NCIX - Acer Aspire Easystore H340 Windows Home Server

[feejai]

For those that are searching for a NAS storage device, NCIX has a great deal right now on the new Acer Aspire Easystore H340 Windows Home Server (WHS). This is a new device being released to the market, so not many reviews on it yet. The reason why this is such a hot deal is that NCIX has a promotion right now that includes an extra 1TB SATA hard drive with online purchase. $499 @ NCIX including additional 1TB HD. Everywhere else I've searched for has it for the same price or more without the "bonus" drive.

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37196&vpn=PG%2ET170W%2E007&manufacture=Acer

By the way, add the $10 gift card to the cart and you should get free ground shipping as well.

Cheers!

[ShylocK]

i wonder how the atom fares compared to the celeron in the hp boxes,

or even the amd semprons in the older hp boxes.

[feejai]

Good question. Seeing that there are not many reviews on this unit (I will post one when I get mine :lol:). I can say that the much more expensive QNAP TS-439 Pro's use the same/similar hardware (running linux mind you). Couldn't pass up that deal, even though I just built my own WHS.

[Cero21]

I'm interested to see how the Atom performs as well.

[Jon Lai]

Interesting, but $499 is too much for me to spend in a recession, especially when you can build a machine with $300-320 with 1TB hdd.

[gambit_360]

Without any reviews, it'll be hard to say how this would perform.
Would a single-core Atom be enough? It would have been nice if this was at least dual-core.

[WalnutCrunch]

This is a really good price. My biggest beef with the HP MediaSmart Server is that it's way overpriced unless it's on sale or clearance. The Acer is slightly bigger but looks very nice, IMO.

$500 is very comparable to a DIY build of a WHS box. Say the 1TB drives are each $100, the OS is $100, it means you're only paying $200 for a compact 4-bay case with CPU, mobo, and RAM. It's very reasonable.

I think the Atom will run fine. This is a file server, not an HTPC.

[feejai]

It's a file server, surely the atom will be enough (well, at least i'm hoping), but yes the dual core atom would have been nice to see . As far as able to build one of these for $300, I would love to see that including the OS (Windows Home Server OEM is $140 alone, no to mention 2 x 1GB hard drives, one that comes with the device and the "bonus" offer by NCIX). Add a case, processor, board, hot swap trays (do I need to list more).

[airodus]

nice deal, too bad i just setup a WHS. :( i totally would have gotten this one instead if I knew about it a month ago

[Jon Lai]

This is a really good price. My biggest beef with the HP MediaSmart Server is that it's way overpriced unless it's on sale or clearance. The Acer is slightly bigger but looks very nice, IMO.

$500 is very comparable to a DIY build of a WHS box. Say the 1TB drives are each $100, the OS is $100, it means you're only paying $200 for a compact 4-bay case with CPU, mobo, and RAM. It's very reasonable.

I think the Atom will run fine. This is a file server, not an HTPC.

You math doesn't add up, it's $300 for the CPU/mobo/ram/etc...

I didn't realize the device itself came with a 1TB though. So 2x1TB included in the device for $300 is a good deal, although personally I wouldn't price the OS... I use Academic Alliance ;)

[fredsmith]

I went for the EX-470 (tried to get the 475, but it went OOS) when they were being cleared out by Staples earlier this year. Paid $279 shipped plus taxes.

I increased the RAM to 2 Gigs for about $30 and added in 2 500 Gig hard drives I had lying around.

It is VERY stable and quite fast. I have it running some extra processes for me as well.

I suspect the Acer unit will have enough power to be a server, but not much extra for 3rd party applications.

Seagate has a new one com,ing out that looks interesting.

[Moosebox]

This is also on sale this week for $10 off, 8 left. http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37196&promoid=1033

Since you're getting 2 HDDs, 1 with the system and 1 as a gift, I would think this is a really good deal.

I'm very close to pulling the trigger on this... but does anyone know if the total capacity of this 4gb or is that per drive, so 16gb total. Specs say: 4gb max hdd capacity.

[NuggyBuggy]

I'm wondering if these boxes can run Linux easily, and what protocols it supports beyond SMB (which I assume underpins sharing in WHS ?)

I'm sick of Windows and not interested in investing one more thin dime that might tie me further to that platform, not to mention that SMB performance sucks.

Also - is the eSATA port (not mentioned in the NCIX link, but mentioned in other articles....hmm) for using the device as an external drive, or for attaching another external drive ?

[y2k-inc]

Geez ... great "TOY" i must said ... look at it i'm still wonder how they manage to sell it? it have 4 Sata controler but don't do RAID in the hardware manner just hotswap???

the software (OS) is totally on the Hard Drive and no "instruction" of how to re-install it?

All is does is a "shadow copying" the folder you specify to one or more disk ...

Until the spec is more clear i will stay out of it ...

True that it's attempting with 2TB hard drive and a Atome base PC with 2GB of memory ... but for a Home Storage Server, i would want to have a Hardware RAID and OS build right into the Bios (or system board) ...

