Building windows home media server

It also allows file and printer sharing; it can stream audio, video and digital photographs to any device that supports Windows Media Connect including the Xbox gaming console ; and it can be configured to allow remote access, so you can access and control your server and all the machines connected to it from anywhere you have an Internet connection.

The recently announced Windows Home Server Power Pack 2 adds important new features to the server operating system -- including much-improved support for Windows Media Center Extenders and client PCs running Windows Media Center -- and fixes a number of bugs. Note that Windows Home Server is limited to 10 client computers. Windows, Linux and Macintosh computers can connect to the server either locally or remotely over the Internet and access shared files, but only computers running Windows XP and Vista can take advantage of automated backup on home-brew Windows Home Servers.

Several manufacturers currently offer prebuilt servers based on WHS , but you can also buy the operating system by itself and easily build out your own server. We'll show you how. The purpose of a home media server is to store media files in one centralized place that can be streamed to various devices such as HTPC or media streamer.

While you can use even a modest old computer as a home media server, there are certain consideration you need to be aware of. Hard drives Firstly a typical hard drive consumes around 5W at idle, but may need as much as 30W at start-up. Therefore, you will need to have enough power to start up all HDDs at the same time.

For example, if you are planning to build a 10 hard drive server, you will need. Processor Streaming media files does not require much CPU performance, so you will be fine with a dual-core processor. Gigabit Ethernet A Gigabit Ethernet adapter is a must to ensure you will have enough bandwidth for streaming HD videos. If we talk about Microsoft, the Windows home server has become obsolete, whereas the Windows media center is in phase-out stages.

But still, a person can run a home media server and enjoy its flawless streaming on all devices. Thus without any extra applications or cumbersome steps, one can easily have access to their content or impeccably stream it through a home network on a range of devices.

The connectivity is easy and convenient whether it is TV, Smartphone, tablet or laptop. Recommended to Read : Best Laptops to Buy in So if you are serious about setting up a Home server, then there are some of the basic requirements of hardware components.

The nitty-gritty or the essential requirements of any Home based media server are explained below. The most important and one of the basic requirements is having connectivity.

Connectivity can be ensured using WiFi or an Ethernet cable connection. Though using cable is an old concept now, and honestly, you have to run hundreds of meters of cables that are not only tedious but also do not look good.

Moreover, the faster and lag-free your connection is, the better the picture you get. For flawless 4k streaming, it is recommended to use a quality router having good coverage and gain.

Another key element of home media server hardware is storage. How much storage you need depends on your requirements. How much media are you going to store on your home server? Terabytes of storage are going to cost you more. But having more storage means having a bulk of data where you shall have got almost everything. As an alternate, if you are tight on budget, you can buy a less storage drive or use some old PC hardware. Any device that can play a part of a server will be a good option.

But in our view, currently, the best options are stated above. Last but to be honest, the backbone of any perfect home media server is its perfect software. Acronis will allow you to perform automated backups to a network device. The backups are stored as archives, similar to WHS , and even open in File Explorer for easy access.

Press Enter. Enter your login credentials if necessary. Then click the Test connection button. Press Connect to proceed. You can choose an existing folder or add a new one. You can either wait until the next backup time or click Back up now. I run Blue Iris on my server so I can record my security cameras to a hard drive. Thus, my home server also acts as an NVR. I even use a video capture card that can record TV. Basically, what you get with Windows is an extensive library of utilities and programs that can harness a wide range of hardware.

One of the more contentious aspects of Windows 10 is automatic updates. A lot of people hate this feature, but I love it. I love knowing that my PC is constantly being patched to protect it. All I use is the native Windows Defender. Microsoft does allow you to set active hours, giving you further protection against a rogue restart.

Overall, automatic updates are a welcome feature that help make Windows 10 a stable platform. Power users might recommend Ubuntu Server, or some other flavor of Linux. Or at least know how to use it. Automatic updates help protect your PC. It supports Remote Desktop. Introduction This post was originally published on June 15th, Windows Add a New User.