Home Server Hacks

The Great Windows Home Server Add-In Rip-Off

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:57:00 +0000

I woke this morning to see a headline on WeGotServed about a new twitter Add-In for Windows Home Server. As I wrote the popular @WHSTweet Add-In (I think it was the first twitter add-in, but I may be mistaken) I was interested, so I clicked over to read more.

When I got there, I saw a screen shot that looks very familiar. At first I thought it was another review of my @WHSTweet, until I noticed the Remote Control tab. I soon realized that I was not looking at a screen shot of @WHSTweet, but another add-in all together. If you look at the two side-by-side (see above), you will see that the Settings tab is a near word-for-word, feature-for-feature blatant rip off of my UI design! Actually, before I moved things around to accommodate longer words in other languages like French and German, it was a near pixel for pixel match!

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case, then KyleWWWW (listed as the "author" of WHS Twit Stat) must love me!

I don't mind that someone else is writing a twitter Add-In for Windows Home Server. That's not the point. But come on! If you're going to rip off someone's UI, at least fix their typo. I haven't looked at the code yet to see if it's all mine too. Actually, I'm not sure I want to at this point. I have more important things to do. If KyleWWWW wants to rip off my code as well, I don't think I have the energy to stop him.

Hold on a second… What is that I see on the @WHSTweet About tab? A copyright notice? Hmmm…

(Note: The released version of @WHSTweet does not have remote control. That is slated for version 2 as I said in my comments on this blog).

[Read the WeGotServed post] [@WHSTweet post]

Code: Load the WHS Console in Whatever Language you Choose

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:28:00 +0000

This is the first in what I hope is a series of articles on coding for Windows Home Server. In my first article, I'm not coding an Add-In. Instead I'll show you how to load the Windows Home Server Console using any language (or more appropriately stated: Culture) that you desire.

This is of little use for the casual user as the actual console itself (or at least Microsoft's portion) is still in English, but Add-In developers should find this extremely useful. The reason I wrote the loader was that I needed a way to test my twitter Add-In @WHSTweet as I have it translated into German, French and Spanish.

Here is the HP tab of the Windows Home Server Console after I have loaded it in French:

Now let's go through just how we build our project. You can also download the complete Visual Studio 2008 solution and follow along at home. But first a word of caution. Whenever messing around with RDPing into your WHS or messing with files in the Windows Home Server folder, you run the risk of messing something up. You my want to do this on a Virtual Machine instead of a production server. Personally I use my production server with all of my important family photos, but my middle name is "Danger". :)

You've been warned, now let's get started:

Load Visual Studio 2008 and create a new C# Windows Application named WHSCultureLoader.
Add a Label with the Text of "Choose a Culture"
Add a ComboBox and change the DropDownStyle to DropDownList.
Add a Button with the Text of "Execute".
Right click on the designer background and select View Code.
Add the following code to Form1 constructor so that it look as follows. What we are doing here is loading the ComboBox with all known Cultures.
1. public Form1()
2. {
3. InitializeComponent();
5. CultureInfo[] ciArray = CultureInfo.GetCultures(CultureTypes.AllCultures);
7. foreach (CultureInfo ci in ciArray)
8. {
9. comboBox1.Items.Add(ci);
10. }
11. Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture;
13. comboBox1.DisplayMember = "DisplayName";
14. comboBox1.SelectedItem = Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture;
16. }
Next go back to the Designer and double click on the Execute button. This will create an empty the button1_Click function. Add the code as follows:
1. private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
2. {
3. Form f;
5. CultureInfo ci = comboBox1.SelectedItem as CultureInfo;
6. Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = ci;
8. try
9. {
10. string path = Path.GetDirectoryName(Application.ExecutablePath);
11. Assembly a = Assembly.LoadFile(path+"\\HomeServerConsole.exe");
12. f = (Form)a.CreateInstance(a.EntryPoint.ReflectedType.FullName);
13. }
14. catch (Exception ex)
15. {
16. MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
17. return;
18. }
20. this.Hide();
22. f.KeyPreview = true;
23. f.FormClosed += new FormClosedEventHandler(f_FormClosed);
24. f.Show();
25. }
In lines 5 and 6 we set the thread's UI culture to the one selected in our listbox.
Next we load the assembly HomeServerConsole.exe from the same path as WHSCultureLoader.exe executed from.
In line 12 we create an instance of MainForm, the main form in the Windows Home Server Console.
In line 20 we hide our selection form.
In line 22 we specify that the form is to receive key events before they are passed to any controls.
In line 23 we setup a handler so that when the form closes, we exit the application.
And finally in line 24, we show the Windows Home Server Console form.
Here is the code for the close handler.
1. void f_FormClosed(object sender, FormClosedEventArgs e)
2. {
3. Environment.Exit(0);
4. }

