friday the 13th:
1.The server is backing up to Amazon S3 perfectly almost every day and I have not had one issue yet.

2.A FUN Project to try is to download the ps3 media server which is freeware that can be installed on WHS to automatically stream your music, videos, pictures, etc on to your PS3...if you have one.I will post a link in the comments section.

3.Last but not least for today - If you want to remove that annoying reminder to install Mcafee.....you can check the ignore button but that item remains in the list forever....How to remove it?There is a share from the mediasmart called SOFTWARE which houses certain files.One of the files is a rather large file....larger then 50mb if I am not wrong....I wish I could remember the name.That is the McAfee add-in installer...once it is removed from the software share and the server is restarted..u will never see it mentioned again and dont have to worry about checking off ignore.

I know this review is getting LONG...but I want anyone that owns and or is considering buying one of these units to have as much information as possible.Its not easy to drop $600 these days and end up with something you may never use.I sincerely hope my review helps you make the right decision.

Quick NOTE: 03/24/09 - Microsoft has released powerpack two for WHS.I have also configured, manually, my new dual band Apple Airport Extreme to work with WHS.You simply need to forward 3 ports to your WHS box from within the Airport Utility Software.I believe somone has posted a link in the comments section also.....

Update 03/26/09 - This was pointed out to me in the comments section as I was unaware.You are able to completely image a Windows PC and recover it via a CD that is provided by HP.The initial backup takes a while depending on how much space you are using but once its done you feel better knowing your machine can be fully recovered if the hard drive dies, etc..

Update 05/05/09 - (happy cinco de Mayo) - I just wanted to chime in and let everyone know that a new version of the WHS software is available from HP.Make sure you update your units so that they have the latest and greatest.The new features allow for automatic video conversion for any videos you drop in designated folders.Also, HP has a iPhone and iPod touch software which connects to the server to allow for music streaming and photo viewing.AWESOME features that keep making this an AWESOME addition to anyone's home network.

Click Here to see more reviews about: HP EX485 MediaSmart Home Server

Product Description:
Automatically back up and protect your digital memories, centralize your media and content for sharing with friends and family, and enjoy your digital media while at home or away with the HP EX485 MediaSmart Home Server. Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, this sleek, quiet server is ideal if you have multiple PCs on a home network, or want the flexibility to enjoy your digital experiences from anywhere over the Internet. And it's easy to set up--just plug it in, connect it to your wireless router (sold separately), and load the software onto your PCs and Macs.

The HP EX485 makes backing up your home's PCs and streaming media a breeze, and it comes with 750 GB of storage. Centralize your iTunes music libraries on the MediaSmart Server for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes. The HP Media Collector conveniently schedules the MediaSmart Server to copy and centralize digital files and libraries from networked PCs. The pre-installed HP Photo Publisher software enables you to easily upload photos to Facebook, Flickr, Picasa Web Albums and Snapfish. and the MediaSmart Server provides peace of mind with effortless backups of your Windows-based PCs via the Windows Home Server backup feature and Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software.
The EX485 MediaSmart comes with 750 GB of storage right out of the box and four drive bays that allow you to add optional off-the-shelf SATA I or II hard drives--up to a maximum capacity of 9 TB (terabytes). Additionally, the MediaSmart includes four USB 2.0 ports and one eSATA port for connecting an attached external hard drive, and it provides capabilities for offsite backup via automatic upload to Amazon's S3 service.
The sleek, streamlined micro-tower design is perfect for use in the home office or the living room, with perforated steel exterior panels that provide cool, quiet operation. A Sleep Mode conserves energy and saves you money in more ways than one. The built-in sleep mode consumes only 1W of power, and the server can take on many of your PC's responsibilities, enabling you to turn off your individual computers to further save energy and money.
Software Features

Satisfy all your backup and media storage needs with four internal hard drive bays, four USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port, and access to Amazon S3 online backup.

PC Operating System Support

Hardware Specifications

What's in the Box
HP EX485 MediaSmart Home Server, power cable, Ethernet cable (RJ45), PC restore disc, server recovery disc, software installation disc, printed documentation. The MediaSmart Server is backed by a one-year limited warranty and dedicated software technical support both online and by phone.

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Rabu, 04 Mei 2011

Acer Aspire easyStore AH341-U1T2H Home Server (Black) Review

Average Reviews:
4.7 out of 5 stars

(More customer reviews)QUICK SUMMARY: Acer's AH340/AH341/AH342 servers, when configured correctly, provide home users and small offices a powerful solution for automated backups, restores, remote access and media server capability. However, configuring this server can be challenging, and Acer makes little effort to help its customers. Microsoft's Windows Home Server is a terrific -- and stable! -- operating system. Add a 2nd hard drive, too, and you've got redundant data storage. Cautiously recommended.

