Blogs

Internet Milestone: 25th Anniversary of the First Registered .com Domain Name

Jeff Daniels (HSL) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Symbolics.com was the first-ever registered domain on March 15, 1985. Looking back over the past 25 years, the growth of the Internet has been unprecedented writes Benny Evangelista in the San Francisco Chronicle. His article outlines some interesting facts:

In 1985, only six entities registered a .com, one of six top-level domain names created a year earlier in a reorganization of the early Internet’s naming bureaucracy. At the time, .cor (short for corporate) almost beat .com as the designation for commercial Internet addresses.

By 1992, fewer than 15,000 .com domains were registered, but the number would flourish after Web browsers brought mainstream consumers onto the Web.

Today there are 84 million domain names, including 11.9 million e-commerce and online business sites, 4.3 million entertainment sites, 3.1 million finance-related sites and 1.8 million sports sites.

The first ten registered .com domains:

Symbolics.com - March 15, 1985
BBN.com - April 24, 1985
Think.com - May 24, 1985
MCC.com - July 11, 1985
DEC.com - Sept. 30, 1985
Northrop.com - Nov. 7, 1985
Xerox.com - Jan. 9, 1986
SRI.com - Jan. 17, 1986
HP.com - March 3, 1986
Bellcore.com - March 5, 1986

Source: www.iwhois.com/oldest

Most .com domains by ZIP Code:

10001 (Manhattan): 9,611
95814 (Sacramento): 8,998
90210 (Beverly Hills): 7,239
94025 (Menlo Park): 6,674

Source: VeriSign Inc.

2009 Annual Report on Cybercrime Released by FBI

Jeff Daniels (HSL) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

For Immediate Release March 12, 2010
IC3 2009 Annual Report on Internet Crime Released
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), released the 2009 Annual Report about fraudulent activity on the Internet today.
Online crime complaints increased substantially once again last year, according to the report. The IC3 received a total of 336,655 complaints, a 22.3 percent increase from 2008. The total loss linked to online fraud was $559.7 million; this is up from $265 million in 2008.
Year Complaints Received Dollar Loss
2009 336,655 $559.7 million
2008 275,284 $265 million
2007 206,884 $239.09 million
2006 207,492 $198.44 million
2005 231,493 $183.12 million
Although the complaints consisted of a variety of fraud types, advanced fee scams that fraudulently used the FBI's name ranked number one (16.6 percent). Non-delivery of merchandise and/or payment was the second most reported offense (11.9 percent).
The 2009 Annual Report details information related to the volume and scope of complaints, complainant and perpetrator characteristics, geographical data, most frequently reported scams and results of IC3 referrals.
“Law enforcement relies on the corporate sector and citizens to report when they encounter on-line suspicious activity so these schemes can be investigated and criminals can be arrested,” stated Peter Trahon, Section Chief of the FBI's Cyber Division. “Computer users are encouraged to have up-to-date security protection on their devices and evaluate email solicitations they receive with a healthy skepticism—if something seems too good to be true, it likely is.”
NW3C Director Donald Brackman said the report's findings underscore the threat posed by cyber criminals. “The figures contained in this report indicate that criminals are continuing to take full advantage of the anonymity afforded them by the Internet. They are also developing increasingly sophisticated means of defrauding unsuspecting consumers. Internet crime is evolving in ways we couldn't have imagined just five years ago.” But Brackman sounded an optimistic tone about the future. “With the public’s continued support, law enforcement will be better able to track down these perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
The report is posted in its entirety on the IC3 website.
About IC3
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a joint operation between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). IC3 receives, develops, and refers criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism utilized to alert authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, local and international level, the IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving Internet-related crimes.
Contact: Paul Bresson
FBI National Press Office
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Press Office (202)324-8783 paul.bresson@ic.fbi.gov www.fbi.gov
Contact: Craig Butterworth
National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) (804)967-6208 cbutterworth@nw3c.org www.nw3c.org

Year	Complaints Received	Dollar Loss
2009	336,655	$559.7 million
2008	275,284	$265 million
2007	206,884	$239.09 million
2006	207,492	$198.44 million
2005	231,493	$183.12 million

Is your WHS and Network secure? Learn more about securing your WHS and network by reading Chuck Shumar's Securing Your WHS & Network - The Series

Consumers Can Now Manage TiVo Content from HP MediaSmart Servers

Alexander Kent (HSL) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

HP announces the availability of a new Windows Home Server add-in that allows TiVo owners to expand storage by transferring content from TiVo to an HP Windows Home Server. The free HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo add-in integrates seamlessly into the HP branded WHS console and is compatible only with the latest generation of HP home servers – the MediaSmart Server EX490/EX495 and the HP StorageWorks Data Vault series.

The HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo add-in lets users transfer shows from a TiVo DVR appliance to a HP MediaSmart Server and back to a TiVo DVR. The add-in makes managing and sharing recordings a breeze and even allows watching of TiVo recorded content stored on a HP MediaSmart Server from any PC in the home.

