Back in July of 2007, Microsoft released its first iteration of Windows Home Server (WHS). Over the three years that followed, Microsoft has updated the product with three Power Packs, each of which has provided significant functional improvements. And of course, some WHS partners, most notably HP, have also contributed to making WHS more usable and functional via a series of machine-specific enhancements and other add-ons.
Windows Home Server "Vail", the next major version of this product, will be based on the current generation Windows Server platform (Windows Server 2008 R2) and will share a number of features and capabilities with Small Business Server and Essential Business Server. Unfortunately, Microsoft has been tight-lipped about Vail and the quality of information we have today is lacking, to say the least. Fortunately, a recently leaked build of Vail – tagged build 7360 – has shed some light on what the WHS team has been working on.
Others have written quick overviews of this leaked Vail build. But while anyone can find a torrent, download, install and then make a quick YouTube video, I think I can provide something quite a bit more detailed… and useful. Using some home-baked tools I used for gathering information for "Windows 7 Secrets," I was able to mine Vail for its actual capabilities. Here’s what I have thus far:
New codenames
Vail exposes some interesting codenames, including a few even Mary Jo Foley hadn’t heard of. Key among these is "Aurora," which appears to be a Small Business Server version that sits somewhere between WHS and the current SBS products (Paul’s SBS + cloud services dream solution?) and “Colorado,” which appears to be remote device related. (Windows Media Connect or DLNA-based devices, maybe?)
Update: Further evidence supporting the SBS = Aurora theory can be found on various sites, such as http://bjosbs.com/. (The site is registered to a SBS ‘softie apparently.) [thanks to Daniel K. for the tip]
New features
This version of WHS Vail provides two major functional updates, Homegroup creation/integration and media streaming. Both appear to be based on the same functionality that appears in Windows 7, and the media streaming feature utilizes a sweet Silverlight-based player, through its revamped remote console, that transcodes content of virtually any kind from what I can tell, on-the-fly. (I personally tested WMV, H.264, and XviD.)
New Dashboard
WHS Vail comes with a new dashboard, which replaces the awful admin console from the current version with a new normal window that appears to be the basis for similar dashboards in future versions of Windows Small Business Server and Windows Essential Business Server. This Dashboard is customizable, more so than previous versions, enabling server makers like HP to customize it with their own look and feel – color scheme, unique Home tab content, and more.
Add-in changes
Perhaps sensing that WHS add-ins can be the source for malicious and software, or otherwise just responding to complaints that some current add-ins seem to adversely impact the performance and stability of the server, Microsoft is making some big changes to how WHS interacts with these mini applications.
Some add-ins will be “Microsoft certified” and therefore known to be safe/good, while others will be digitally signed (or unsigned) and provided by third parties. Add-ins, of which will now also reside in an online catalog, will be version controlled, preventing the user from inadvertently writing over a newer version with an out of date version, and can support subscription-based services like anti-virus. Vail will also keep a watchful eye on add-ins, intervening when they crash, allowing a user to quickly locate the source of the problem. And, if I’m reading this right, WHS Vail will support the deployment of specialized add-ins to connected PCs as well, not just on the server. (As in, install AV on the server and have it protect clients as well.)
Server health
In keeping with broader efforts across other Windows Server products, WHS Vail includes a number of server health technologies, many of which leverage the pre-installed PowerShell. It supports scheduled cleanups and backups of both clients and server and checks clients for both anti-spyware and anti-malware protection. While at work, Vail may find the need to generate an alerts or report, both of which can either be printed on-screen or emailed, much like the SBS product.
More to come?
With the TODO and DRAFT labeling littered throughout Vail’s interfaces and documentation, it’s impossible to know what Vail will really be. From what I’ve seen, however, it’s shaping up to be the easiest yet most powerful server solution in the home today. I’m particularly interested to hear more about changes in the way web site hosting worked, a feature supported very little in previous versions. (Perhaps that’s an area better left to a dedicated web server or newer cloud shared hosting solutions.)
Flickr Screenshot Gallery
I’d imagine (hope) they are using the IIS Smooth Streaming with the Silverlight media player – that’d come in handy when streaming away from home!
Biggest feature not covered in this synopsis: PC Backup duplication.
Each share folder is now a separate drive letter, and though I haven’t tried yet, it looks like bitlocker can lock each share-drive once you add it using the server roles.
Interesting stuff.
Will be interesting to see if more than 10 PC’s can be backed up. I would think that would be the case in the version targeted to SOHO (presuming there will be 2 versions…).
Thanks for doing this!
It would be great if this included Office Web apps in the remote file browser. Wow, this could be the easiest way to make your own private cloud!
can you tell us more about those home-baked tools you used for gathering information for “Windows 7 Secrets,”?