*** SPECIAL NOTE as of February 6, 2010: McAfee Antivirus automatically updated their software to Version 5, which totally screwed up my server! STAY AWAY from McAfee!! If you buy this server, immediately use Remote Desktop to open the server's Control Panel, choose Add or Remove Programs, and uninstall McAfee from your server! McAfee cannot be trusted! Read the end of this review to learn more.

What follows is my review of the Acer Aspire AH340-UA230N Home Server, based upon my personal experience with it since purchasing one in late June 2009. For 2010, Acer has refreshed their Windows Home Server lineup using faster RAM and the Intel Atom D410 and D510 CPUs which have a slight bump in processor speed and, for the D510, more L2 cache.Other than this, the AH341 and AH342 servers are *exactly* the same as the older AH340 server.

****** ACER HOME SERVER PRODUCT CONFIGURATION CHART ******

Acer Aspire easyStore AH340-U2T1H Windows? Home Server, Intel? Atom(tm) Processor 230 (512KB L2 cache, 1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB), 2GB (2/0) DDR2 667 SDRAM, 256MB flash ROM, 2TB SATA hard drive, Intel? Graphics Media Accelerator 950, gigabit LAN

Acer Aspire AH340-UA230N Windows? Home Server, Intel? Atom(tm) Processor 230 (512KB L2 cache, 1.60GHz, 533MHz FSB), 2GB (2/0) DDR2 667 SDRAM, 256MB flash ROM, 1TB SATA hard drive, Intel? Graphics Media Accelerator 950, gigabit LAN

Acer Aspire easyStore AH341-U1T2H Windows? Home Server (that's the one you're viewing right now), Intel? Atom(tm) Processor D410 (512KB L2 cache, 1.66GHz), 2GB (2) DDR2 800 SDRAM, 256MB flash ROM, 1TB SATA hard drive, gigabit LAN

Acer Aspire easyStore AH342-U2T2H Home Server (Black), Processor D510 (1MB L2 cache, 1.66GHz), 2GB (2) DDR2 800 SDRAM, 256MB flash ROM, 2TB SATA hard drive, gigabit LAN

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If you read this very long review, you'll learn quite a bit about this Acer server and the Windows Home Server operating system. You'll also read about some minor issues I've run into, and how to workaround those issues. I've owned this server for six months now, and it's been a good experience overall. If you buy this Acer server, you're not going to get much help from Acer. So for any problems, your own technical know-how and the Internet community are your best sources of help.

In short, I bought this Acer server and successfully installed it on my home network. In very large part, it's doing what it's supposed to be doing, that is, it automatically backs up my four-computer home network, and it gives me remote access to my data, too. Thus far, I have only one small, re-occurring issue which I'll share in a moment.

The out-of-box experience is pretty good, but don't expect much by way of documentation. You'll need to look elsewhere to understand all the ins-and-outs of using Windows Home Server (WHS). Although the "Quick Start" booklet seems very thick, it's actually got the instructions in about five or six languages, and so when you read the English section (if you read English), you'll only see how to set-up the server with a little narrative and black-and-white screenshots that are difficult to read. Fortunately, the setup is pretty easy, and they do include a larger poster with just the absolute essentials (which is what I used), and the poster was good enough. In short, plug-in the ethernet cable from the server to your wireless router, and you're in business. The server is heavier than I expected, and *quieter* than I expected (much less noisy than my desktop computer).

Then, you install a CD in one of your available networked computers to install the Server Console on the installed-from computer, and to begin configuring your new server. One things stands out in my mind here...the instructions say turn-on your server and wait until the blue LED light is glowing steady. Trouble is, there are about seven or eight lights glowing at this point (one light for each of the four disk drive bays, a power-on light, a network light, an "information" light, and possibly a disk activity light), and some of the lights glow purple, not blue. Suffice it to say that you should wait a few minutes just to make sure everything is settled before you start server configuring.

The server configuration went pretty well, I thought. Do a Google search for "Acer Windows Home Server Review" and you'll find a website where someone has very helpfully documented the entire install process using color screenshots of each step. The installed server console program (running on one of your networked computers) is not resizeable and won't maximize, which is annoying. You can use Remote Desktop Connection to actually login to your new server (if you're not familiar with Remote Desktop Connection, it lets you connect to another computer from the computer you're using).

In a very short time, my old, quirky Gateway desktop computer (circa 2003, XP Pro, 2Ghz CPU, 512MB RAM, 80GB HD) was recognized by the new Acer server, and I was creating user accounts on the server that match my desktop computer (you should use a password on your user accounts, and be sure to specify the same password on the server as what you use for the desktop/laptop account).

