Firstly, let me say I am impressed with Windows Home Server, it does most of the things people at home just don’t have the functionality to do. Back-ups are a constant worry for most people; it’s not just a business thing!
The core functionality of WHS makes backups very simple, and sharing data is the same; and this seems to be the main focus for version 1. However there are some things I think are missing from WHS that would make it more appealing to a wider home audience.
Account Control
WHS provides the ability to setup local accounts, which allows remote users to access the content stored on the remote machine. This is all very well and good, but most homes with multiple machines need a little more than this.
The ability to centrally manage accounts is an important one. By giving a central location to store this information, we reduce the work load on your average `home administrator`. Further more, a central location for accounts means a central location for account policies!
In the scenario where 10 year old Jonny has a computer in his room and dad has a computer in the spare room come office, then he might want to restrict any number of options for Jonny’s PC. Including:
Now, I understand the WHS team/Microsoft’s argument for not including AD into the framework for WHS, but that’s not to say it isn’t needed, or at least a form of AD.
Central Parental Control
Parental control is an important topic these days, more and more software vendors are releasing software to ensure parents have peace of mind while their children browse the internet. So why was this not considered in the idea behind WHS?
Windows Live Family Safety (currently in beta) is Microsoft’s solution to the Parental Control market.
The ability to centrally control parental software, for example from the WHS console would be an important, and I personally think compelling argument to most homes for the addition of a WHS.
This would give parents additional peace of mind, and the ability to configure it as and audit the information from it in their own time, without having to go into Jonny’s room! Again, this links in with centralized accounting in WHS.
If I could control Windows Live Family Safety from my WHS for each machine on my network, then again, we reduce the workload required on Dad to keep his family safe, over multiple machines.
I do understand the second of these two (Family Safety) would bump up the base price of WHS, and may detract some from the initial purchase, but I think the addition of such software should be available, and not just from Microsoft!
I am in general pleased with WHS, it’s doing most of the things that before were a little more complex to achieve! A one stop solution is always preferable to bolted on components that may not inter-operate. WHS does provide a good framework to get the ball rolling in the home market.
Let’s hope we see plenty of add-ins over the next 6-8 months that make the addition of WHS into the home a more value added experience.