I came across another post about the (untimely?) demise of Windows Home Server (WHS). WHS, of course, is the attempt by Microsoft to enter the home and small business server market with a product that was easy to use and could provide bare metal restore of client Windows machines. And, at least in the first release of WHS, the server provided drive pooling that allowed for one folder to span across multiple drives (Drive Extender) and still be protected because of behind the scenes folder duplication. In his post, Paul Thurrott, the uber-Windows guru who has the "Winsupersite" and who has authored a number of Windows related books, writes his RIP for WHS.
In his post, he writes about the controversy over Microsoft's removing Drive Extender functionality from WHS 2011:
I use Windows Home Server 2011, the current version, as the center of my home network. This was the subject of some controversy, as WHS 2011 lacked the Drive Extender technology—which provided data replication and single pool of storage functionality—that many felt was the entire point of the product.
He goes on to say, though, that he thought the backup and restore function for client Windows machines was the main feature of WHS and he thought that the product was still useful as long as that function worked well:
But my big contribution to the discussion around WHS 2011 came a few months earlier in I'm Betting On Windows Home Server 2011. There, I argued that the product’s automated server backup functionality, while not as elegant automatic as Drive Extender, was good enough for my use. And my experience since has certainly justified that opinion: WHS 2011 has been rock-solid and has always worked well.
Finally, he concludes by mentioning his earlier post wherein he discussed using Windows 8 as a home or small business server. And, he says for the time being he will continue to use WHS 2011, but will consider his options for change.
For more information about the demise of WHS, see this Wegotserved post and the related posts listed below.
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