At this point, I had my first problem -- the Gateway's connection to the server would get lost inexplicably during the first attempt at a manual backup. Long story short, I completely reinstalled Windows XP Pro SP-3 on the Gateway desktop, reinstalled the Windows Home Server Console, and was able to begin getting successful backups until I got to the point where I restored all my digital media files (using Acronis and an external hard drive -- not using the new Acer server) and then tried a WHS backup, which fails inexplicably. Could be my aging and quirky Gateway hardware, but it's a fresh install of XP and the error messaging is vague and unhelpful.

Notably, my three laptops (running XP Media Edition w/1GB RAM, Vista Ultimate w/2GB, and Windows 7 Ultimate w/4GB of RAM) backed up their contents perfectly -- no troubles at all, even backing up a very large VMWare virtual hard drive (which is a single, physical, 20GB file on my Vista laptop).

Very cool feature: This Acer will wake-up either a sleeping or hibernating computer to do the backup in the middle of the night! So, don't turn-off your computers, just put them in sleep/hibernate mode so they don't use much power, but will still get backed-up. (Note: WHS does *not* use Wake On LAN technology, which doesn't work reliably in all environments - the WHS technical strategy for waking sleeping/hibernating computers works much better than WOL). The WHS backups are incremental, so you can return to any previous point in time during a restore -- you aren't limited just to what was done last night. This is handy if you want to restore your computer to the way it worked one month ago, when it was working reliably (you'd probably do a 2nd restore, then, to load all your most recent data following the system restore).

To get remote access to work correctly, you need to modify your ISP's modem setups (your ISP's modem most likely has a built-in router, too). Choose "Bridged over Ethernet" protocol in the modem setups, and then configure your wireless router that's attached to the modem so it is a PPPoE connection (you'll need your ISP's account name and password for the router configuration). Once I got through this headache, I was able to gain remote access to my server -- very cool feature!! (BTW, don't count on any technical help by AT&T/Bellsouth - you won't get any that's helpful to you). You may also have trouble if your ISP blocks certain ports, like ports 80 and 443. One Amazon customer reported that Verizon blocks those two ports which are necessary to get remote access to your server. (ISPs generally don't like the idea of you running a server from a residential high-speed connection).

I did a successful restore of my quirky Gateway computer, just to see what that's like. Very simple. Install a Restore CD in the computer (which must be connected by ethernet, not wirelessly), and choose a backup on the server you'll use for the restore. I did this twice, and it worked perfectly and easily. A computer with XP SP-3, Office Pro and maybe 5GB of personal data was restored in about 20 minutes!

In short, it's a 4-star product because I can't backup my digital media files on my Gateway. My Gateway desktop hardware *is* quirky, so that very well might be the problem root cause, but even still, the WHS backup is unhelpful in diagnosing the exact issue for me. (The Windows Event Viewer alludes to a buffer space issue with a socket, but that's beyond the home consumer's ability to understand).

**** July 2, 2009 UPDATE

I've had this for just a few days now, and things are working nicely. I've got all my personal data on a shared folder, making all my data accessible anywhere on the...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Acer Aspire easyStore AH341-U1T2H Home Server (Black)

Product Description:
The Acer Aspire easyStore Home Server brings your digital home together with an easy and reliable way to store, share and access files, photos, music and videos anytime and anywhere. Enjoy a centralized digital library of all your files from multiple PCs in one location where it is protected, organized and easy to access. The perfect solution for households and home-based businesses that have more than one personal computer or want a simple backup solution with anywhere access.

Centralized Home Server

AH341-U1T2H Specifications

Store, Share and Access Files Anytime, Anywhere
Simplify your life and effortlessly store your photos, music, videos and documents in one centralized location making it easy to share with family and friends with anytime, anywhere access.

Effortlessly share and access your files from any home PC or remotely access the easyStore by setting up a secure personal web address on the Windows Home Server website.

One-Touch USB Backup allows for quick file uploading from your favorite digital devices. Simply plug-in the device, push the button and data is automatically sorted and stored by file type into designated folders.

Hassle-Free PC Protection & Round-the-Clock Reliability
Easily back up your data and digital memories onto the home server for reliable protection that's easy to do. With Smart File Backup you can schedule convenient automatic back up times and set standbys. Quick recovery process ensures all your files are safe and sound.

Enjoy reliable 24/7 protection with a McAfee total Protection Service safeguarding against intruders and viruses.

Experience around-the-clock reliability with the Intel Atom processor providing environmentally friendly, quality performance. With Windows Home Server it enables easy backup, access, sharing and storage of digital media and PCs.

Small Form-Factor Server Grows With Your Needs

Get 17% OFF

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