Windows Home Server Connector
WHS creates standard shared folders that can be accessed on a home network by any device, however to get the most out of the server the Windows Home Server Connector software needs to be installed on each machine.
Once installed this small program sits in the system tray for easy access and:
- Allows the PC to configure and manage WHS remotely
- Connects the PC automatically to WHS
- Backups the PC automatically according to a configurable schedule
- Allows WHS to monitors the health of the PC e.g. are backups up to date, are the virus definitions up to date etc
Unfortunately the WHS Connector software doesn’t work with Vista 64-bit machines, so I couldn’t install it on my main PC (this was the final straw and I’m going to rebuild it using Vista 32bit) so I had to use my Vista 32bit laptop. Once I’d done this I was ready to really start using WHS.
Double-clicking the Windows Home Server Console icon on the desktop allows you to fully manage WHS. Microsoft have clearly thought long and hard about the interface for Windows Home Server, and I think they have succeeded in creating something that is easy and simple for the average user to use. The interface is so intuitive that there is no need to read a manual to get started with WHS.
The interface has the following main tabs that allow the key functions of WHS to be accessed:
- Computers & Backup – Shows the status of PCs in your network and allows their backup settings to be more
- User Accounts – Add, remove and change user accounts as well as managing their access rights
- Shared Folders – Add, remove and manage shared folders as well as user rights
- Server Storage – Add, repair and remove hard drives, as well as checking on status
- Network Health – shows the health of your home network
I will now go through each of these functional areas in more detail.