I would go with QSNAP or PROMISE or DLINK for more peace of mind data safety

[fredsmith]

I'm wondering if these boxes can run Linux easily, and what protocols it supports beyond SMB (which I assume underpins sharing in WHS ?)

I'm sick of Windows and not interested in investing one more thin dime that might tie me further to that platform, not to mention that SMB performance sucks.

Also - is the eSATA port (not mentioned in the NCIX link, but mentioned in other articles....hmm) for using the device as an external drive, or for attaching another external drive ?

They're PCs running a variant of Windows Server 2003, so of course you can port Linux to them, though you'll have to figure out what to do for a keyboard, mouse and display since it has no conenctors for thsoe.

Also, the eSATA port is to connect additional storage to the box . . . it is NOT NAS per se, but rather a full 10 CAL server.

[fredsmith]

Geez ... great "TOY" i must said ... look at it i'm still wonder how they manage to sell it? it have 4 Sata controler but don't do RAID in the hardware manner just hotswap???

the software (OS) is totally on the Hard Drive and no "instruction" of how to re-install it?

All is does is a "shadow copying" the folder you specify to one or more disk ...

Until the spec is more clear i will stay out of it ...

True that it's attempting with 2TB hard drive and a Atome base PC with 2GB of memory ... but for a Home Storage Server, i would want to have a Hardware RAID and OS build right into the Bios (or system board) ...

I would go with QSNAP or PROMISE or DLINK for more peace of mind data safety
Wrong answer;

I dumped the D-Link to get the HP and haven't looked back - this outpaces that unit by a mile, provides a lot of server-based functionality in my all-Windows network and works VERY well. The D-Link ate my data twice.

As to understanding the dynamic file support, do some reading - it is VERY clear. WHS doesn't 'do' RAID per-se, though if you interfaced a suitable RAID controller THAT would do it for you . . . what it does is to replicate directories you specify on separate drives (always assuming that you have more than one drive) so that a single drive failure won't be cataclysmic to those files . . . sounds like a smart version of RAID 1 to me. I prefer to make offline backups myself.

About the only question would relate to just how 'powerful' the Atom processor is - I suspect the answer is likely 'fast enough'.

[Tsuius]

Thanks OP that's a great deal!
HP home server with 2TB of storage would cost twice as much.

[WalnutCrunch]

Geez ... great "TOY" i must said ... look at it i'm still wonder how they manage to sell it? it have 4 Sata controler but don't do RAID in the hardware manner just hotswap???

the software (OS) is totally on the Hard Drive and no "instruction" of how to re-install it?

All is does is a "shadow copying" the folder you specify to one or more disk ...

Until the spec is more clear i will stay out of it ...

True that it's attempting with 2TB hard drive and a Atome base PC with 2GB of memory ... but for a Home Storage Server, i would want to have a Hardware RAID and OS build right into the Bios (or system board) ...

I would go with QSNAP or PROMISE or DLINK for more peace of mind data safety

The spec is actually very clear. There's a white paper on how Windows Drive Extender works...

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=40C6C9CC-B85F-45FE-8C5C-F103C894A5E2&displaylang=en

Actually, if you're worried about "safety", Microsoft's implementation of folder duplication can be better than RAID in the case of controller failure. If a RAID controller dies, you most likely have to find an identical controller in order to recover your data. The worst case scenario in WHS is you plug each harddrive into another computer and retrieve the data. Everything is stored as plain files on NTFS.

As for reinstalling the OS, it should come with 3 discs. One of them is the system reinstall disc. If it's anything like the HP MediaSmart Server, you just press a button on the server to make it go into reinstall mode, and run the disc from any PC and it'll reinstall the OS on the server.

[couchman]

Interested in picking one of these up.
Do I need a purchase a low profile video card in order to use it?
With WHS and 4 1TB hard drives what would be the total hard drive space available and how many hard drives would have to be fail simultaneously to lose data?

[dcxx]

Interested in picking one of these up.
Do I need a purchase a low profile video card in order to use it?
With WHS and 4 1TB hard drives what would be the total hard drive space available and how many hard drives would have to be fail simultaneously to lose data?

No need for video card, it is designed as headless unit.

4x 1TB will give you 4TB storage room on WHS, unless you specify folder duplication. Also WHS uses some nice cluster compression so that any duplicate data on multiple PCs are stored only once on WHS HD.

I just hope WHS gives you an option to backup the entire server, including the system partition... Then offsite backup is much easier to do.

[couchman]

No need for video card, it is designed as headless unit.

4x 1TB will give you 4TB storage room on WHS, unless you specify folder duplication. Also WHS uses some nice cluster compression so that any duplicate data on multiple PCs are stored only once on WHS HD.

I just hope WHS gives you an option to backup the entire server, including the system partition... Then offsite backup is much easier to do.

Thanks for the info.
Can you confirm that the number of times a folder can be duplicated is limited only by the number of hard drives?
For example if I have 4 hard drives I can duplicate a folder up to 4 times for quadruple redundancy?

[fredsmith]

Thanks for the info.
Can you confirm that the number of times a folder can be duplicated is limited only by the number of hard drives?
For example if I have 4 hard drives I can duplicate a folder up to 4 times for quadruple redundancy?
No. Folder replication is done by the operating system in the background . . . it will ensure that there are copies on two hard drives for any folder for which replication has been specified.

