You know what you’ll find when you search the Internet for information about Microsoft Windows Home Server (WHS)? You’ll find lots of inconsistencies, half-truths, and totally false information. Now, don’t get me wrong: Top-notch sources of information—including Paul Thurrott’s WinInfo newsletter—do exist, offering valuable and accurate information about Microsoft’s latest server offering. But many other sites just aren’t getting it right. This month, I want to consider a few of the myths about WHS that I’ve seen on the Internet and try to uncover the truth.

Myth #1: WHS Is Available Only as an OEM (with Hardware) Product
It’s true that Microsoft originally considered offering WHS only to OEM vendors such as Dell, Gateway, and HP, but the company changed its mind many months ago. You can purchase an OEM version of the software from Newegg.com and Buy.com for $169.99 and $180.00, respectively. If you have an older PC sitting in the closet that meets the minimum requirements (i.e., 1GHz Pentium 3, 512MB of RAM, 80GB hard disk) and you like to customize your installations, this alternative might be cost effective for you.

Myth #2: WHS Is Just a Network Attached Storage (NAS) Device with Wi-Fi
Yes, WHS is a NAS device in that it lets you store your important files on a network storage device. However, it doesn’t have Wi-Fi, and as far as I know, Microsoft has no plans to add this capability in the future. WHS isn’t intended to replace your small office/home office (SOHO) router. On the contrary, WHS is designed to augment your existing network that already has a DSL or cable modem and a firewall/router.

Myth #3: A Linux Server Can Do the Same Thing as WHS
This myth is partially true. A few readers were vocal about Linux server functionality in the comments section of my first column. If you administer a network for a living, there’s no doubt that you could come up with a similar solution that mimics much of the functionality of a WHS server. The only problem is that not everyone is a network administrator, and even if you are a network administrator, you would probably welcome a turn-key solution for your home-network concerns. Personally, I work full time as a Windows administrator during the day, teach the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator program twice a week in the evenings, am working on my degree, and write articles for Windows IT Pro magazine. The last thing I want to do when I finally get home is troubleshoot why my Linux script isn’t backing up my PCs.

Myth #4: Providing Remote Access Is Dangerous and Stupid
I’ll admit that Microsoft hasn’t had the best record when it comes to security. But the company’s repeated embarrassments have taught the folks in Redmond that they can’t afford to ship products that resemble Swiss cheese. Therefore, when Microsoft developed WHS, it used technology that has repeatedly proven itself in the wild. WHS is built upon the success of the repeatedly proven Windows 2003 Server Small Business Server (SBS); many small businesses enjoy the security and stability that this mature OS brings. Because WHS is automatically installed on the retail version of HP’s WHS server, called a MediaSmart Server, you wouldn’t notice the SBS connection. But if you install WHS on a regular computer, you’ll notice right away that it’s a slimmed-down version of SBS with some added features built in.

Remember, however, that you have some responsibility when it comes to opening up your home network to outside access: Never give your username or password to people you don’t trust (including via email or IM programs). In addition, you should open only the ports on your SOHO firewall that Microsoft recommends in its article “Information about the automatic router configuration feature in Windows Home Server”. Rest assured, though, that Microsoft has released a very secure product that shouldn’t let you down.

Have You Tried WHS Yet?
WHS makes your life easier by automating your daily backups and gives you easy access to your PCs from anywhere in the world. You can also share photos and other files with your family members. Have you tried it yet?

On a side note, I’ll be speaking about WHS at Mark Minasi’s Forum Meeting in April. There will also be some terrific speakers in attendance, talking about Exchange Server 2007, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and a whole host of other cool topics. You can find all the details at the MR&D Forum Meeting 2008 Home Page.

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Reader Comments
I took part in the Beta 2 release of WHS, and I really like the product. I now have the HP MediaSmart 1TB server at home and I have installed several of the additional components that have been developed. My family likes the ability to connect to it and view pictures of our new grandson. RMCYPRESS -January 16, 2008 is it a myth that WHS corrupts files? that seems to be a very serious problem. db -January 16, 2008 db: Check out this post on Mark Minasi's Forum. It discusses the corruption issue in more detail: http://www.minasi.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=25144 In short, some very specific things have to happen in order for the files to become corrupt. That doesn't change the fact that it's a bad bug and it needs to be fixed....but it also has to be put in perspective. As Nick says in the post, "Don't Panic. Thanks for the feedback. :-) Eric B. Rux -January 16, 2008 Hello! Evolution is not what only Microsoft is doing, Linux is more stable on any hardware and you don't need to be Administrator all the time, more over help is available without spending hard cash. The thing you valued money and Linux is free and also more dependable. The very first thing after installing a fresh copy of windows is to install Anti Virus and Anti Spyware software. A new piece of intelligent code (Virus) crash a windows machine in no time to start you from zero! You can not compare Elephant with mole. And don't blame Linux for your faulty scripts! Now lets talk Windows! Regards, Mohammad Hasnain -January 23, 2008 Mohammad: While spinning the company and fanboy line is great at times, at others it just falls flat. Linux is NOT more stable on any hardware, its stable on certain hardware and less stable on others; just as Windows is. In fact, on servers I've admined running windows the vast majority of crashes or problems were hardware related - not windows. The same with linux. Any software issues could either be traced to misconfiguration (especially in the case of linux) or shody drivers (in both cases) Having said that, Linux is great if you want a minimal install, vast configurability and most importantly - dirt cheap cost (if you dont mind finding all the support yourself). There is however no direct comparison between WHS and Linux. Yes, you can get close (with Samba, rsync, RAID, LVM, Apache and...wow...thats alot to configure and setup and...monitor) but its no where near as easy or as fire and forget. Btw, the first thing you do with a copy of Windows is patch. Same as with Linux. Then, if mom and pop are going to be using the computer - install AV Chris -February 7, 2008 Eric: i tried linux as a home server and it just didnt suit the needs of the family in respect to compatibility, ease of use, and (god damn) sharing ntfs partitions that have some other owner. i really liked your thoughts on WHS and my question is simple: is WHS more stable than XP? thanks in advance. kr0ss -December 18, 2008 READER COMMENTS: We want to hear what you have to say about this article!     Acceptable Use Policy Your Comments (required): Your email is only used if our editors need to contact you. It is not used or stored for any other purpose, nor posted with your comments. Enter the text from the image below Please refresh the page if you have trouble reading this text.