What OS for headless server?

[mikejaner]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

I've had my WHS server up for a couple of days now and it's working great!

I jumped on the bandwagon also. I will be setting mine up tonight!!

[rmac321]

I'm planning to install the WHS trial on my SageTV server. I'm already a WHS fan, so that isn't a problem.

My question is whether there are any problems/issues with running more than one WHS machine on a workgroup as I have an EX470 already.

FWIW, I won't use the backup features of WHS on the SageTV server since I already have that covered with the EX470. The EX470 currently stores music and some DVD/video (not TV) and the SageTV server running XP(Home) accesses and streams from it just fine.

Anything I need to watch out for with the second WHS?

[Taddeusz]

I'm not sure exactly what I want to do. I'm thinking now that I want to move my main server to WHS and then buy some kind of eSATA enclosure. Not sure though.

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by rmac321

My question is whether there are any problems/issues with running more than one WHS machine on a workgroup as I have an EX470 already.

Anything I need to watch out for with the second WHS?

You can only connect the WHS Connector to one at a time for backups but you'll be able to access the shares on both. Most people don't need two but I ran two during the WHS betas without issues.

[rmac321]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

You can only connect the WHS Connector to one at a time for backups but you'll be able to access the shares on both. Most people don't need two but I ran two during the WHS betas without issues.

If I didn't already have the EX470, I'd probably just build a WHS server to be both my backup server and my Sage server. Since the EX470 is already setup and works great, but isn't really up to the task of being a dedicated SageTV server without modification, it made more sense to put the time and money into a separate Sage server. The continued tinkering with the Sage server also confirmed my decision to keep it on a dedicated system separate from the backup server.

FWIW, the EX works great streaming media to an extender controlled by the Sage server currently running XP home SP3.

The Sage server if switched to WHS won't need to do any backup functions. I'd just like to take advantage of the WHS stability and easy drive pooling. I just wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any surprises with a second WHS system on a single workgroup.

Will the second WHS system need to be accessed via remote desktop instead of via the console, or is it possible to have console connections to both whs boxes (not necessarily simultaneous)?

[S_M_E]

That's the only problem, the connector will only connect to one WHS at a time for the console and backups. You can use RDP to connect to the second WHS but the connector won't warn you of "Network Health" status on the other. You can switch the connector from one to another but your "backup WHS" won't backup the PC if the connector is pointed at the "Sage WHS." It's a minor problem but it could bite you if you don't notice a failing drive (or other problem) on the Sage WHS.

What I would do is sell the HP WHS (or donate it to family) and use just one but 2 or more will certainly work. You just have to be more observant of a WHS that has no connectors on it.

[rmac321]

S M E - Thanks, that's the kind of input I need. FWIW, I'm reluctant to lose the HP as it is one of those rare occurrences of "it just works" and I'm still heavily tinkering with SageTV and don't expect that to end any time soon. Another reason for not merging the two servers is that we have overlap in heavy use times during prime time. I actually have the HP start its backups at 6:00pm. I found that when I let it wait until everyone was in bed, my wife and daughter would turn their laptops completely off, so they wouldn't get backed up. I gradually moved the time earlier and earlier until my occurrences of yellow or red whs icon nearly disappeared.

For those that want to advise me to use sleep states and wol, you're preaching to the choir, but my wife refuses to use sleep states. She can't let go of my telling her many windows versions ago to not use stdby on her desktop because it was locking up intermittently. She won't believe me that that is no longer a problem.

[rmac321]

Originally Posted by S_M_E

That's the only problem, the connector will only connect to one WHS at a time for the console and backups.

Just out of curiosity, what happens if you try to use the connector to connect one WHS box to another WHS box?

[S_M_E]

Originally Posted by rmac321

Just out of curiosity, what happens if you try to use the connector to connect one WHS box to another WHS box?

I don't think you can install the connector on WHS to monitor/backup another WHS. WHS is not a supported OS for the connector.