I hope I can upgrade my HP Data Vault x510 with “Vail” when released. Australian’s have only just got the HP MediaSmart and Data Vault Servers in and I will be a little pissed off if I have to purchase new hardware to run “Vail”.
Great work guys and look forward to more information on this.
OK, that demo of the media player is exactly what I’ve been wanting from Media Center and Zune’s now playing screens. That’s awesome.
I’m going to have to upgrade my server to a 64bit capable CPU and motherboard before I’m going to be able to install this.
Interesting to see that one screen said Windows Home Server “Premium” – looks like there may be different versions…
“Aurora” indeed seems to be the codename for some kind of new SBS. Just have a look at this website: https://www.wanderingkiwi.com/ it says “Windows Server code name “Aurora”"
This website is registered to Guy Haycock, who works for the Small Business Server proudict team.
You should also check this: http://bjosbs.com/
I keep having problems with installing this on Hyper-V. Every time I get to the “Accept that all data on your HDDs will be deleted” dialog, it says that it can’t get access to the HDD.
“checks clients for both anti-spyware and anti-malware protection” if it could do a anti-virus scan to friends/family’s laptops when they come over to protect my network would be awesome
Is there any indication if this will be available this year? If not, is there any indication if it will run on an EX495, because I finally got spousal approval to buy one, which doesn’t happen often. I shutter to think what I would have to give up if it turns out I would need new hardware to run this version.
The EX495 hardware meets the hardware requirements, so at this point pray HP develops an upgrade path for your box. Sadly, I don’t think this will happen…
@Shawn: As you can see on this (http://www.imagebanana.com/view/3eirmma/vail_aurora.png) schedule, the public beta of Vail should start soon, but the RTM wont arrive before 2011 (I think Vail will be released together with Aurora in H1 2011)…
It is likely you will need new hardware. This software is designed for OEMs to build appliances to sell. In addition it will be x64 only and will likely want more memory.
I made a small blog post to sum up all the information we have about Aurora and Vail so far.
Here it is: http://www.windowswiki.info/2010/02/03/windows-server-code-name-vail-aurora-what-we-know-so-far/
There was also some talk of integration of MESH on the the server exposing services out to the web and being able to use the storage in your WHS as your cloud on a the internet..I wish I could find the link..it was at one of those developer forums..they had a video of it.. very cool the also covered the silverlight stream HD…Brenda Grant and the other lead developer gave the talk. With Office 2010..MESH, Silverlight and WHS coming together…a private cloud becomes a reality very quickly.
aah here is the Talk…it covers where they want to take VAIL…http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/ES12/
No UPGRADING for Windows Home Server (based on Windows Server 2003 SP2) users, as VAIL will be sold only as 64-bit!
Let’s NOT forget, even though the data corruption design defect was first acknowledged in April 3, 2007. Dave Sobel, CEO of Evolve Technologies, a Fairfax, Va.-based solution provider, says his biggest concern is that the glitch could interfere with the primary purpose of Windows Home Server — i.e. backing up data.
Which Microsoft had waited until December 21, 2007 to warn the public (KB946676) and it wasn’t until July 21, 2009 did they release a patch in Power Pack 1! When you restore files and folders from a Home Computer Backup, the process may stop when it is 79% to 81% percent complete. This wasn’t fixed until WHS Power Pack 2! It wasn’t until Power Pack 3 was released did WHS administrative console display correctly on netbooks.
In addition, even with Power Pack 1, there remains no way to back up the installed server operating system, nor the backup images from client machines. How does something like this serious data corruption flaw get through to RTM public release? Why did Microsoft continue to sell WHS with a proven design flaw, that causes data corruption?
If you were one of those WHS customers, WHS leaves the purchaser with two choices: 1) lose valuable data or 2) live in mortal fear of losing valuable data!
My point is: if people don’t stand up to this fraud, corporations like Microsoft just get away with anything these days, even data corruption by having us end up paying for our own data destruction.
Now you see how long it takes for $M closed source proprietary to provide you with a solution such as their data corruption flaw! WHS was supposed to be that backup agent, instead of the cause of data loss, right?
So what will be the verdict using VAIL, will this product be locking you into its problematic proprietary?
Will VAIL be basically isolating your data to the VAIL vault?
Will VAIL support USB v3 bandwidth I/O throughput… instead of the WHS 36,854 Days Remaining experience?
Will VAIL be capable of streaming 1080p HD content, MKv, Ogg, FLV, MP4, H.264 video codecs?
Will VAIL provide 802.11.N wireless connectivity for router connections?
Will VAIL provide HDMI or DVI ports?
Will VAIL support DRM, denying your media to be moved around from product to product?
Will VAIL provide Wake Over LAN/Internet support, so I could Remote Desktop from my client PC?
