Microsoft Unleashes Windows Home Server
Unveiled in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Windows Home Server connects multiple PCs in the same household, and can store, manage, back up and protect digital audio, video and photos for family use. The software is based on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2.
Windows Home Server also enables users to remotely access digital content, monitors the security status of networked PCs, and can stream data from a home media center to Microsoft's Xbox game system.
In a post on the Windows Home Server weblog, Charlie Kindel, general manager of the Windows Home Server group, said that a 120-day evaluation version and a system builder version will be available through Microsoft's distribution channels in the next couple of months.
Later this year, Hewlett-Packard plans to ship its HP MediaSmart Server, which will run Windows Home Server. Microsoft's other OEM partners for Windows Home Server include Fujitsu-Siemens, Gateway, Iomega, Lacie and Medion.
"We're also excited to announce Iomega and Fujitsu-Siemens Computers (FSC) as new OEMs planning to ship Windows Home Server products later this year," Kindel wrote.