[WalnutCrunch]

Folder duplication is also on a per shared folder basis, so you can choose to duplicate the contents of some folders and not others. WHS ensures that all duplicated content are written to 2 physical harddrives; however, you're not able to specify which drives a specific file is actually written to. It's meant to be fault tolerant when 1 drive goes down.

Also, with WHS, there's no need to buy 4 1TB drives at once. Start with 2, and buy more when you run low on space. By then, drive prices will be lower or you'll be able to buy a higher capacity drive for the same price as a 1TB drive now. To me, that's a big advantage of WHS over standard RAID.

[Moosebox]

Anyone have any idea what the max size hdd you can put in this is? It says in the specs "Max hdd capacity: 4GB", but I haven't been able to determine if that is per drive (16gb total) or per the system (1tb x 4 drives = 4gb).

[Tsuius]

Anyone have any idea what the max size hdd you can put in this is? It says in the specs "Max hdd capacity: 4GB", but I haven't been able to determine if that is per drive (16gb total) or per the system (1tb x 4 drives = 4gb).

There are no 4TB hard drives (yet) ;-)

[Moosebox]

Haha yea I know that... I would assume they put 1TB max per drive since that's what WHS supports, but people have drives >1tb running on whs so I doubt it'll be a problem if I ever need to expand.

Anyway... just purchased this. $500 for a home server, plus 2 x 1tb drives ($200 value) means $300 for this is a pretty great deal, at least that's what it means to me :razz:

[emocean]

Thanks picked one up! Looks like a decent deal for 2TB and low power.

::

[congenic]

Still undecided on this product.

I tried to find more information about WHS and came across this site.

This user's experience with the back up files sounds like there's a chance you may have difficulties restoring back-ups despite their status showing that the drive and files are healthy and not corrupt. The posts are recent, so I assume Microsoft hasn't fixed this bug yet?

http://forum.wegotserved.com/index.php?showtopic=6353

[fredsmith]

Still undecided on this product.

I tried to find more information about WHS and came across this site.

This user's experience with the back up files sounds like there's a chance you may have difficulties restoring back-ups despite their status showing that the drive and files are healthy and not corrupt. The posts are recent, so I assume Microsoft hasn't fixed this bug yet?

http://forum.wegotserved.com/index.php?showtopic=6353

Fixed with the Powerpack 2 release.

[nobb]

With WHS, what if the drive that the OS is installed in fails (yet you have other redundant drives that the data is mirrored to)? Can you stick in a new drive, do a repair install of WHS and still be able to recognize the existing drives that contain data, without having to format those drives before adding to the storage pool?

[WWWilson]

Deal is dead. It shows 622.63 and no free 1TB harddrive.
My wallet is safe :cheesygri

[Moosebox]

Yea I just saw that... if that turns out to be the regular price for awhile, then $489 + a free hdd was a pretty hot deal, about a $250 savings. Glad I pulled the trigger.

[Jon Lai]

Deal is dead. It shows 622.63 and no free 1TB harddrive.
My wallet is safe :cheesygri

Wow, that's really nasty of NCIX. Previously it was "regular price" $499 and on sale for $10 cheaper. Would've been fair game if they took out the free 1TB, but raising the regular price up another $122 is just nasty.

[growler]

Anyone attach a power meter to their unit? I'd be interested to hear what the power consumption is. I'm presuming that the HDs will spin down when not in use, so, just curious to hear the power consumption without the HDs spinning.

Thanks

=============================================
Comment added. My D-Link DNS-323 when both HD are idle, consumes 7 watts. When both HD's are spinning, the unit consumes 22 watts.

[Moosebox]

Looks like it's back to 499.99 again with a bonus hard drive... so your wallet wasn't so safe after all :P

edit: Actually it's back on sale for the week for $10 off again: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37196&promoid=1029

There is also this Buffalo one on sale for $700, but comes with 4 1TB drives: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=32593&promoid=1029

[airodus]

Looks like it's back to 499.99 again with a bonus hard drive... so your wallet wasn't so safe after all :P

edit: Actually it's back on sale for the week for $10 off again: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37196&promoid=1029

There is also this Buffalo one on sale for $700, but comes with 4 1TB drives: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=32593&promoid=1029

Buffalo DriveStation is bad. I know people who have had numerous problems with them. Check around the net for some reviews. Also a raid box is not the same as a WHS. Better disk usage with RAID 5, but none of the goodies of WHS.

[Moosebox]

Buffalo DriveStation is bad. I know people who have had numerous problems with them. Check around the net for some reviews. Also a raid box is not the same as a WHS. Better disk usage with RAID 5, but none of the goodies of WHS.

Yep, just posted the Buffalo since a few people in here were looking for something with RAID, didn't know it was of poor quality. Personally I went with the Acer easystore, shipped out today, hardly any reviews on it but hopefully it turns out to be a quality product.

[qubikal]

Picked up mine yesterday from the local store.
The OS is installed on a WD Green 1 TB drive - WD10EAVS.

