Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 Unleashed (3rd Edition)

I have been working with the Vail pre-release for months and moving slowly in using the server in any meaningful way. Now this book is out and I'm immediately finding many ways to quickly utilize various features on our home server. I can't put this book down!This was my first home server install and I can say this book is just fine for folks new to home server and have some basic technical background. Example, I messed up and didn't configure my homeserver with a static IP. The book simply outlines why this is important, and it saved me much troubleshooting a month later after the install and the dynamic server IP address changed.While Home Server 2011 unleashed contains fairly obvious features like file sharing and management, security, and web access, the book goes on to explain areas not so obvious. Following the step by step instructions on setting up a sharepoint site on the windows home server, I now have sharepoint foundation (free limited version of Sharepoint) running for the family to share pictures, files, calendar events and collaboration. Since two of my kids are in college, I have a local computer set up where the kids can connect via a remote session and share or pull information. The book clearly outlines how to connect via the internet so all family members can still participate. Need to keep your windows patches up to date, chapter 14 explains how to install, configure and manage WSUS. Have a Mac (or Linux) and want to connect to the home server, there is a section on how to do that. It provides step by step instructions on how to first get your Mac onto the home server network and than how to specifically connect the Mac. Want to set up a windows home server website, chapter 12 is dedicated to working that step by step - no prior knowledge required. Desire to remote connect in to your home server and do all admin tasks from a locally connected client if your server is not in the same room. Once again, simply laid out in the book. Generally I search the web for fast solutions, but in this case, I've learned to go to this book as my primary reference.I was initially concerned this was the first 2011 Home Server book out and may have been rushed to market, but that is not the case. It has many helpful insights, well written and like I said earlier, supplies valuable information to a wide range of non-technical and technical home server users. And even more critical, I generally do web searches before I open a book. I'm finding it's faster to just open this book then do a web search.Highly recommend.

I'm a current Windows Home Server Owner of Version 1 and did do some Beta testing of WHS 2011 when it was still known by it's Code Name "Vail". I just got through reading the book and was very impressed how much the author covered on Microsoft's Newest Version of it's Home Server OS.Not only does he covers the basic things most people know about Home Server in general (I.E. Backing Up PC's, Sharing out Files, Remote Access from the outside, etc...) But he also covers the other things you can also do to make the most out it, For Example...- Registry Hacks to improve performace- Using automated scripts (supplied in the book and downloadable)- Installing and Using WSUS- Installing and Using a Sharepoint site- Using other DNS Services other than MSNHe even gives alternate suggestions on how to use other methods of trying to keep redundancy in your Home Server without the use of the Drive Extender which Microsoft still has not offically given us an answer as to why they abondoned the technology as of this writing.I will be honest this book was not really written for beginners/average users, I would look more for a rudimetry book once it comes out that just covers the basics if that is what you are looking for. This book is more written for the Intermediate to Advanced User with a sturdy IT Hobbyist/professional background who are looking into fully exploiting the Windows Server 2008 R2 code on which this OS is based on and going beyond what Microsoft had originally intended this OS to do. That is who I would recommend this book for.I would also recommend on picking this book up first before implementing your Windows Home Server Infrastructure or even upgrading your existing one.

It's a good book, generally well written and reasonably comprehensive covering the basics. I would rate it between a "Dummies.." book at the low end and Que's excellent "Using..." series on the high end.If you've never worked with servers before you'll definitely need something like this to get started because servers don't operate like souped up Windows machines and this one will get you going.The book could be improved with better standardization of the methods used to describe navigating the various toolbars. Sometimes it's not clear exactly where the starting point is to get you into the dropdowns. The index is pretty thin, which is unfortunate because I generally use it a lot and there are many things I can't find. Also, the book would benefit from being organized into the first section to get you started and following sections to "tweak" performance after its up and running, rather than the exhaustive description of all the features you have to wade through to find what you want.I would buy it again, but would opt for a Que book instead if one was available on this topic.

