I’ve been using Microsoft Windows Home Server since the beta test, and while I’m not normally a raving fan of any software by Microsoft, I love this thing. It’s designed to be very user-friendly, and while it is very easy to use for a server, I wouldn’t give it to my grandma to try out. I consider my self to be pretty tech-savvy, but I did have some problems setting some stuff up.
That aside, it’s a wonderful piece of software, and I’d recommend it to anybody. It’s a great backup solution, automatically backing up all of the computers on your network every night, and allowing a simple recover feature in case something happens, completely restoring any PC on the network. It has some great plugins to use as well - Webguide is my favorite. Webguide was so popular that MS themselves picked up the project and made it free.
On to my point…the problem with Windows Home Server (WHS) is that it’s expensive. The system builder software is good for those who have a spare PC to run it on or can just build a new PC. The software alone is $160, then the price of the hardware. Even better though, you can buy an HP Mediasmart Home Server for about $680. It comes with 1TB (1000GB) of storage space, and is built with WHS in mind. It’s a great option, but way too expensive for most people.
The good folks at MSWHS blog introduced me to Amahi HDA - a free linux-based home server software with many of the features of WHS. Amahi offers:
* Calendaring
* Wiki
* Shared network storage
* Network Backups
* Printer server
* Remote access
You can use a spare computer with at least a 800MHz processor and 512MB RAM or they can send you a desktop box pre-configured as an HDA with a Pentium III 800MHz processor with 256MB of memory and a 20GB disk for FREE (-shipping). A Power user option is available with a PC using an AMD Opteron 244 chip running at 1.8GHz with 2GB of memory and a choice of hard disk, all in a black desktop workstation case for a very low cost.
Sounds like a damn good deal to me. Keep in mind this isn’t going to be as user-friendly as WHS, but that’s what to expect when it’s free (or cheap if you buy the systems they offer.)
I have 3 total invites available for the Beta. Please leave a comment below if you want an invite.
I would like to an invite
thanks
Ken
@Ken - Invite sent!
I would also like an invite, this sounds great.
I too would like an invite if you still have one.
Thanks!
Todd
I’m waiting for Amahi to give me some more invites. I’ll get these to you as soon as I can.
I would also like an invite, if you have one more?
I’m out of invites. I sent the users who’ve already requested invites to Amahi so they can let you know when they’re ready for more testers.
Another thing that’s been clarified to me is that it seems the free/cheap hardware is very limited, mostly for local people. They’re working on a more formal way of going about hardware distribution.
If you’re still interested in Amahi, please visit http://www.amahi.org
I would like to an invite
thanks
Zaeentech
If its not too late, I’d like an invite as well.
I would like to an invite.
Thanks
Jaason
The beta program is open, so if you ask for an invite you’ll probably get one.
The link below explains how to get one:
http://www.amahi.org/invitation
Wow, a free low-end pc and a WHS Linux alternative? What is defined as “local”? I would love to get one of these boxes into my home. Heck, I’d probably pay for this.
Invite me please, I am very interested in the “free server” idea. I just got my 120 day trial of WHS, so I want to compare them, and heck, I’d rather get a free PC then be forced to buy a high end one for this.
Oh, “cheap” well, still. I think I might want to buy one of these. Free would have been nice though.
I really like the idea of a free home server, and i throught Microsoft invented the home server, who silly was i. In fact, i’m currently doing this beta, and right now it’s an open sign up, it requires a little configuration but the info it needs is easy to get and is just about your network config, plus the website automaticly sets the server up for you, so you don’t have to do it yourself, which is nice.