Consumers Can Now Manage TiVo DVR Recordings from HP MediaSmart Servers
PALO ALTO, Calif., March 10, 2010
HP today made available HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo®, a new software application that lets TiVo DVR⁽¹⁾ owners manage video content from an HP MediaSmart Server.⁽²⁾
With a high-definition (HD) DVR from TiVo,⁽³⁾ consumers can record, pause and rewind live TV, and access the world’s largest on-demand video library⁽⁴⁾ to watch hit movies, TV shows, music videos and popular web videos.
With the new software application, which is offered at no charge to MediaSmart server owners, TiVo owners can:
transfer shows from a TiVo DVR to a HP MediaSmart Server and back to a TiVo DVR
manage TiVo recordings stored on a HP MediaSmart Server
watch TiVo DVR recordings that are stored on a HP MediaSmart Server on any PC in the home
Based on the Microsoft Windows®Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.⁽⁵⁾
The HP MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all Windows and Mac computers, streams media across a home network and the Internet,⁽⁴⁾ and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.
“The HP MediaSmart Server is the ideal companion for TiVo users. With the HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo, consumers can record more high-definition programs and not worry about filling their DVR since they can transfer their movies and shows on the HP MediaSmart Server and watch them on their PC,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of Attach, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Plus, consumers will benefit from all of the additional features the HP MediaSmart Server provides, such as backing up all Windows and Mac computers.”
Pricing and availability
The free HP MediaSmart Expander for TiVo application can be accessed through the Windows Home Server Console of the HP MediaSmart Server EX90/EX495 and HP Data Vault.
Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the HP MediaSmart Server EX490 with 1 terabyte of hard disk storage is $549, while the HP MediaSmart Server EX495 with 1.5 terabytes is $699.⁽⁶⁾
More information is available at www.hp.com/go/mediasmartserver.
About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems.

For more information, including the scoop on yet another hidden Easter egg head over to MediaSmartServer.net

Add-In Update: WHS Health Version 1.0.0.13

Matt Rap (HSL) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

The team over at MediaSmartServer.net has published their latest version of WHS Health. The most significant change that you, and everyone around the world, will find is that they have localized the add-in. It is now available in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The following are the key changes made in this update:

Version 1.0.0.13 now has the following key changes:

Logoff option when viewing over HTTPS
Improved the drives page, it’s now bigger and has status icons.
Status Icons added to Backups, Drives and Shared Folders pages.
Translation of XML Date format into a more popular format (the installer will pick MM/DD/YYYY for US systems and DD/MM/YYYY for other)
Removed Serial Number from System Information page.

More Information | Download

Microsoft Kills Windows Essential Business Server

Matt Rap (HSL) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has decided to pull the plug on granny… or wait… I’m thinking of a something else. As of June 30th, 2010, Microsoft will discontinue all future Essential Business Server (EBS) Development as a result of what they call “The evolution of the mid-market customers”. Several reasons have been listed such as management, virtualization, and cloud computing. They stated that these features are already including in Windows Server 2008 R2 which we know they would like to push people towards anyway.

We find that this business decision is great news for the Home Server Community. With the anticipated release of WHS V2, this can provide customers with a practical business solution to their server needs, which may provide significant changes ( and hopefully improvements ) to WHS as well. This will certainly increase the demand of the WHS thus upping the active involvement of companies creating additional add-ins out of business necessity.

Press Release

New IT Trends Bring Change to Mid-Market Product Line
Four years ago, we committed to building an infrastructure solution for the mid-market. Windows Essential Business Server (EBS) which was the first of its kind to meet the unique needs of mid-market IT pros. Since that time the market landscape has naturally changed.
Today, we announced the decision to streamline our server product portfolio and will discontinue future development of EBS, effective June 30th, 2010.
Since the launch of EBS, several changes have occurred that drove our decision to streamline our server product portfolio. First, midsize businesses are rapidly turning to technologies such as management, virtualization and cloud computing as a means to cut costs, improve efficiency, and increase competitiveness. Those capabilities are already available through other offerings, including Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft System Center and the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).
Secondly, Microsoft remains fully committed to small and medium-sized businesses. We recognize that ending future editions of EBS could result in additional cost and complexity for our EBS customers. Therefore, we are going to provide a limited offer for all EBS 2008 customers. Beginning on June 30, 2010 through December 31, 2010, current EBS 2008 customers can get the individual component software from the EBS 2008 suite for free (local taxes, shipping and handling charges may apply). To learn more about this offer, EBS customers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/ebs.
This decision not to ship future versions of EBS does not come lightly and will not impact any other Windows Server products and solutions, including the next version of Windows Small Business Server (SBS). As a matter of fact, we are working hard to build the next version of SBS and look forward to a second decade of success with this award winning small business offering.
There is a tremendous amount of talent and expertise on the EBS product development team and Microsoft is committed to transitioning members of the EBS product team to work on other projects within the Microsoft Server and Cloud division.
Finally, in building these products for midsize customers we’ve had the unique opportunity to work closely with customers and partners worldwide. We would like to sincerely thank those of you who provided feedback, participated in the development, and used Windows Essential Business Server.
We look forward to continuing to provide world-class Microsoft solutions for the future!
More Information:
Current EBS customers can look forward to a support cycle that holds true to the Microsoft five-year mainstream and five-year extended support lifecycle. All service packs will also be supported according to lifecycle support. For more detailed information, please visit http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle.
For customers interested in transitioning off of EBS, we will offer a six-month promotion where customers can migrate to many of the stand-alone products included in EBS 2008. For more details on the offer, please go to http://www.microsoft.com/ebs.
Customers with Software Assurance will be offered an open agreement to receive the license for many stand-alone products that would have been included in EBS 2010. Customers who do not have Software Assurance will have the option to take advantage of the offer which begins on June 30, 2010 through December 31, 2010. For more details on the offer, go to http://www.microsoft.com/ebs.
For more information about this decision, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/ebs.