Now lets test our code. Build the project and copy WHSCultureLoader to the \Program Files\Windows Home Server folder on your WHS. You will need to RDP into your WHS to run this loader. It does NOT run from the client. Launch WHSCultureLoader.exe and you should see our main form.

Change the Culture to something like French (France) and click Execute. If a few moments the Windows Home Server Console will load. If you are running on an HP MediaSmart Server, you should notice two things. One is that the HP tab is not the first/leftmost tab loaded. This is due to the fact that the HomeServerConsole.exe.config file was not loaded. This file instructs HomeServerConsole.exe on tab order. Here is the config file that ships with the HP:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <configuration>
     <appSettings>
       <add key="MediaSmart Server"     value="1" />
     </appSettings>
 </configuration> 
 

OK, now that we've gotten completely off track, lets continue. The other thing that you will notice is that any Add-Ins that support French (most notably the HP tab) are actually IN FRENCH! The same goes for German and Spanish or at least that's what HP supports in their standard language pack DLLs that they ship to customers in the United States.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not ship language DLLs for the Windows Home Server Console itself, so any Microsoft code or Add-In will still be in English (or whatever language that your SKU of Home Server is in).

I hope you have enjoyed my first WHS Coding Series article.

HP LX195 + 1TB external drive only $374

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:48:00 +0000

Newegg has a sweet combo deal on the HP LX195 MediaSmart Server. You can get it for only $374 plus free shipping plus they will throw in a Western Digital My Book Essential 1TB USB Hard Drive. This deal is good through 06/25.

Easily Upgrade your Laptop Hard Drive without Missing a Beat

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Add a Hard Drive to your Windows Home Server

Newegg has a great deal if you are looking to add more hard drive space to your Windows Home Server. Using promo code EMCHDD10A you can take an extra 10% off of any hard drive. My favorite for WHS builds is the Western Digital 1TB green drive. Newegg normally sells it for $84.99, but with the extra 10% off, the price falls to $76.49 (plus free shipping).

But why stop at simply upgrading your server? What about that laptop of yours what's always running out of space or worse yet is making a funny noise like the hard drive seek arm is about to fall off? You know that noise.

Upgrade your Laptop Hard Drive

The 10% off deal is good on all hard drives, even laptop drives. So if that laptop drive is getting a little full, here's what you can do:

Make sure that your laptop is backed up with Windows Home Server.
If you have made changed or added files since your last nightly backup, press the Windows+R keys to bring up the Run dialog and type the following (including quotes) and click OK:

"C:\Program Files\Windows Home Server\BackupEngine.exe" -a -d "Upgrading Hard Drive"

You will see the following from the system tray as your laptop will initiate a backup and incrementally backup any newly changed/added files
If you click on the balloon, you can monitor the backup status:
After the backup is complete, shut down your laptop, unplug it from the AC adapter and remove the battery. You don't want current flowing in your laptop while you are messing with it's internals.
Replace your current laptop drive with something respectable, like the Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB drive for only $89 (plus free shipping) or any other suitable drive.
Not all laptops have easily accessible hard drives. With some, you must even remove the keyboard (not an easy task with a laptop). But if you are lucky, yours will have a compartment of the bottom clearly marked "Hard Drive" with arrows pointing to the correct screws. :)
Pop in the disk labeled Home Computer Restore CD into your laptop's optical drive and boot up.
Make sure your laptop is on a hard wired network connection (i.e. not wireless) for the restore.
Follow along with the instruction and your laptop will be restored as good as new, but with a lot more space available.

There is no need to re-install the OS or re-install any applications. You won't even loose important settings. Thanks Windows Home Server.

