Windows Home Server

[stangdaman]

I am in the middle of putting together a server and all the hardware is installed but I am a bit split on what I would like to install for an OS. I initially wanted to go with Windows7 so I would have mediacenter on it and if I decided to add some xbox360s later down the road I could use the extender. However, the more I think about it I don't have any extenders right now and overall prefer GBPVR. I think Windows Home Server may be a better fit but since it doesn't have Media Center on it I need some other solution. I think I've heard that GBPVR will work on WHS but I haven't seen anything definitive. Can I install GBPVR onto WHS and is there anything I should watch out for with this? Will tuner, video drivers etc be the same as windows7 or vista or how will those work? I am kind of thinking that if it will install on WHS then if I decide to go with an extender later down the road I can always look at the Popcorn Hour or something like that instead.

[ReggiePerrin]

Hi

I've been running GBPVR on WHS for about a year now with no major problems (a simple reboot of the server has cured all problems so far.. done this 3 times in the past year). Clients are a few PCs and a PCH A100.

The GBPVR recording service can hang, but you can setup it up so it automatically restarts on failure (mod the service in control panel).

The only real challenges are with tuner card drivers, which may not like that WHS sits on top of Windows 2003 server; you may get a pop-up complaining that the driver isn't certified for the O/S. You can force install drivers onto the O/S if the thing refuses to play ball (a Google search will tell you how to do this)

GBPVR doesn't hog CPU or memory, so a high spec WHS setup isn't required. The liveTv folder works fine in the drive pool, but make sure you defrag disks regularly, or install something like PerfectDisk to automate the process. If you install an A/V client on WHS exclude the livetv and recorded Tv folders from on access scanning.

Plus make sure you have a wired network between the clients and the server (I tried wireless networking, 802.11g, to start with, but even SD TV was stuttering badly). I then upgraded to powerline networking, Homeplug 200AV, and this streams HD Tv and Movies with no problem to multiple clients. ALthough performance does depend on how good the electrical wiring is.

All in all GBPVR works great on WHS, it's on 24x7 for recording, and is a great place to host movies etc. When VAIL (WHS v2) is released and I upgrade the hardware I'll then upgrade to NPVR

At the moment I'm experimenting with installing 3cx PBX on the server to provide VOIP around the house and least cost routing of PSTN calls; my son will only phone his mates on their mobile's and it's costing a fortune, but this is another story

One last thing: you won't be able to watch TV on the WHS setup, only through the clients. The best thing is to deadhead the server (no keyboard, mouse or screen), and put it somewhere out of the way, although the location of your antenna may restrict things a bit.

I hope this helps

cheers
Reggie

[siliconaudio]

Nice post Reggie - there are some great tips in there and not just for WHS users (I hadn't thought to exclude those directories from on-access AV - great idea). I haven't actually looked at WHS, but if it is indeed based on Win2K3, the code base is the same as Windows XP, so even if XP driver installations raise warning messages, it should be safe to do so.