Windows Home Server Youtube Channel

Kurt Anderson (HSL) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

The Windows Home Server team announces their dedicated Youtube channel for your viewing pleasure.

In the channel, you will find various videos:

Team interviews – learn about Windows Home Server’s team members and how they use the product in their day-to-day lives.
Windows Home Server overviews – if you are still learning about Windows Home Server, watch an overview on how it can beneficial in your home or even a small business.
Informational how-to screen casts – each how-to video will show you how to use various features of Windows Home Server.

Check them out and Subscribe to http://www.youtube.com/user/winhomeserver

Add-in Update: Squeezebox Server for Windows Home Server v 7.4.2

Kurt Anderson (HSL) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Logitech has updated their Squeezebox Server add-in for the Windows Home Server platform which allows the Logitech Squeezebox to playback music from Windows Home Server.

Changelog:

This release fixes Squeezebox Radio bugs found by 7.4.1 users. It is required when operating the Radio with the optional battery.

Squeezebox Server

Improved alarm reliability.
Various scanner-related tag reading fixes.
Fixed audio glitches at the end of WAV/AIFF files.
Fixed gapless playback when playing PCM on Squeezebox 1.

Radio

Improved alarm reliability
Improved network connectivity with MySqueezebox.com. Improves alarm reliability when connected only to MySqueezebox.com
Maintains battery charge

Software Versions

Squeezebox Server: 30215
Radio: 8423
No change to software for Controller, Squeezebox 2 / 3, Transporter, Receiver and Boom

Bug Fixes:

You can download the update directly from Logitech it is a 50MB size of download.

Fixed UPnP compatibility with Simplify Media server.
Fixed FLAC seeking on files that contain ID3v2 tags.
Fixed sample rate detection for MPEG-4 files.
Changed Tag Version info to display all versions of ID3 tags contained within a file.
Added missing Monkey’s Audio (APE) decoder binaries for i386 FreeBSD, i386/ARM/PPC Linux.
#10449 – SqueezePlay, wrong track played when playing an artist’s compilation albums
#13955 – Remote ASX playlist containing MP3 stream fails
#14110 – Fixed scanning of iTunNORM Sound Check value in MP3 files when there is only one comment
#14321 – Applet Installer shows duplicate entries
#14328 – Need useful error messages when artwork fails
#14496 – Player display goes blank after upgrading to 7.4
#14824 – Reciva Internet Radios claim to support Icy-MetaData, but then glitch on metadata packets (Simon Hyde)
#14861 – SBS preventing HDD shutdown
#14883 – Audio pops at the end of WAV/AIFF files
#14905 – Not compatible with Ubuntu 9.10 due to MySQL 5.1
#14913 – Scanner calculates incorrect bitrate on Windows
#14931 – Can’t save preset 0 on SB3
#14933 – Scanner only includes one comment per song
#14946 – Strip trailing nulls from the end of WAV LIST INFO tags
#15001 – Save playlist plugin locks SQB classic UI
#15014 – Scanner should prefer Vorbis tags over ID3v2 tags for FLAC files
#15105 – Scanner intolerant of bad FILE value in embedded cue sheets (Gordon Harris)
#15190 – File Types page shows active option for WMA Lossless/Pro
#15196 – Multiple genre tags in ID3v2 not read properly
#15197 – Wrong bitrate/duration calculated for MPEG-2 Layer 3 files
#15262 – Unable to scan some MP4 files encoded by Nero
#15380 – Return the proper content-type when streaming files (agillis)
#15483 – Scanner fails when ReplayGain tag are invalid
#15490 – Gapless playback broken for PCM on SB1
#15491 – Try harder to read radio playlists that return text or HTML content-types
#15630 – Invalid characters in comment tags can break the scanner
#15707 – Lyrics tag in WMA files not scanned

More Info: Logitech

New Add-in: WHS QuickBooks

Alexander Kent (HSL) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

A new add-in by The Office Maven allows you to install Intuit QuickBooks onto your Windows Home Server and then access it from any authorized client.