Very nice machine (nice sleek box) - takes a while to get everything working they way I want it to, so far so good.

Don't have a power meter handy, so i can't do any measurements for you...

[djmr2]

So, to get this correct... this comes with 1TB Hard drive in the Original Packaging with the Easystore, and NCIX is throwing in an addition 1TB Hitachi drive, for a total of 2TB.... is this correct? The description makes it seem like there is only 1 drive.

[Moosebox]

So, to get this correct... this comes with 1TB Hard drive in the Original Packaging with the Easystore, and NCIX is throwing in an addition 1TB Hitachi drive, for a total of 2TB.... is this correct? The description makes it seem like there is only 1 drive.

With this link: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37196&promoid=1029
The title says "*Free Additional 1TB HDD* Acer Aspire Easystore H340 Atom 2GB 1TB GBLAN 4 Bay Windows Home Server"

So it clarifies that there is an additional 1tb hdd included... and later on in the title it says 1TB again signifying the included drive (with the OS installed on)

[Jon Lai]

Anyone know what hard drives Acer will give?

[djmr2]

With this link: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37196&promoid=1029
The title says "*Free Additional 1TB HDD* Acer Aspire Easystore H340 Atom 2GB 1TB GBLAN 4 Bay Windows Home Server"

So it clarifies that there is an additional 1tb hdd included... and later on in the title it says 1TB again signifying the included drive (with the OS installed on)

any idea what the original drive included is? I guess that makes sense that the OS is installed on the drive thats included, just want to clarify and would suck if it came with 1 drive when you're expecting 2! :)

thanks.

[qubikal]

any idea what the original drive included is? I guess that makes sense that the OS is installed on the drive thats included, just want to clarify and would suck if it came with 1 drive when you're expecting 2! :)

thanks.

see post #38 above

The OS is installed on a WD Green 1 TB drive - WD10EAVS. This drive comes in the Acer box; whereas the Hitachi is given by NCIX separately, means you need to plug this into the box yourself. Therefore, yes you get 2 x 1TB drives

[djmr2]

see post #38 above

The OS is installed on a WD Green 1 TB drive - WD10EAVS. This drive comes in the Acer box; whereas the Hitachi is given by NCIX separately, means you need to plug this into the box yourself. Therefore, yes you get 2 x 1TB drives

sweet.. i am like so blind or else i'm just upping my post count :)

btw, hows the performance? I'm more interested in throughput on a gigabit network.

[qubikal]

sweet.. i am like so blind or else i'm just upping my post count :)

btw, hows the performance? I'm more interested in throughput on a gigabit network.

Good question - i'm not a techie when it comes to measuring network speeds. I did upgrade to a gigabit switch, but have not upgraded to cat 6 cables - ordered and on its way (so, still using cat 5 cables).

I think the performance is quite good - does everything that the HP MediaSmart WHS does (at a lower cost).

So far, after leaving the machine running overnight, the case was not hot at all, nor was it noisy.

I think the biggest test will be to see what load the Intel Atom chip can handle. I don't think i'll be running too many things on the server, but likely services like sabnzbd for newsgroups and a media server.

[djmr2]

Good question - i'm not a techie when it comes to measuring network speeds. I did upgrade to a gigabit switch, but have not upgraded to cat 6 cables - ordered and on its way (so, still using cat 5 cables).

I think the performance is quite good - does everything that the HP MediaSmart WHS does (at a lower cost).

So far, after leaving the machine running overnight, the case was not hot at all, nor was it noisy.

I think the biggest test will be to see what load the Intel Atom chip can handle. I don't think i'll be running too many things on the server, but likely services like sabnzbd for newsgroups and a media server.


good to hear, i usually just watch the transfer speeds when copying and take a guesstimate of it's average performance from that. Vista shows speeds during copying so it's easy to see.

Is there Bittorrent support in this? I love my Dlink DNS-323 for this reason, so i can leave it on overnight and let its do it's thing with low power consumption. I just wish it had more speed through the network (i'm lucky to hit 15Mb/s when copying over Cat5e/gigabit.

[qubikal]

good to hear, i usually just watch the transfer speeds when copying and take a guesstimate of it's average performance from that. Vista shows speeds during copying so it's easy to see.

Is there Bittorrent support in this? I love my Dlink DNS-323 for this reason, so i can leave it on overnight and let its do it's thing with low power consumption. I just wish it had more speed through the network (i'm lucky to hit 15Mb/s when copying over Cat5e/gigabit.

here's the uTorrent add-in service and instructions for the WHS
http://www.deciphered.net/blog/2007/07/12/updated_utorrent_whs_install_guide_and_utorrent_ad d_v1_1

i just started a transfer of 100gb to the server. Looks like it's going at about 50-55MB/s using Cat 5 and Cat 5e cables and the gigabit switch.

[djmr2]

here's the uTorrent add-in service and instructions for the WHS
http://www.deciphered.net/blog/2007/07/12/updated_utorrent_whs_install_guide_and_utorrent_ad d_v1_1

i just started a transfer of 100gb to the server. Looks like it's going at about 50-55MB/s using Cat 5 and Cat 5e cables and the gigabit switch.

my friend,

this information sounds good, now i must figure out if it's worth it to upgrade from my Dlink DNS-323 or not because i basically use it as a NAS and occasionally stream vids which the throughput is fast enough.