The 10% off all hard drive offer expires 06/22 so hurry!

HP MediaSmart Server LX195 only $329

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:49:00 +0000

At Newegg, you can pick up an HP LX195 MediaSmart Server for only $329 plus free shipping after $45 off using promo code SERVER645. This offer expires tomorrow, June 12th so HURRY!

1TB Samsung Hard Drive only $69 at Newegg

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:34:00 +0000

Newegg regularly has the SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 1TB drive for $79, but until 06/17/2009 you can get one for only $69.99 (plus get free shipping)! Click here to see this great deal and remember to use promo code EMCLTMM28 at checkout.

I have not personally tried the SAMSUNG drives in any of my builds (have been a WD fan) but with this great deal, I may pick one up.

New @WHSTweet version 1.2 with Direct Message support

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:36:00 +0000

@WHSTweet version 1.2 was just released. It supports direct messages (DM) and fixes the bug where tweets go out when you reboot your server. Get the new version at http://whstweet.hshacks.com.

To get notification of early beta versions, follow @WHSTweet on twitter.

Win an HP MediaSmart Server LX195

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:21:00 +0000

The blog Mommy Goggles is giving away an HP MediaSmart Server LX195. You can click here to read the details, but the contest ends on June 24, 2009. Actually, I've entered the contest just by blogging about it. Sweet!

Get $100 off the HP MediaSmart Server EX485 or EX487

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Looking to get in on an HP MediaSmart Server EX485? Well now is your opportunity with a $100 off promo code when you buy directly from Hewlett Packard. Simply click on the image to the left and enter promo code AC5681 at checkout for $100 off plus free shipping. HP is selling the EX485 for $599 - $100 = $499 (plus tax if applicable).

The offer is good from June 1 through July 31, 2009. I just tried the promo code and it works!

Hands on WHS build with the Intel D945GSEJT (only 14 watts)

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Last week I ordered the new low power Intel Atom powered motherboard, the D945GSEJT. It is a fanless, ultra low profile "half-height" (less than 2 cm high!) mini-ITX motherboard. I used it to build a Windows Home Server with 1GB of SDRAM and a Western Digital 1TB hard drive. The whole thing draws from 12-16 watts when idle which it truly amazing compared to anything else out there including HP's low powered LX195 (which draws 26W).

Here is my shopping list:

Intel D945GSEJT (from mini-box.com)- $118
12V power brick - $19
DDR2 667 laptop memory – $11
Western Digital green 640GB hard drive (optionally 1TB) - $69
Windows Home Server System Builders DVD - $93

Total build cost (minus a case, but including the OS) is $311. So as you can see, this will run you slightly more than the FX195 build that had a few weeks ago, but still under the $399 MSRP of HP's LX195. Plus (and this is a BIG PLUS) at 14 watts, it draws almost HALF that of the LX195.

Notes/caveats:

I built the whole thing on the bench and have yet to decide on a case, but I wanted to get these photos and build instructions out ASAP. Obviously, I would recommend that you do your build in a suitable case.
A traditional power supply is not needed, making this system completely silent (well except for a spinning hard drive). It uses a an external 12V "power brick.
I was observing power fluctuations of between 12 and 16 watts. I chose 14W as an average.
You could probably get away with the lower wattage 2A power brick, but I already had a 5W adapter on hand.

That said, here's how to build yourself a great little low cost/low power WHS!!

We will be installing the OS from a USB stick, so first make a bootable WHS USB stick from instructions here.
Next "borrow" a monitor and USB keyboard and mouse and plug them into the mainboard. (Note: we won't be needing them after the build).
Insert the laptop SDRAM.
Attach the SATA power connector to the main board
Attach the SATA data cable to the mainboard
Attach the SATA power and data cables to the drive
Plug in the 12V power adapter
Now after I tell you about this next step, I want you to forget that you ever heard it from me. Because I didn't built up my unit in a case (i.e. on the bench) I didn't have a momentary switch handy. Therefore, to turn on the computer, I use a screwdriver to momentarily short the power pins together. The power switch normally connects to the two pins marked with red (see photo insert below).
After the tedious hour long OS install and there you have it, you will have yourself one lean mean fighting machine, um… one of the lowest powered Windows Home Servers that you can buy!