Mike Craven:

You install a copy of Intuit QuickBooks directly onto your Windows Home Server. WHS QuickBooks will then allow you to access the installed copy of QuickBooks using a customized remote desktop connection from the desktop of any client computer that is attached to your work/home network. Or, and perhaps best of all, it will allow you to access the installed copy of QuickBooks from anywhere using just a web browser and a PC/Laptop with Internet access.
WHS QuickBooks is great for keeping track of your books while you are away from work, on a business trip, etc. You get full access to all of the features of QuickBooks, without having to install a copy of QuickBooks on every machine that you want to use it from. Your installed copy of QuickBooks (and all of its data) remains safe, and secure, at work/home on your Windows Home Server while you access it remotely from anywhere in the world!
After installing a copy of QuickBooks on your Windows Home Server, and making sure that it is set up and running properly, you then install WHS QuickBooks in your Windows Home Server Console (just as you would any other WHS add-in), enable the type of access you'd like to use (User Accounts access for local access to QuickBooks from all of the client computers across your work/home network, and/or Web Site access for web access to QuickBooks from anywhere in the world using just a web browser), and then select which users you would like to be able to use WHS QuickBooks.

About QuickBooks

Small businesses use QuickBooks for most financially-related business processes, from entering sales receipts, tracking expenses, preparing and sending invoices, sales tax tracking and payment, preparation of basic financial statements and reports, purchase order processing, and inventory management. The program does not include MICR line printing, but does include check printing and options for employee payroll and time tracking. For most tasks, QuickBooks doesn't require users to understand standard accounting procedures, including double-entry bookkeeping. Most transactions are recorded using on-line screens that closely resemble paper based forms such as invoices or checks.

Screenshots

Prerequisites

Before one can enjoy WHS QuickBooks, you must first install Intuit’s QuickBooks directly on the Windows Home Server, and configure it for the very first time.

The installation of QuickBooks is straight forward. To do so remote desktop into your Windows Home Server and run the QuickBooks setup wizard -- leaving all of the default installation configuration settings in place. QuickBooks should be installed to the system partition and at the end of the installation it is recommended that you update QuickBooks to the latest version.

WHS QuickBooks Installation and License

WHS QuickBooks is a full-fledged version 1.x commercial release. WHS QuickBooks has been localized in English, German, and French languages. It is available in a 21-day trial mode allowing you to try out the add-in, without any restrictions or limitations, for up to 21 days completely free of charge. After that, you are expected to pay for a license in order to continue using the add-in. The single-server license for WHS QuickBooks sells for only $24.99 USD.

WHS QuickBooks is available to download via the Add-In Central add-in. Open the Windows Home Server console, navigate to Add-In Central and search for: The Office Maven or QuickBooks, select WHS QuickBooks from the list and click on the Download button.

Given that Add-in Central is currently still in beta and not widely available just yet; if you are seriously interested in trying out WHS QuickBooks you can contact Mike Craven directly to request a download link (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME & EMAIL ADDRESS).

Overview of WHS QuickBooks

After installing WHS QuickBooks in the Windows Home Server Console, open Windows Home Server Settings and locate the new WHS QuickBooks panel:

Click on the "Configure" button, turn on User Accounts access and enable Web Site access to WHS QuickBooks, and then select the users of your home server that you would like to be able to use WHS QuickBooks:

When first allowing a user access to WHS QuickBooks, you will get prompted to provide customized connection options for the selected user:

For every user you provide access to WHS QuickBooks, there will be a new "WHS QuickBooks.rdp" Remote Desktop Connection file placed within their shared folder on the home server. In order to access WHS QuickBooks locally from any client computer on your work/home network, simply double-click on that Remote Desktop Connection file to launch a customized remote desktop session of WHS QuickBooks:

In addition, if you've also enabled Web Site access in WHS QuickBooks, then remote access enabled users can also click on the newly added "WHS QuickBooks Web Access" website link located on the remote access website of your home server (or they can go directly to https://YourHomeServerDomainName/remote/whsqb.aspx or https://YourHomeServerDomainName/remote/whsqbhome.aspx):

Clicking that link will take them to WHS QuickBooks' unified Single-Sign-On page where they can log on to your home server:

The first time the user logs on, they will be taken to WHS QuickBooks' home page (which is fully integrated into the home server's default remote access website):

From there, the user can set their own web access connection options, and connect to WHS QuickBooks as themself or as the home network Administrator:

The first time the user connects (or any time they connect as the Administrator), WHS QuickBooks will prompt them for their home server password. The password is then securely stored by WHS QuickBooks and used to automatically log them on during future WHS QuickBooks sessions. Note that for security reasons, the Administrator password is NEVER stored.

Here's what WHS QuickBooks looks like while running in web access mode under the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser (note that Mozilla Firefox can also be used in conjunction with the IE Tab Firefox add-on if so desired):

A WHS QuickBooks Connector application is also available. the Connector is a small application that can be installed on any client machine that is used to connect to WHS QuickBooks. It provides server-to-client and client-to-server interactions for both local AND Internet-based WHS QuickBooks connections (allowing you to transfer files from the server to the client, transfer files from the client to the server, quickly lock the connection to the server, change settings, etc.):

More Information

HP Releases 3.0 Patch 2 for MMS and DataVault 510

Chris Bickerstaff — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

MediaSmartServer.Net has reported the release of an update for the 3.0 software currently on MMS EX 449x series and HP Datavault 510 Windows Home Servers.