I wonder what other neat things a WHS can do.

[TriggerHappy]

here's the uTorrent add-in service and instructions for the WHS
http://www.deciphered.net/blog/2007/07/12/updated_utorrent_whs_install_guide_and_utorrent_ad d_v1_1

i just started a transfer of 100gb to the server. Looks like it's going at about 50-55MB/s using Cat 5 and Cat 5e cables and the gigabit switch.

Is 55MB/s for a mix of filesizes? When transferring large files (350MB each :lol:) my homemade whs box does about 79-80MB/s steady and that's just with random cable i've had lying around for ages. I was thinking about scrapping it and picking up one of these little all in ones but the speed concerns me a bit.

Anyone else have results for transfer speeds to their home server box (be it the Acer or HP one?)

[Tenshi]

I usually get 65 to 80 megs/s... less if I'm actually doing stuff on the server...

That's on the older HP model (which uses a Sempron)

[sheilab]

Not a bad price overall

$90 for mobo + CPU
http://www.infonec.ca/site/main.php?module=detail&id=363312

$30 for 2 gb ram
http://www.infonec.ca/site/main.php?module=detail&id=403225

2x 1TB HDD = $200
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=021336&cid=HD.443.877

DVD-ROM drive for $30

$100 for a case - you choose what is best for you

$450 total price (with no OS)

OS? Linux = Free - how much would you pay for WHS?

Note: Only a good price while you get the free extra 1tb drive

[sheilab]

Picked up mine yesterday from the local store.
The OS is installed on a WD Green 1 TB drive - WD10EAVS.

BONUS:
Get the following FREE GIFT(s) when you buy this product (web orders only)!
1. Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B 1TB 1000GB 7200RPM SATA2 16MB Terabyte Hard Drive OEM *3YR MFR Wrty* (a $114.99 value!)

[TriggerHappy]

Build your own for half price

$90 for mobo + CPU
http://www.infonec.ca/site/main.php?module=detail&id=363312

$15 for 1 gb ram
http://www.infonec.ca/site/main.php?module=detail&id=353865

$100 for a case - you choose what is best for you

DVD-ROM drive for $30

OS - get your favourite Linux (or something else kicking around the house)

More expandability than buying this thing for FIVE HUNDRED

Unless I'm blind, your build does not include:
2x1TB drives ($100x2=$200) making the build more or less on par pricewise with this box.
And as for expandability, the motherboard linked has TWO (vs. four) Sata ports, does not include the ability to hot swap your drives, and is 100Mbit. Which one is more expandable again?
Add to that the no hassle install/maintenance approach along with a license to windows home server which is in fact Small Business Server 2003 and can be toyed with (if you really want) to have almost all the same features and I don't think you can even compare.

[sheilab]

Unless I'm blind, your build does not include:
2x1TB drives ($100x2=$200) making the build more or less on par pricewise with this box..

Yes - I screwed up and I posted an updated post stating that it is a good deal

My personal solution is that I have 6 1tb drives in my computer for my high def media library.

[qubikal]

my friend,

this information sounds good, now i must figure out if it's worth it to upgrade from my Dlink DNS-323 or not because i basically use it as a NAS and occasionally stream vids which the throughput is fast enough.

I wonder what other neat things a WHS can do.

the neatest function that WHS does is it's backup feature.

1) it automatically backs up the computers that are connected to it each night (it will wake up the computers for backup even). And when it backs up the files, any duplicates from each computer will only be copy once (ie, 2 computers with msft office - the msft program will only be backed up once), and therefore saving space.

2) It uses a form of raid, but not raid itself - therefore not all every file needs to be duplicated (for me, the movies are too big to use double the space). So you select what you want to be replicated

There are quite a few blogs that describe the WHS functions. I'll try to find a few later; or you can google for some.

[brunes]

I'd rather get a DroBo

[qubikal]

Is 55MB/s for a mix of filesizes? When transferring large files (350MB each :lol:) my homemade whs box does about 79-80MB/s steady and that's just with random cable i've had lying around for ages. I was thinking about scrapping it and picking up one of these little all in ones but the speed concerns me a bit.

Anyone else have results for transfer speeds to their home server box (be it the Acer or HP one?)

The files were all MKVs.
From the conversion site -
http://web.forret.com/tools/bandwidth.asp?speed=55&unit=MB%2Fs
this looks like it's transferring almost at 1Gbps... if you can help me improve on that speed that would be great!

I had thought about building my own small form factor WHS last week, and it came out to about 500$ without the WHS license and without the hotswap racks. Compared to the HP boxes, i had thought that $500 for the Acer was a decent deal without before free Hitachi 1TB. So once that came, i was pretty much sold.

[Jon Lai]

I'd rather get a DroBo

For a ton more? Well, about $100.

[Johnnius]

I would want this box to install linux, however, as there there is no video card I would need to add one.