Browsing Amazon S3 Data

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:31:00 +0000

I was using the WHS Add-In JungleDisk until I acquired an ioSafe Solo 1.5TB Fireproof Waterproof External Hard Drive (GREAT product, BTW. See my review). Since then I've uninstalled JuingleDisk and now I have a couple gigabytes of data that I don't need just sitting around on S3 costing me about $9/month. How do I get rid of it? There is an application that lets you maintain your Amazon S3 "buckets". It is called SpaceBlock. It's a simple app that allows you to browse your buckets and even delete files.

I've had SpaceBlock installed on my machine for a while now, but I never really think about deleting the my S3 files like I should. Thanks to Phil over at MSWHS for posting this today. It gave me the poke in the rear that I needed to remove the files. Below you can see that I'm deleting over 25,000 files from S3, which will save me around $9/month.

[via MSWHS via SQLTeam]

Microsoft Giving Away Windows Home Server for FREE (CANCELED)

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:19:00 +0000

Note that this deal has been canceled!

No joke, they actually are giving it away (well, in a round about way, but still). Microsoft is giving away a 3 month TechNet Plus subscription which will not only get you a free downloadable copy of Windows Home Server (with CD Key of course), but all of your other Microsoft favorites as well like Windows 7, Office 2007 and more.

A one year Technet Plus subscription normally goes for $349 (and even that's a great deal) but you can get your for free if you live in Canada, the United States or the United Kingdom.

[via WebKeeps via Ars Technica]

Introducing the Home Servidor (again)

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:25:00 +0000

When @GusSent from the Baltimore Sun came out to interview me for my participation in the Microsoft MVP program, he brought along a camcorder and took this video (below). Back at the office, he added the very cool lighting of the cigar from his iPhone special effect.

Since Gus Sentementes ran the story it has been picked up across the web from Gizmodo, to WeGotServed, UsingWindowsHomeServer, MediaSmartServer.net and more.

I made mention of the Home Servidor a few weeks ago when I was featured in the Baltimore Business Journal, but today is it's official coming out party. You can read the entire PDF press release describing the Home Servidor or visit www.HomeServidor.com but here are the highlights of what a Home Servidor is:

Real Working Home Server

Automatically backs up the computers in your home
Remote access to your files when you travel
Green Intel Atom processor
Draws 60% less power than the HP MediaSmart Server
Powered by Windows Home Server
Up to 2 Terabytes of internal storage

Real Working Humidor

Holds 10-12 of your finest cigars
Humidification device included

(Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis / May 26, 2009)

This will/might be my last mention of the Home Servidor on the blog. I'm going back to DIY builds and other interesting hacks.

Build Your Own LX195 MediaSmart Server

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:13:00 +0000

Sort of…

A few weeks ago HP announced the LX195 MediaSmart Server, a new low cost, low power Windows Home Server based on the Intel Atom processor. There is a lot of excitement around this new server and many blog have reviewed it favorably. The LX195 MediaSmart Server is now shipping, but you can have a nearly identical server by building it yourself. Plus you'll save about a hundred dollars in the process! In this article I'll show you how. I call it the FX195 (or Faux 195).

Shopping List

Here's a list of everything that you'll need:

Intel Atom 330 mainboard - $81
1GB RAM (optionally 2GB RAM) - $13
Western Digital green 640GB hard drive (optionally 1TB) - $69
Winsis Wi-01 Mini-ITX case w/ power supply - $38
Windows Home Server System Builders DVD - $99

The total cost of our shopping list is: $300. That's a savings of 25% over buying the HP MediaSmart LX195.

If you are familiar with building computers, the mainboard is a little different. Intel has established that all Atom mainboards come with the processor soldered on (i.e. NOT in a socket). I imagine this saves the manufacture money and prevents people from upgrading to a faster processor. So for $81, you get the mainboard AND a processor. Not a bad deal.

Note: You will also need use of a DVD drive, keyboard, mouse and monitor but just for the OS installation phase. You can borrow these from a surrogate PC or even and friend as you won't need them once the OS is installed.

Is it hard? Can I do it?