Here’s the official wording from the DataVault download page.

This update will reduce CPU load when the media streamer is scanning for media and includes several improvements for the Mac backup feature.

More information and installation instructions can be found HERE for any adventures members, although HSL would recomend that most members simply wait for the HP automatic updates to take care of it for you.

Coming Soon: PerfectDisk 11 for Windows Home Server

Matt Rap (HSL) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Do you consider yourself to be “The Defraganator”? Do you wake up in the morning and smell the hard drives? Well then, there is good news for you on the horizon. PerfectDisk 11 will be released on March 9th and from what we have seen it looks to add some killer functionality.

Check out the videos and screen shots to get a glimpse of what is in store for you.

SMARTPlacement features and capabilities in PerfectDisk 11

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7TAgWcWVJA:640:480]

Selected Files feature in PerfectDisk 11

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4tT7MYwHG8:640:480]

Boot Defrag feature in PerfectDisk 11

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx4AFXVKQPE:640:480]

If you buy PerfectDisk 10 by March 8th, which is currently 20% off, you can get an upgrade to PerfectDisk 11 absolutely free! Use the coupon code FREE11 at checkout.

More Information: PerfectDisk 11

New Add-In WHS on Facebook

Chris Bickerstaff — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Felix Kollmann, would like to announce the recent release of his new Add-In with the following statment.

I am happy to announce the first sneak peak on the first Facebook integration with the Microsoft Windows Home Server out there.
Please keep in mind that this is a preview and there is still a lot of work to do but installing this version will provide valuable data on determining the direction of the project.

Project Description:

Windows Home Server on Facebook is the first integration of the Microsoft Windows Home Server with Facebook. Share your favorite WHS to your friends and recommend add-ins. Got a new hard drive? Let your friends know!

Screenshots

Instructions

First you need to download and install the Windows Home Server on Facebook add-in the traditional way. Next, link your Facebook account the Windows Home Server on Facebook add-in. To do so, go to Settings and open the Facebook tab page. Click on the Go to Facebook link to associate this Windows Home Server to your Facebook account.

Privacy: Please note that none of the data is stored at Facebook! This is not how Facebook Apps (esp. this one) works.

More information and download can be found HERE.

Windows Home Server Shared Folder Access from Taskbar

Alexander Kent (HSL) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Windows Guru Bjoern Buerstinghaus illustrates a tip on how to create a Windows taskbar shortcut linking directly to the Windows Home Server shared folders.

Bjoern’s original instructions are in German; however, we thought this tip was too cool not to share, so here is the English translation:

Instructions

1.On your client, navigate to Control Panel -> Folder Options (type in search box if you do not see it) -> View Tab -> un-check "Hide file extensions for known types" and Apply.

2.Next, navigate to your Windows desktop and click with the right mouse button on the desktop. In the context menu select "New" -> "Text Document":

3. By default the name of the new text file will be “New Text Document.txt”, change it to something meaningful such as “Windows Home Server.exe”, and –important the file extension must be “exe”. Ignore the rename warning dialog in Windows 7 by clicking Yes.

4. After this, right-click on the file and choose the “Pin to Taskbar” option (notice the Icon changed to the standard icon for EXE files).

5. Next we need to create the shortcut to our desired folder on the Windows Home Server; for illustration purposes we will link to all of our shared folders -> In my case, my WHS is named HPSTORAGE and the path will be \\HPSTORAGE

6. Now, using the mouse, right-click on the newly added Windows Home Server Icon in the taskbar and in the context menu select "Properties".

7. In the Properties window, navigate to the Shortcut tab and under Target enter the fully qualified network path to your Windows Home Server, for example \\HPSTORAGE

Next, click on the Change Icon… button where you can change the Icon for your shortcut. Note that the WHS Icon is located in the C:\Program Files\Windows Home Server\ directory.

Apply and close the Properties dialog box. At this point you can use the shortcut from the taskbar to access your WHS shared folders. Please note that the changed icon will only appear after a system reboot.

Enjoy!

Add-in Update: WHS Mobile 1.5.4.0

Kurt Anderson (HSL) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Brent Friedman of CompuGeek Software released an updated version of the WHS Mobile add-in / iPhone app. Which currently stands at version 1.5.4.0.

On this version it brings embedded icons, fixes foreign characters, fixes the alert number in the app icon and more.

Fixed: Spaces in user names with streaming. Had left some code out by mistake.
Fixed: Japanese/Chinese characters in files and folders making the folder/file not load properly.
Added: Uploading an image from your iPhone’s storage or camera will not ask for a file name anymore. Instead, the name is auto-generated from the date and time.
Added: Embedded icons for shares, folders, and most file types. Share and folder icons can be overridden with a “folder.jpg” file inside said folder/share.
Fixed: Handling of folders with mp3s if a folder.jpg file was not found as well (would show an error in the Event Log).
Added: Swipe to the right to show a “delete” button in the file tab. Tap to delete or swipe back to the left to hide.
Changed: XML to JSON in an attempt to speed up browsing.
Changed: Application badge (number) not clearing as it should. Made the app clear the badge on start. Was originally supposed to do that when the notification was cleared on the WHS.
Changed: Thumbnails are resized keeping the aspect ratio (again)
Changed: Optimized memory usage and fixed some leaks
Changed: Made some other tweaks as when I changed from XML to JSON.