Does anyone know if there is an available pci(e) port on this box? There is a half-size slot on the back of the unit, so I'm hoping so.

[WalnutCrunch]

Is 55MB/s for a mix of filesizes? When transferring large files (350MB each :lol:) my homemade whs box does about 79-80MB/s steady and that's just with random cable i've had lying around for ages. I was thinking about scrapping it and picking up one of these little all in ones but the speed concerns me a bit.

Note that I believe the speeds that he was getting was with a mix of cat5 and cat5e and their lengths were not specified.

[Haz]

I would want this box to install linux, however, as there there is no video card I would need to add one.

Does anyone know if there is an available pci(e) port on this box? There is a half-size slot on the back of the unit, so I'm hoping so.The back shows there may be a slot for a low profile video card.

http://img.ncix.com/images/37196_2.jpg

If not, maybe there will be a way to hack it like the HP EX series (http://www.homeserverhacks.com/2008/03/attaching-vga-monitor-to-your-hp-ex470.html).

[TriggerHappy]

I honestly have no idea but it's still only 50% of the max speed. One thing I know made a difference for me was when I went from the wrt 310 to the 350 my throughput almost doubled (45 to 80MB/s).

The files were all MKVs.
From the conversion site -
http://web.forret.com/tools/bandwidth.asp?speed=55&unit=MB%2Fs
this looks like it's transferring almost at 1Gbps... if you can help me improve on that speed that would be great!

I had thought about building my own small form factor WHS last week, and it came out to about 500$ without the WHS license and without the hotswap racks. Compared to the HP boxes, i had thought that $500 for the Acer was a decent deal without before free Hitachi 1TB. So once that came, i was pretty much sold.

[qubikal]

I honestly have no idea but it's still only 50% of the max speed. One thing I know made a difference for me was when I went from the wrt 310 to the 350 my throughput almost doubled (45 to 80MB/s).

thanks.. cat 6 cables are coming next week, so i'll find out if that makes a difference then.

the cables will be 10 ft and 3 ft long. They are much longer than 13ft combined right now.

[djmr2]

my friend, i pulled the trigger due to the extra drive and i hearing the WHS is the hot sauce for backups, etc... My DNS-323 is the sux0rs at backups.

[Avatar]

I'd rather get a DroBo

I already have a Linux NAS box. It works flawlessly without the fancy PC backup that WHS offers. However my main concern is the important data on the drive when the unit controller failed. I can't retrieve my data by mounting the drive to Windows PC..Big problem.

I already asked Drobo about this concern and they said I have to use another Drobo to read/retrieve the data ..Propriety?

That's enough to make me to switch to WHS since I can read the NTFS format drive data simply by mounting the drive to any Windows PC.

With a NAS on 24/7 it will break down eventually.

[airodus]

I already have a Linux NAS box. It works flawlessly without the fancy PC backup that WHS offers. However my main concern is the important data on the drive when the unit controller failed. I can't retrieve my data by mounting the drive to Windows PC..Big problem.

I already asked Drobo about this concern and they said I have to use another Drobo to read/retrieve the data ..Propriety?

That's enough to make me to switch to WHS since I can read the NTFS format drive data simply by mounting the drive to any Windows PC.

With a NAS on 24/7 it will break down eventually.

Yah WHS is much more than just a NAS. I actually built a 4x1.5TB Raid 5 enclosure a few weeks back. I ended up plugging it into an old laptop running WHS. I don't bother with the redundancy since the RAID handles that, but the automatic backups and other functionality are definitely worth it. I'm actually thinking about pulling the drives out of RAID and using WHS duplication since it's a little more failsafe, but of course it's not as efficient on space. If I could do it all over again, I think I would have skipped spending money on the RAID enclosure.

[Avatar]

... I ended up plugging it into an old laptop running WHS. I don't bother with the redundancy since the RAID handles that, but the automatic backups and other functionality are definitely worth it. I'm actually thinking about pulling the drives out of RAID and using WHS duplication since it's a little more failsafe, but of course it's not as efficient on space. If I could do it all over again, I think I would have skipped spending money on the RAID enclosure.

This way you can utilize the functionalities of WHS. However the NAS drives in box are still Linux NFS format and have to use Linux station to read them when controller fails.

... I'm actually thinking about pulling the drives out of RAID and using WHS duplication since it's a little more failsafe, but of course it's not as efficient on space. If I could do it all over again, I think I would have skipped spending money on the RAID enclosure.

I wouldn't say more failsafe using WHS. It corrupts files before SP1 released. And you know Windows PC every once a while you need to format/reinstall because of problems/junks. The Linux RAID is doing a good job.
And ya my money saved on the box allowed me to get a WHS server also.:o

[iconicrocket]

Is this thing hotswappable? because I can't find specs on that. And how come there is a recycle fee for it, I live in Ontario, do we have a recycling fee for this?

[Jon Lai]

Is this thing hotswappable? because I can't find specs on that. And how come there is a recycle fee for it, I live in Ontario, do we have a recycling fee for this?

It's not a computer, so I would say no.

