Has Microsoft just ruined Windows Home Server?

jmke · 26th November 2010, 22:14

t does, however, have one special feature, a feature without any real equivalent in any other version of Windows, whether for desktop or for server. That feature is called Drive Extender. Conceptually, Drive Extender is quite simple: it allows multiple hard disks (regardless of interface or size) to be aggregated to provide a single large pool of storage. Folders on the pooled storage could also be selectively replicated, meaning that Drive Extender would ensure that copies of the files were found on multiple physical disks.

For a home fileserver, this is obviously a very handy capability. It allows simple ad hoc expansion of storage—no RAID rebuilding, no need to match disk capacities, no need to stick to any drive interface—and does so without the inconvenience of multiple drives, each of which has to have its free space managed manually.

For Windows Home Server's small, but vocal, following, Drive Extender is arguably the most important feature. It's what makes Windows Home Server something better than simply plugging some USB disks into a PC. Without Drive Extender, Windows Home Server as a product makes not a lot less sense.

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/new...campa ign=rss

27th November 2010, 20:48

Yup, MS might as well stop working on Vail right now if it doesn't have drive extender.

I'll just stick with my WHS v1 and by the time MS drop support for it, an independent company will no doubt have achieved what MS couldn't.

jmke · 27th November 2010, 23:12

Drobo for storage on your media server already beats drive extender...

28th November 2010, 08:57

Project Greyhole is also interesting, tough still in beta: http://code.google.com/p/greyhole/

It does somewhat the same as drive extender, so if greyhole it stable one day and Microsoft didn't add drive extender to WHS, then this might be a good alternative

.

//edit: crap, just noticed this is for linux

. Ah well, if you're setting up a linux home server, then you'll get Drive Extender, but then on linux

.

26th November 2010, 22:14	#1
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,021	Has Microsoft just ruined Windows Home Server? t does, however, have one special feature, a feature without any real equivalent in any other version of Windows, whether for desktop or for server. That feature is called Drive Extender. Conceptually, Drive Extender is quite simple: it allows multiple hard disks (regardless of interface or size) to be aggregated to provide a single large pool of storage. Folders on the pooled storage could also be selectively replicated, meaning that Drive Extender would ensure that copies of the files were found on multiple physical disks. For a home fileserver, this is obviously a very handy capability. It allows simple ad hoc expansion of storage—no RAID rebuilding, no need to match disk capacities, no need to stick to any drive interface—and does so without the inconvenience of multiple drives, each of which has to have its free space managed manually. For Windows Home Server's small, but vocal, following, Drive Extender is arguably the most important feature. It's what makes Windows Home Server something better than simply plugging some USB disks into a PC. Without Drive Extender, Windows Home Server as a product makes not a lot less sense. http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/new...campa ign=rss __________________

27th November 2010, 23:12	#3
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,021	Drobo for storage on your media server already beats drive extender... __________________

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27th November 2010, 20:48	#2
FireTech Posts: n/a	Yup, MS might as well stop working on Vail right now if it doesn't have drive extender. I'll just stick with my WHS v1 and by the time MS drop support for it, an independent company will no doubt have achieved what MS couldn't.

28th November 2010, 08:57	#4
wutske Posts: n/a	Project Greyhole is also interesting, tough still in beta: http://code.google.com/p/greyhole/ It does somewhat the same as drive extender, so if greyhole it stable one day and Microsoft didn't add drive extender to WHS, then this might be a good alternative . //edit: crap, just noticed this is for linux . Ah well, if you're setting up a linux home server, then you'll get Drive Extender, but then on linux .