Screenshots

It supports Windows Mobile and iPhone OS and is the only current addin that allows streaming over 3G. If you havn’t purchased the iPhone/iPod touch client software yet you can at a cost of $1.99/£1.19 from the Apple store.

The Windows Mobile client software is still free, however you do need Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 installed onto your device.

More Information | Download

New Add-in: WHS Quicken

Alexander Kent (HSL) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

A new add-in by The Office Maven allows you to install Intuit Quicken onto your home server and then access it from any authorized client. Since Microsoft choose to discontinue the Microsoft Money software last spring, Intuit’s Quicken has become the undisputed market-leading personal finance software. What’s particularly exciting is that now, with the power of WHS Quicken users can elevate the Windows Home Server into new realms by incorporating productivity and lifestyle.

Mike Craven:

WHS Quicken, and just as its name suggests, allows you to use Intuit Quicken from your Windows Home Server. If you are already familiar with my WHS Outlook add-in for the Windows Home Server, then you will feel right at home with WHS Quicken since it works in exactly the same way, only with Intuit Quicken instead of Microsoft Outlook.
Basically, you install a copy of Intuit Quicken directly onto your Windows Home Server. WHS Quicken will then allow you to access the installed copy of Quicken using a customized remote desktop connection from the desktop of any client computer that is attached to your home network. Or, and perhaps best of all, it will allow you to access the installed copy of Quicken from anywhere using just a web browser and a PC/Laptop with Internet access.
WHS Quicken is great for keeping track of your personal finances while you are away from home, on vacation, etc. You get full access to all of the features of Quicken, without having to install a copy of Quicken on every machine that you want to use it from. Your installed copy of Quicken (and all of its data) remains safe, and secure, at home on your Windows Home Server while you access it remotely from anywhere in the world!
After installing a copy of Quicken on your Windows Home Server, and making sure that it is set up and running properly, you then install WHS Quicken in your Windows Home Server Console (just as you would any other WHS add-in), enable the type of access you'd like to use (User Accounts access for local access to Quicken from all of the client computers across your home network, and/or Web Site access for web access to Quicken from anywhere in the world using just a web browser), and then select which users you would like to be able to use WHS Quicken.

Screenshots

Prerequisites

Before one can enjoy WHS Quicken, you must first install the Intuit Quicken software directly on the Windows Home Server, and configure it for the very first time.

The installation of Quicken is straight forward. To do so remote desktop into your Windows Home Server and run the Quicken setup wizard -- leaving all of the default installation configuration settings in place.

Quicken should be installed to the system partition and at the end of the installation it is recommended that you update Quicken to the latest version.

WHS Quicken Installation and License

WHS Quicken is a full-fledged version 1.x commercial release. WHS Quicken has been localized in English, German, and French languages. It is available in a 21-day trial mode allowing you to try out the add-in, without any restrictions or limitations, for up to 21 days completely free of charge. After that, you are expected to pay for a license in order to continue using the add-in. The single-server license for WHS Quicken sells for only $24.99 USD.

WHS Quicken is available to download via the Add-In Central add-in. Open the Windows Home Server console, navigate to Add-In Central and search for: The Office Maven or Quicken, select WHS Quicken from the list and click on the Download button.

Given that Add-in Central is currently still in beta and not widely available just yet; if you are seriously interested in trying out WHS Quicken you can contact Mike Craven directly to request a download link (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME & EMAIL ADDRESS).

More Information

HP MediaSmart Server 3.0 Software Update - Available this week

Andy Belon (HSL) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Alex Kuretz, over at MediaSmartServer.net, recently broke the news that the much anticipated HP MediaSmart Server 3.0 Software update will be available later this week. Alex has had some advanced playtime with the software and offers some useful guidance and links to official upgrade guides from HP.

Source: MediaSmartServer.net

HP MediaSmart Server 3.0 Software Update Availability

The 3.0 software update DVD will be available to order beginning later this week, with shipments beginning next week. These optional updates are available to purchase for owners of our EX470/475/485/487 products who want to upgrade their servers to the latest 3.0 software that is shipping on the EX490/495 products.

Please note the previously communicated information related to these updates:

1) The cost of the upgrade DVD has been finalized and will be US$25 or €25.

2) These upgrades will be available as a server recovery solution. HP recommends that you back up all server files prior to installing the upgrade.

3) This upgrade is not recommended for EX470/475 owners who have not already upgraded their Server DRAM to 1GB as certain features will not function.

To order the upgrade DVD, visit www.hp.com and enter your product model number in the "Support and Drivers" section. Then follow the path for your MediaSmart Server model number to order the upgrades.

We thank everyone for their continued support of the MediaSmart Server family of products.