[iconicrocket]

Purchased one for the heck of it. Recycling fee is $13.xx. Damn. Better comes with that free drive.

Doubled check, OS drive is not hot swappable but the rest are.

[WalnutCrunch]

Is this thing hotswappable?

Yes it's hot swappable. Although before pulling a drive out, you'll have to tell WHS so that it moves all the files off of it and removes it from the storage pool. It can take a couple of hours. On the HP, the light on the drive bay changes to purple to signal that it's ready to be pulled out, I'm sure it's the same with the Acer.

Adding a drive to the pool takes a couple of minutes from start to finish.

[airodus]

This way you can utilize the functionalities of WHS. However the NAS drives in box are still Linux NFS format and have to use Linux station to read them when controller fails.

I wouldn't say more failsafe using WHS. It corrupts files before SP1 released. And you know Windows PC every once a while you need to format/reinstall because of problems/junks. The Linux RAID is doing a good job.
And ya my money saved on the box allowed me to get a WHS server also.:o

I think the corruption issue is fixed. And by more failsafe I mean less ways to really get FUBARed. The RAID box saves you from hard drive failure, but if the controller goes you're in big trouble and have to scramble to find an identical controller. With WHS, the server could blow up, and you can easily move the drives over to another computer.

Also, the flexibility in expansion is really appealing. I totally would not have bought 4x1.5TB drives if I was running WHS. I probably would have bought 2 drives and then expanded later when drives get bigger and cheaper again. But I had to take the plunge because of the RAID setup. So yah, another added expense.

I'm too impulsive these days. I had a 500GB drive full of movies die on me a while back (over 750 movies) and I had no backup. The day after I ordered the RAID box and hard drives. I didn't even consider WHS until after the order had shipped. Oops.

[Jon Lai]

Purchased one for the heck of it. Recycling fee is $13.xx. Damn. Better comes with that free drive.

Doubled check, OS drive is not hot swappable but the rest are.

WTF? That means they charged the recycling fee for a desktop + hard drive. What a rip. This is a server, not a desktop computer... !@#$

[NCIXFA]

Purchased one for the heck of it. Recycling fee is $13.xx. Damn. Better comes with that free drive.

Doubled check, OS drive is not hot swappable but the rest are.

:cry: It looks like this product was incorrectly categorized as a "desktop computer" and not a server. This means that customers in Ontario were incorrectly charged a enviro fee (I believe all other provinces have a enviro fee on servers that's more or less the same as desktop PCs).

Anyone that purchased this product from us from ONTARIO please contact us (ticket is the easiest - click here to send us a ticket (http://secure.ncix.com/message/?dept=2)) and we'll issue a credit or refund for the mistaken charge.

You will of course still be charged for the 32 cent enviro fee for the hard drive :twisted:

Apologies to those that were inadvertently charged the fee. Looks like a simple categorization error on our part.

[NCIXFA]

WTF? That means they charged the recycling fee for a desktop + hard drive. What a rip. This is a server, not a desktop computer... !@#$

Thanks Jon. Fixed this because you pointed it out... ;)

For those that bought this from us from Ontario, see my above post.

[congenic]

So are people generally happy with the performance of this unit?

[Jon Lai]

:cry: It looks like this product was incorrectly categorized as a "desktop computer" and not a server. This means that customers in Ontario were incorrectly charged a enviro fee (I believe all other provinces have a enviro fee on servers that's more or less the same as desktop PCs).

Anyone that purchased this product from us from ONTARIO please contact us (ticket is the easiest - click here to send us a ticket (http://secure.ncix.com/message/?dept=2)) and we'll issue a credit or refund for the mistaken charge.

You will of course still be charged for the 32 cent enviro fee for the hard drive :twisted:

Apologies to those that were inadvertently charged the fee. Looks like a simple categorization error on our part.

Nice, thanks for the quick fix!

BTW, this really gives custom PCs much more incentive than buying a prebuilt one :)

I haven't read the document on environment fees myself, but I didn't know the enviro fee applies to FREE items as well (ie. the hard drive). I guess it makes sense on the recycling point of view but... this would be something to keep in mind...

PS. Who from NCIX uses this NCIXFA account, or is it shared among several people?

[iconicrocket]

:cry: It looks like this product was incorrectly categorized as a "desktop computer" and not a server. This means that customers in Ontario were incorrectly charged a enviro fee (I believe all other provinces have a enviro fee on servers that's more or less the same as desktop PCs).

Anyone that purchased this product from us from ONTARIO please contact us (ticket is the easiest - click here to send us a ticket (http://secure.ncix.com/message/?dept=2)) and we'll issue a credit or refund for the mistaken charge.

You will of course still be charged for the 32 cent enviro fee for the hard drive :twisted:

Apologies to those that were inadvertently charged the fee. Looks like a simple categorization error on our part.

That was fast, thanks for the quick reply. Sent the ticket 5 mins ago.

[killoverme]

Nice, thanks for the quick fix!

BTW, this really gives custom PCs much more incentive than buying a prebuilt one :)

I haven't read the document on environment fees myself, but I didn't know the enviro fee applies to FREE items as well (ie. the hard drive). I guess it makes sense on the recycling point of view but... this would be something to keep in mind...