Will VAIL follow the same stupid method of requiring all new USB HDD’s to FIRST be wiped and formatted?
Will VAIL allow sharing client data without requiring the data to be transferred FIRST to VAIL, to be made available?
Will VAIL finally include it’s own email server support?
Will VAIL support OpenGL or DirectX only?
Will VAIL backup it’s operating system so as to restore on new and different hardware, like Acronis does?
Will VAIL be safe to trust your data on?
Will VAIL support Ext4, HFS+ and other file formats or Microsoft NTFS only?
Will VAIL provide MESH networking?
What will your answers be……………..?
Great, another uninformed loser from the ‘sins camp.
“Will VAIL finally include it’s own email server support?”
I don’t get this ask. Exchange is a 4 gig heavy hitter on any server and you want it on Vail? Microsoft doesn’t have any other mail server to give you, so exactly what do you want? Not to mention admin’ing a mail server isn’t trivial.
Ronald H. Jesberg
I agree with two of your points but the bulk of the comments are not relevant. WHS is designed to be a fit and forget box that just sits quietly doing its job. Its for the average home consumer not techies – we just like to play.
The E-Mail support question can be summed up as such.
I should be able to have OutLook store my e-mails on the server.
The configuration for the e-mail accounts that I have I should ONLY have to do them once and then be able to access my e-mails from ANY PC connected to my WHS.
The calendar functionality from OutLook should work the same way AND there should be group calendars and resource calendar just as IF I had a FULL BLOWN exchange server. BUT we don’t need our own e-mail server as such. The normal ISP e-mail systems should stay as they are so that my WHS does NOT need to be operating 24/7. On the WHS side I should be able to schedule how often the ISP is checked for new e-mails so it would appear as if I had s full blown exchange.
Summury: All e-mail available from ALL PCs and calendar options just like the big boys do it for a company BUT simplified down for the normal home user. Keeping the normal ISP e-mail support.
Thanks, I’m excited to get a glimpse of this early build. There are many similiarities between the remote user interface and Windows Live. And I love the streaming and Zune like player. As far as the console, I wonder if it is still a remote app via RDP or based on something else. I’m glad they are putting together an App store for Windows Home Server.
Nothing here would indicate some form of Media Center integration. Not sure that is absolutely necessary anymore as Media Center PCs are relatively inexpensive and now with CableCard opened up for most MC PCs to install…there isn’t as much of a pressing need. That said, there are real issues that I believe WHS could resolve around DRM and library management. What I want is to be able to play protected TV recordings from any connected HomeGroup PC. The issue with protected content is that I believe it can only be played back/streamed from the PC that recorded it. If you have a laptop…you are not going to install a cablecard tuner…it just isn’t a practical thing. However, running Media Center on my laptop, I should be able to browse recordings as if they were recorded locally. And if I schedule a recording from that laptop…it gets handled by the actually Media Center “server”. WHS would be a logical place to host a shared database of all TV recordings and facilitiated remote scheduling. The final piece would be a Silverlight app for remote scheduling.
I see the Jesberg rant, and the data corruption flaw is a valid point. However, is there any real competition for WHS? I’ve used it for the last couple of years, and it rescued two Windows boot drive failures for me, fairly effortlessly. (Fortunately, I did not get bitten by the data corruption bug.)
Do any other vendors have similar functionality? Possibly running on Linux?
Very nice writeup. Thanks for sharing!
I especially like that the console will be more customizable.
I’d also love to see more work done toward making WHS a home information hub. Would be nice to have some built in features for family functions like calendar – maybe some form of simplified sharepoint integration. I know I can get SP installed on WHS right now, but it takes some doing to get everything going right.
On media center capability, it would be nice to have as an option. Personally, I like having my media center separate (we have a WMC computer that records video for the whole house and we access it from various locations), if for no other reason than that it gets backed up to the WHS every night. But it would be nice for a lot of people to have an all-in-one device.
As far as an e-mail server goes, I just can’t see Microsoft bothering with this. The number of homes or very small businesses that want to run their own server must be very small. And for companies that do, the full version of SBS with Exchange is perfect.
@Ronald H. Jesberg.
ROFL. Is that an anti-Microsoft mad lib with VAIL in all the blank spots?
@Rafael
This looks quite interesting. I know someone with a server this might cater to.
Reading this entry prompted me to try to trial version of Home Server and I love it. I am going to hold of on purchasing this until the new version is released as I love the idea of tying this into Home Group. I can’t believe some of the appliances out there only take up 30 watts.
I assume you can build your own appliances as well?
“Do any other vendors have similar functionality? Possibly running on Linux?”
Yes. http://www.amahi.org
Similar functionality, and more. It’s not WHS, but an alternative. Similar, yet different. I run both.
i wan,t to see if its possible that you can create your website template,