Add-in Update: Disk Management 1.1 for Windows Home Server

Alexander Kent (HSL) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Sam Wood of Tentacle Software, curator of one of the most popular Windows Home Server add-ins announces a feature-loaded updated version of his Disk Management add-in.

Users can use the shiny new "Disk Management for Windows Home Server" add-in; formerly known as "WHS Disk Management" is used to conceptualize storage arrangements, identify, monitor and administrate the disks inside of your server with relative ease.

Screenshots

Sam Wood:

Tentacle Software is proud to announce the release of Disk Management 1.1, the next version of our very popular Windows Home Server Add-In. It has, as they say, been a long time coming.
We’ve kept this release under the radar, for the most part. We’ve talked about it in hushed whispers for at least a year and a half. Why did it take so long? We really, really wanted to get it right.
New Features
We re-architected the entire Add-In to use a Windows Service to do all the back-end heavy lifting. That’s given us the flexibility to add a bunch of functionality that you’ve all been asking for.
Everyone loves bullet points, so here are our new shinies in no particular order:
Significantly improved user interface (including a collapsible pane for the wireframe if you don’t use it)
Significantly improved performance, especially on multi-core CPUs
Charts for disk space statistics
Charts for disk space utilization over time
Disk statistics logging to a file
More disk details, including the NTFS mount point for each disk
Real counting of the actual backup database size (for all you crazy kids with backup duplication enabled)
A detailed help file
The new UI is something we’re really proud of. No more pop-up windows to see detailed information about your disks, it’s all there in one display.
New Price
The other major change is that we’re going professional. Disk Management will no longer be free.
There are a number of reasons for us to do this, but mostly we believe that Disk Management is worth paying for, and moving to a paid model will help ensure that Disk Management is supported and maintained in the future.
Disk Management is available as a free 30-day trial, with no feature or functionality limitations. You can try it out with no risk and see how awesome the new version is. If you love it as much as we do, a license for v1.x will cost you US$10 per server.
New Website
The Tentacle Software website has had a major facelift. We’ve got a whole new style, and a new store. Have a look and tell us what you think; we would love to hear your feedback.
The Future
We’re very excited about this release, as I’m sure you can tell. We believe that Disk Management 1.1 is the start of something special for us, and we’ve got plans for all sorts of goodies for Windows Home Server that I’m sure you’ll love.

We want to sincerely thank all our beta testers, and everyone who has given us feedback. Disk Management and Tentacle Software are two years old and we couldn’t have made it this far without you.

More Information | Download

Exclusive: Add-In Central Release Candidate

Matt Rap (HSL) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

The buzz is so loud that you might think there’s a beehive in the attic. Don’t worry my friends because you don’t need to call the beekeeper. The sound you are hearing is people talking about what is being called “The Mother of All Add-Ins” and that moment has almost arrived. The release candidate for Add-In Central is just about ready for the masses and it’s time to get your hands on it! The HomeServerLand.com Team will be giving the release candidate of Add-In Central to the first 100 users who sign up at AddInCentral.com.

First time you have heard of it? Well let me break it down for you. Add-In Central is the first and only centralized add-in manager that allows you to browse, download and update add-ins conveniently through your Windows Home Server Console. Add-In Central is fast, simple, and provides you with the information you need when determining which add-ins are right for you.

Screenshots


View by: New	View by: Categories	Add-in details view


Update Alert	Download

Add-In Central Features

Notifications of new updates for Windows Home Server Add-Ins
One Click upgrades that will provide a simple and fast way to upgrade your current Add-Ins
Browse, find information with screenshots, and download Add-Ins directly from your Windows Home Server console
View Add-Ins by popularity, category, or find the latest ones to hit the market
Direct links to support forums which help improve communication and provide direct troubleshooting support
Screenshots and descriptions help you make the right choice when downloading new Add-Ins

Click here to sign up for this exclusive beta

Add-in Update: Redec's Syslog Beta 2

Alexander Kent (HSL) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

The Syslog receiver add-in which supports the syslog standard supported by a wide variety of devices, hardware and software across multiple platforms has been updated to Beta 2. Use Syslog to monitor and troubleshooting network centric devices, all from the convenience of the Windows HomeServer console.

Changelog

Added additional filtering and grouping
Fixed a couple of stability issues
Resolved a few LinkSYS compatibility issues

Screenshot

Installation

Save the Syslog MSI installation file in the Software\Add-Ins folder on the Windows Home Server. The folder path will look like \\<ServerName>\Software\Add-Ins, where <ServerName> is the computer name of your WHS. The addin is installed the traditional way: log on to the WHS Console and click the "Settings" option. The Windows Home Server Settings window appears. Do the following.

Click "Add-ins" in the left frame.
Click the "Available" tab in the Available Add-ins frame.
Click the "Install" button for the Add-in you have downloaded.

The "Installation Succeeded" dialog appears after the Add-in has completed its install. Click the "OK" button to close the WHS Console.

Configuration

Note that the Syslog standard uses the port number 514 and the addin should have automatically configured the built-in Windows firewall on the Windows Home Server accordingly.