I read alot of reviews and found this book is the one to get if you need to know anything about HOW TO in WINDOWS HOME SERVER 2011 ( becareful you don't get the old edition which only covered WHS original release )The author offers services ofr a fee I wish he would write a Patch for WHS 2011 Registry or other wise to surpass the 8GB limit imposed by the stupid Microsoft Corporation ( 64 bit Server OS limited to 8GB what the hell ) Auther could sell it for download I'd buy it. Anyway great book there are not alot of plug in's out there for WHS 2011 so I would have liked to have seen a section at least breifly covering 3rd party add ins for WHS 2011 ( examples LIghtsout, Ihomesever, StableBit DrivePool, etc to name a few ). But besides that this Book is the WHS 2011 Bible, If the author reads this and decides to put out a small book on add ins with more detail on plus's and minus's of each and how to configure them and how similar one's compare to each other I'd buy it

This book contains a detailed set of reference steps that makes it a great accessory for configuring some of the more advanced features of Windows Home Server 2011 in addition to the clear explanations of the basic steps. I found it particularly useful in ensuring that I am taking adequate measures to secure my server before allowing it to access the internet.

I have no particular reason to doubt the accuracy of what's IN the book, but it's what ISN'T in the book that most frustrates me; here are some examples:* Home Server 2011 doesn't come with any anti-virus software, and moreover the standard MS defender product and many other PC products won't work with it. Does the book mention this? No, but it does state how important AV and anti-malware software is for your home PC. You'd think that the author would point the reader at some supported products but no such luck.* There is scarcely a page on how to get home server talking to an Xbox 360, but there is a whole chapter on installing and using SharePoint with Home Server, Interesting maybe, but I expect most people just want to stream media to their TV via a variety of devices NOT PCs and this just isn't covered.* Home server also doesn't have any power management capabilities, (e.g. allow the server to sleep for certain periods) you must buy a 3rd party product to do this (scandalous in these days of rocketing energy prices and eco-awareness), this isn't even mentioned.* Home server can't stream .iso format video files, not only isn't this mentioned in the book, but the work "codec" doesn't appear at all, so you have no idea what formats are available to you, which is plain sloppy.* You can't install the Windows Media Centre onto Home Server which would make the whole home server / Xbox 360 interface nice and elegant, because it's not supported. How on earth that can be when Windows 7 and Windows Home Server are essentially the same products escapes me. Again, not covered in the book.* Last but by no means least, while Home Server is based on Windows 2008, it can't act as an Active Directory Domain Controller, and you guessed it, Active Directory, the fundamental cornerstone of Windows isn't even in the index.Maybe it's me, maybe I expected too much but this is the most disappointing technical reference book I have bought. In fairness, it is describing a product that could be so good but ends up being the "Eddie the Eagle" of the MS server product range.

This book does provide a lot of the details, but as it appears to have been written whilst the final RTM version of Vail was still to be released, there are some gaps.For those who don't want to do much more than set up and run a standard WHS2011 server system then this book is fine, but not perfect.It is a useful reference manual, but if you want to get involved in some of the more clever capabilities and powerful functions that WHS2011 is capable of - like running SharePoint 2010, then the instructions are wrong or missing vital steps such as the need to install SQL2008R2 as well and beforehand. When I followed the instructions in this book, things went wrong and it took me a couple of days of research to find out what and why.No doubt an updated version based on the lessons gained from using the final RTM version will appear in due course. I find that the missing required info is on the plethora of forums that have sprung up around the use of the different versions of Windows Home Server, and you will need to use them alongside this book.

WHS2011 was hammered owing to the abandond drive extender, which is seemingly true, UNTIL it updates itself, then wonder of wonders one has one big drive from many - high value way of recycling an old 64 bit machine and obtaining effective backup AND restore (as in it really works). Plus networked media, AND capability to find an old big drive to back up the back up (WHS 2011 backed up itself). Initial backups take time, but subsequent ones are practically not noticeable on any reasonable client machine.

Da es für den MS-Home Server 2011 keine vernünftige Literatur in Deutsch gibt, habe ich dieses Buch genommen und es nicht bereut. Es werden alle Facetten der Software ausreichend ausführlich beschrieben, Der Schreibstil ist auch für Anfänger geeignet und nicht zuletzt werden auch dem Troubleshooting einige Seiten gewidmet. Wer sich näher mit dem MS-Home-Server 2011 beschäftigen will, kommt an diesem Buch nicht vorbei!