If you are willing to invest a little time, not only can you save $100, but you will be getting a dual core processor (Atom 330 vs Atom 220) and better expandability (the LX195 is only expandable via USB, but the FX195 can be made to have an additional internal SATA drive, has 6 USB ports and a PCI slot where you could easily add an eSATA card).

It's really not hard at all. It took me less that 15 minutes to assemble the hardware and I stopped at every step to take pictures. So if you're game, lets put it all together.

Assembling the Hardware

Find a good clean surface in which to work.
Lay the case on it's side and slide the panel back towards you to remove it. Place the panel aside.
Lift up on the two plastic clips that hold the faceplate on and hinge the cover forward slightly.
Once the clips clear the metal frame, you should be able pull the faceplate forward and it will pop off.
Now we need to remove the drive cage. Unscrew the orange tool-less screw on the left and lift up on the hinged latch on the right.
Slide the drive cage forward and lift to remove.
Lift up on the plastic lever that locks the drive in place. The case is designed to be tool-less with the exception of the motherboard.
Slide the hard drive into the case with the connectors facing you.
Before we put the drive cage back into the case, we need to mount the motherboard. First place the rectangular metal template into the hold in the back of the case.
Carefully place the motherboard into the case and slide it back into the metal template. The four mounting holes should line up with the raisers on the floor of the case, but you will likely have to apply a little pressure with one hand (pushing the motherboard back) while you install the four screws. Note that the two screws on the right side of the case are a little tricky as you need to put the screwdriver through holes in the case. A magnetic tipped screws drive will help in this situation (see picture right, below).
Connect the case fan wire to the motherboard
Install the power supply. There are two locations. First a 24 pin connector that has two parts. Make sure the arrows line up as shown here.
Next attach the four pin power supply connector with black and yellow wires. It connects over near where you plugged in the fan above.
Now install the memory stick. Press down on both sides until it snaps into place. Note: it will only go in one way.
Now drop the drive cage back in reserving the actions you did earlier to secure it.
Connect the SATA power connector and the SATA data connector to the hard drive. It's a tight squeeze and it helps to shape the wires by bending them slightly.
Now connect the other end of the SATA data connector to the place marked SATA0 on the motherboard.
Connect the power switch, power LED and hard drive LED as shown.
Optionally connect the front side USB and headphone/microphone connector. (We won't be installing the sound drive, so this part is not necessary).
Replace the side panel, making sure not to pinch any of the wires as they pass between the power supply and the hard drive cage.
You are done with the hardware assembly.

Installing the OS

Now that the hard part is done, it's time to install Windows Home Server. I won't list the steps here, as I've already covered it in detail in my article on building an 11TB rack server. You can read how to install Windows Home Server on the Intel Atom 330 mainboard here.

Feature Comparison

Let's compare the HP MediaSmart LX195 to our Faux FX195:

	HP LX195	DIY FX195
Processor/speed	Intel Atom 230 single core 1.6GHz	Intel Atom 330 dual core 1.6GHz
Size	small	a little bigger
Power (at idle)	26 watts	42 watts
Hard drive capacity	640GB	640GB
Expandability	4 USB	6 USB 1 internal 5.25 SATA 1 internal 2.5 SATA 1 PCI CARD
Price	$399 MSRP	$300

Overview

The FX195 is a little bigger that the HP LX195. No one does a better job packing a lot of computer into a small space than HP (OK, with the exception of maybe Apple). The FX195 has better expansion options allowing a second internal drive (there is a mount for a 2.5 drive and you can even squeeze in a 3.5 hard drive with a little "hacking") and even the option for an external eSATA drive bay (using a PCI eSATA card) for a total of up to seven drives without resorting to USB. If you count USB drives, you could conceivably connect 11 hard drives to the FX195 with little problem.

Because the HP was designed from the start to be low power, it kills the FX195 at "green-ness". The LX195 draws a measly 26 watts. The 42 watts consumed by the FX195 seems down right wasteful in comparison (even though it's not too bad).

So if cost, expansion and a dual core processor are important, build your own FX195. If power savings, size and features are important, you can't go wrong with HP's LX195. Ultimately you must decide which is right for you.

Give your Windows Home Server its own Twitter account (Updated)

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Last week Microsoft launched it's Windows Home Server Technical Library and as I mentioned, I was all caught up in the excitement and started playing around with writing a Windows Home Server Add-in of my own. Well today, I am happy to announce that I've written my first Add-In for Windows Home Server, @WHSTweet.