If you are using a different firewall you must configure it to allow inbound traffic on port 514. The next step is to configure the software or hardware to transmit log data to the Windows Home Server.

During our testing of this add-in we used a SonicWall TZ210 security appliance but any software or hardware device supporting the Syslog standard as defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)should be supported. To do so simply specify the private IP address of the Windows Home Server on the network and optionally (if applicable) specify the log granularity.

More Information | Download

Add-in Update: WHS Mobile v1.5.3.4

Alexander Kent (HSL) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Brent Friedman of CompuGeek Software released an updated version of the WHS Mobile add-in / iPhone app. Initially planned as a minor bug fix update, WHS Mobile v1.5.3.4 turned into a more substantial update: introducing three major new features, most notably and eagerly anticipated: Push notifications and Video streaming support!

WHS Mobile is a utility that lets you manage your Windows Home Server files, port forwards, and users using your iPhone or iPod Touch. Using the new Push Notifications feature, users can now receive real time WHS health notification alerts. In short: "It will honk at you, letting you know there is a problem by displaying the title and body of the alert directly on your iPhone".

This alone is a killer feature but wait... mobile users rejoice! WHS Mobile now supports the streaming of many popular video formats such as .mp4, .mov, m4v, and 3gp. Effectively WHS Mobile matures, representing the best-of-class solution to manage your Windows Home Server remotely using your iPhone or iPod Touch. Note that the only alternative, the HP MediaSmart iStream App for iPhone which is only available in conjunction with the HP MediaSmart or Data Vault Windows Home Server no longer supports video streaming over Edge/3G networks.

What's new in v1.5.3.4

Fixed: If you enable or disable a user, the image would not update to show the changes (e.g.: gray to show disabled)
Fixed: Image downloading would throw a strange error.
Fixed: "Download" button would show up when you tapped a file.
Fixed: Some problems with symbols and streaming.
Fixed: Problems with commonly used symbols in file and folder names.
Fixed: Some other minor things.
Added: Push notifications of server alerts.
Added: Ability to create new shares and set the permissions.
Added: Ability to play unprotected .mp4, .mov, .m4v, and.3gp video files.
Added: Ability to play unprotected .m4a audio files (untested).
Added: Ability to create folders.
Added: Ability to delete folders.
Added: Ability to view .txt files.
Added: Ability to set the port to connect on.
Changed: The thumbnail now stretches to fit the 64x64 pixel block instead of aspect ratio resizing.
Changed: Redesigned the users tab to be more aesthetically pleasing - the first tab to be redone in that fashion

Features Overview

Manage (view/re-name/delete) your Windows Home Server files, port forwarding, user accounts using an iPhone or iPod touch
Integrates with Windows Search to provide speedy and accurate home server shares searching
Stream your MP3's and videos (.mp4, .m4v,.mov, and.3gp) that are stored on your Windows Home Server directly to your phone.
View and download your photos that are on your Windows Home Server.
Upload photos from your device's photo library or directly from the camera.
Manage your user accounts from your device. Enable, disable, and delete users without the need to log-in from a computer.

Screenshots

Availability & Download

The WHS Mobile iPhone App is about to hit the Apple AppStore within the next couple of hours! Meanwhile the WHS Mobile (Windows Home Server Add-in) can be downloaded from the www.whsmobile.com website. User should update the iPhone app via iTunes or via the App Store and then uninstall the add-in. Once that is done, install the new WHS add-in version (WHS Mobile (latest).msi) on the Windows Home Server the traditional way.

Brent Friedman:

What started out as a minor update for iPhone turned into a more substantial update. With three major changes, push notifications; being able to create shares from the device; and video streaming, this version is worth the update.
In addition to the changes below, I am also half way done implementing (just need to add it to the iPhone UI): creation of users and their shares, editing share name and description, and changing user permissions on existing shares.
Alerts from push notification will show the title and body of the alert. However, I have not yet implemented the health/notification viewer so the “View” button will only launch the application. If you have any problems with push notifications, please let me know (bug [at] compugeeksoftware [dot] com) so I can fix any problems that arise. I was unable to test the distribution build of the push notifications due to the required change in certificates. Although, it worked just fine in the development certificate and build.
In this version, you cannot edit the share permissions after creation so make sure to add any needed accounts with the proper none/read/write access right after creation (permission dialog will automatically pop-up right after you create the share).

More Information | Download

Google Looking To Develop Gigabit Fiber Network In The U.S.

Jeff Daniels (HSL) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Google plans to test ultra high-speed internet in "a small number of trial locations across the United States." They expect the trial will start with approximately 50,000 up to potentially 500,000 people.

Why does Google want to do this? This is what they are saying:

Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.
New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks, and to help inform and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.
Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory and transparent way.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wusklcNKDZc&feature=player_embedded:640:480]

Watch out ISPs. If Google makes this work as designed, everyone else will be forced to play catch-up. Read more...

From now until March 26th, Google is asking interested U.S. municipalities to provide them with information about their communities through a Request for information (RFI), which they will use to determine where to build their network.