Version 1.2.0.969 (view change log)

@WHSTweet is a Windows Home Server Add-in that monitors your WHS health status (i.e. the little messages that appear in the tray when you have "Display Network Health Notifications" turned on the in the Windows Home Server Connector). When the health status changes (i.e the color of the icon changes), the add-in will send a twitter update. Here is a sample taken from my actual WHS twitter account @DonavonsWHS.

Get your server it's own twitter account

You probably have a twitter account already, but you will want to get another one for your Windows Home Server. A computer with it's own twitter account? Strange, I know. But if your server were to use your personal account, your followers/friends would receive your WHS status updates and they probably don't want that. For my own WHS, I setup a new twitter account named DonavonsWHS. I follow that account with my personal twitter account.

Installation Instructions

From a client PC,click the overly obvious orange Download button near the top of this article to download the MSI installer and save it to your local drive.
Also from a client PC, open the folder share \\server\software\Add-Ins (where server is the name of your WHS). Copy the download installation file into the folder share above.
Run the WHS Console by double clicking the WHS Connector icon in the lower right hand corner of your client PC (the little green house with a checkmark).
Once the console is loaded, click on Settings
Click the Add-Ins tab, then on the Available tab, then Install for @WHSTweet.
Once the Add-In installs, the console must be closed, then reopened.

Setting up @WHSTweet

Now that the Add-In is installed, you will need to set it up. As the service uses twitter to send out updates, we need to tell the Add-in the username and password of the account to use. Most of you probably already have a twitter account, but you will want to get another one that you will dedicate for your Windows Home Server.

A computer with its own twitter account? Strange, I know. But if your server were to use your personal account, your followers/friends would receive your WHS status updates and they probably don't want that. For my own Windows Home Server, I setup a new twitter account named @DonavonsWHS. I follow that account with my personal twitter account @donavon.

New twitter account in hand, let's setup @WHSTweet!

Reopen the console and click on Setting again
Click on the @WHSTweet tab on the left. It should be right under the Add-Ins tab.
Enter your newly created server twitter account username and password.
There are also several Options that you can set to control @WHSTweet.

Include Server Name - If you have more than one Windows Home Server (don't laugh, several of my beta tester do), you may want to know which one caused the notification. Checking Include Server Name will prefix every tweet with the name of the server. This will allow you to use one twitter account for all of your servers.

Ignore Warnings - Check Ignore Warnings and you will only be alerted for critical health notifications (i.e. ignore yellow warnings such as "New Add-In ready to Install".

Direct to – This will allow you to send direct messages (DM) to a particular user, likely yourself, instead of sending public tweets or protecting your updates. This is a more secure way to get notified of your WHS status.

Enable Tweets - If you ever want to temporarily disable health status tweets (ex: you are doing maintenance on your WHS and don’t want the tweets to go out) you can do so by unchecking Enable Tweets.
To test if your username/password were entered correctly, you can send a test tweet by clicking on the Test Tweet button. @WHSTweet will report if the tweet was successful or in error. You need not click Apply before performing the test.
You may have noticed the Fake Error button above. Whatever you do DON'T PUSH IT! (Just kidding, I'll cover that below)

Testing @WHSTweet in a Real World Scenario

Now that you have the software installed, you'll want to see it do something, right? Here are a few things that you can do to cause a health status change. Proceed with each at your own risk.

Let your two year old start pulling hard drives while the system is running (I DO NOT RECOMMEND that you do this)
Temporarily disable your firewall on one of your client PCs. (again, at your own risk)
If you have an add-in available but not installed and you are ignoring the alert, uncheck Ignore this issue. Wait 10-15 seconds, and then recheck the box. This will only work if you have Ignore Warning unchecked in @WHSTweet.
But the easiest way is with that Fake Error button. Remember that button from above? The one you didn't push? :) What Fake Error does is simulate a critical health problem using the WHS APIs. The simulated error look like any other health problem to WHS and to the @WHSTweet service, thusly it is sent out just like any other error condition. @WHSTweet will remove the simulated error, simulating that you resolved the error (whoa, heady) in 60 seconds.

Other things to know/Best practices

When you create your server's twitter account or setup @WHSTweet, here are some suggestions.

Single Administrator – If you are the only person administering your WHS, then you may want to enabled "Direct to" and enter your twitter username as the recipient. This will make it so that status updates go to you and you alone.
Group of Administrators – If you share administration duties of your WHS with a group of people, you won't be able to use direct messages (i.e. uncheck "Direct to"). In this case, I suggest that you "protect your updates" (Note: this is not a @WHSTweet setting, but something you do on twitter.com). This will let only people you approve to see your status updates. You may not want to tell the whole world that your firewall is down. :)
Give your server's twitter account a cool avatar – You will get status updates from this account, so make the picture associated with the account something related to Windows Home Server. Try one of these that I've created or make your own. Just right-click and save to your computer.

Feedback Please

@WHSTweet has gone through many hours of testing by some dedicated beta testers. Now I'm opening it up to the general public. I have some more features planned, but I'd like to hear from you to see what you would like to see. Send your feedback to WHSTweet@domain.com (where domain = HomeServerHacks). You can also sent me a tweet at @HomeServerHacks or leave a comment below.

Change Log

1.2.0.969

Added support for Direct Messages (DM)!!!
Fixed the critical error reporting on reboot bug.
Changed the twitter bird logo.
Things were getting a little crowded, so I introduced a tabbed interface.
Removed #WHS from test tweets to reduce what some have called "spam" (sorry 'bout that!)
Changed the code to accept localization (i.e. multiple languages). If you would like to volunteer to convert a resource file into your native language, send an email to whstweet@domain.com (where domain = homeserverhacks) and specify the language that you can convert.

1.0.5.1106

First public release.

Microsoft starts the Windows Home Server Technical Library

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:50:00 +0000

If the letters and numbers in the example above make sense to you, then you are likely a C# developer. If so, you will be happy to hear that Microsoft has started a technical library for everything WHS. It's called the Windows Home Server Technical Library. Previously, Windows Home Server documentation, code samples, etc were scattered here and there. Now there is one place for all things related to Windows Home Server.

If there's anything else you would like to see, Microsoft is open to adding more documentation, so please let me know and I'll forward that request along.

After checking out the new library, I even caught the bug and I've started playing around with some code of my own. I'm not sure where it will lead, but if I come up with anything cool, I'll post some code samples here.

HP MediaSmart Server ex487 only $599 with free shipping

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Newegg is selling the HP ex487 (the model with 2x 750GB drives) for only $599 plus there's free shipping. Just click here, add the item to your cart and enter promo code EMCLSMS47 and checkout for an instant $50 savings. This deal is valid through 05/21/2009.

Western Digital 1TB Green Drive only $84 with Promo Code

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Newegg has the Western Digital 1TB Green Drive for only $84.99 with free shipping. Just click here and enter promo code EMCLSMN28 at checkout. But hurry. This deal is for the next 24 HOURS ONLY!

Save $35 on the HP LX195 only $364 at Newegg

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:14:00 +0000

Newegg has lowered the price of the new HP LX195 MediaSmart Server by $35 to $364.99 plus is offering free shipping. No coupon code needed. This is a great price on a great little WHS.

Note that HP LX195 MediaSmart Home ServerAmazon.com has also started selling the LX195, although they have yet to lower their price (which is still $399).

Microsoft MVP featured in Baltimore Business Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:28:00 +0000

About a month ago I was contacted by Microsoft to see if I would be interested in doing some PR for them. They were promoting their MVP program, which of course I am a huge fan, so I said yes. They wanted coverage from local papers so a few days later the Baltimore Business Journal contacted me for an interview. It was published today in a segment they call "Two and a half minutes with…".

They also sent out a photographer to take some photos around the house. Yes, that's me stylin' an Microsoft MVP shirt and (it's a shame that you can't see it better) a WHS "Vail" t-shirt under that. I have a cigar in one hand and holding my latest creation, the Home Servidor™ in my other hand.

Creative segue to introduce the Home Servidor

What's a Home Servidor? I'm glad you asked. :) I've partnered with a woodworking friend to form a small startup business. We manufacture and sell Windows Home Servers that are built into the body of a humidor. We call it the Home Servidor.

The top of the humidor (insolated from the bottom for heat and airflow) holds a tray with capacity for up to 12 of your finest cigars. Disguised in the bottom is an Intel Atom dual code Windows Home Server with support for two internal drives. Yes that is a fully functional Windows Home Server in the picture above. I'll write up a detail review with photos in the coming weeks.

MSRP for a a single drive Home Servidor is $799. Not exactly the cheapest WHS in the world, but they're all hand made and our cost is pretty high (we don't have HP's buying power). Then again, we don't expect to sell that many, at least at first. Our market? Remember those guys at AIG who got multi-million dollar bonuses after the bailout? :)

Category: Microsoft promotion
Sub-category: Shameless self promotion

*** Update ***

Scanned PDF article "Two and a half minutes with Donavon West" is on my Skydrive

A closer look at the HP LX195 mainboard (literally)

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:40:00 +0000

For all of you hardware buffs out there, I've taken this photo of HP's MediaSmart Server LX195 mainboard and added some notations of the major landmarks (click on the photo above for a 2200x2200 high resolution image).

Is that a VGA connector?

Some have asked the the answer is Yes, that connector in the upper right hand corner is for a KVM (keyboard/video/monitor) and I can tell you that my Gen 1 VGA cable works just fine. However, the USB keyboard is disabled during power up, so I can't get into the BIOS.

HP MediaSmart Server LX195 available for sale NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:39:00 +0000

HP's low cost, low power LX195 MediaSmart Server, based on Microsoft's Windows Home Server, is available now!

You can order it from these retailers for $399 (I'll add more as they become available). Just click on the logos below:

If you are looking for a small, low power WHS, you may want to check this one out. It comes loaded with some pretty cool add-ins that other companies don't offer. And while you're at it, be sure to order the 2GB memory upgrade with my easy to follow instructions.

Installing HP MediaSmart Server 2.5 Update on the EX470

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:44:00 +0000

When HP released the new version 2.5 software update about a week ago (which included the iPhone media streamer) the older EX470 models were left unsupported. The reason stated was because these older server just didn't have the horsepower to run the new streaming software. Anyone who has modified their EX470 with a 2GB memory upgrade or a CPU upgrade knows that this just isn't the case.

Luckily the ingenuitive folks over on MediaSmartServer.net have figured out a hack to get the update to install. This hack in definitely at your own risk but if you have the cojones, head on over and check it out at the MediaSmartServerWiki.

The New LX195 Easter Egg

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Remember the cool HP MediaSmart Easter Egg? Well it's still hidden away inside of the new HP MediaSmart Server LX195. It has all of the same themes, but they aren't quite as cool as there is only one drive LED. It appears as though the UI has been removed (i.e. you can't click the server image while holding down the Ctrl + Alt + Shift keys) so you will have to change the registry to see it in action (instruction here).

They still have a Morse Code Credits theme but with new text:

"Dan Thero, Matt Haines, Jerry McCollom, Dave Hanes, Jason Goldman, Matt Fischer, Bryce Wemple, Tharuvai Sundaram Venkateswaran AKA TSV, Eric Peterson, Jim Long, David Lyle, Paul Cesario, Ron Gile, Jack Yang, Bernd Sitzmann, Steve Travis, Greg Lipinski, Fred Thomas, Paul Boerger, Christie Chaney, Jim Anderson, Charlie Radman, Drea Babcock, Nick Jennings, Kim Sipes, Amy Trefethen, Russ Wiechers, Allan Greentree, My Therapy Buddy, Mary Kay Meininger, The Microsoft Windows Home Server Team, and PS, Yes testers, we know that this was a run-on sentence, but we are not fixing it."

It's not surprising that former HP employee Alex Kuretz (Microsoft MVP and founder of MediaSmartServer.net) has been removed from the credits, but how could they diss Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard? :)

I'm still searching for new Easter Eggs and will let you know if I find any.

Windows Home Server Add-In Idea Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Donavon West) — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:47:00 +0000

Home Server Blog and We Got Served are sponsoring an add-in idea contest. They are lining up loads of prizes so be sure to check it out. Click here for more information. Note that this is an "idea" contest so no programming is necessary. Good luck!