PS. Who from NCIX uses this NCIXFA account, or is it shared among several people?

Just googled the ontario fees stuff and it seems servers technically are included into the environmental fee


A desktop computer or
computer terminal that
requires a standard AC power
plug for its primary source of
power.


Includes products
commonly referred to as
desktops, computers,
computer terminals,
desktops acting as
servers, thin clients,
microcomputers, and
minicomputers.

[Jon Lai]

Just googled the ontario fees stuff and it seems servers technically are included into the environmental fee


A desktop computer or
computer terminal that
requires a standard AC power
plug for its primary source of
power.


Includes products
commonly referred to as
desktops, computers,
computer terminals,
desktops acting as
servers, thin clients,
microcomputers, and
minicomputers.

Source? PS.. sometimes it helps to be quiet :D

[Tsuius]

Can anyone confirm if this Acer will work as an iTunes server and time machine back up for the Mac?

The HP MediaSmart Server has both functions. I'm not sure if this is a standard Microsoft WHS feature or if HP built something additional in their WHS box.

Of course there is nothing on this on M$ or Acer websites.

[qubikal]

Can anyone confirm if this Acer will work as an iTunes server and time machine back up for the Mac?

The HP MediaSmart Server has both functions. I'm not sure if this is a standard Microsoft WHS feature or if HP built something additional in their WHS box.

Of course there is nothing on this on M$ or Acer websites.

There is the iTunes server. There's an option under settings. I'm not sure how to use it exactly however; as when I play music off the "shared" area, the music was choppy (but when i drag the music to the library, it works fine - i just haven't really played with that setting yet)

As for the Mac Time Machine - i don't see anything about it on the WHS console, and I don't have a Mac - so can't help you there

[zoolander]

WHS is new to me, max HDD is 4TB, however...
1. What is max storage? 3TB usable with a floating 1TB for parity?
2. Can I just connect this to my router?

[generaltao99]

WHS is new to me, max HDD is 4TB, however...
1. What is max storage? 3TB usable with a floating 1TB for parity?
2. Can I just connect this to my router?

It doesn't work like RAID.

4x1GB HD will give you 4GB of storage space, less if you enable folder duplication.

You can always connect it to your router. But for what purpose will it work you have to be specific.

[zoolander]

It doesn't work like RAID.

4x1GB HD will give you 4GB of storage space, less if you enable folder duplication.

You can always connect it to your router. But for what purpose will it work you have to be specific.

:confused: If I have 2TB of data I deem essential, I have to duplicate it if I'm worried about drive failure?
So I can connect this to a router and access media off it from laptops in my house? And setup FTP to access the files from an outside remote location?
(provided no external firewall)
Thanks

[Moosebox]

:confused: If I have 2TB of data I deem essential, I have to duplicate it if I'm worried about drive failure?
So I can connect this to a router and access media off it from laptops in my house? And setup FTP to access the files from an outside remote location?
(provided no external firewall)
Thanks

To backup 2TBs of data you would need 4TBs of storage I believe.
Yes if you connect this to your network (ie: through router) you will be able to access it from any other device on the same network. You can also setup to allow remote connections to allow access from outside your network.


Great site with lots of info on WHS, check out the 'Get Started' area: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx

[j27lee]

Was debating between this and the dell 1320. In the end, I needed a backup solution more than a laptop.... though it's still tempting me...

Thanks OP!

[generaltao99]

To backup 2TBs of data you would need 4TBs of storage I believe.

You'd need more than 4GB for the system drive and overhead.

[djmr2]

:confused: If I have 2TB of data I deem essential, I have to duplicate it if I'm worried about drive failure?
Thanks

dam, you must have been collecting pr0n since the beginning of the interwebz :D

[zoolander]

dam, you must have been collecting pr0n since the beginning of the interwebz :D

Yeah, all high def, the detail in the warts and rashes... not pretty :lol:. Actually, I'm small fry. You can setup an unRAID Linux-based NAS alternative using this to hold 12 HDDs!
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/7972/292181uk5.jpg
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=553514
Seriously, random drive failure is high, it's not smart to have TB data without parity or duplication esp for a business, so it looks like I would only have less than 2TB of protected data with this Acer.

[Lange]

I ordered a unit this morning. I have been looking for an inexpensive data server for some time but I really didn't want to have to build one myself. I just wanted something easy and quick. This fits the bill perfectly and I'm optimistic it will give me everything I need (basic utility).

If I remember, I'll come back and post a review of my experience getting this set up for a small office.

[oldsnail]

i wonder how the atom fares compared to the celeron in the hp boxes,

or even the amd semprons in the older hp boxes.

THe hp i have is AMD based

[djmr2]

anyone have their's shipped from NCIX yet?

[iconicrocket]

Ordered mine on Friday still haven't shipped.

[Moosebox]

Mine shipped Wednesday, I ordered Tuesday. Unfortunately UPS forgot my package somewhere in Ontario: (last update from ups) THE PACKAGE WAS NOT LOADED ONTO TRAIN, AIRPLANE OR OTHER TRANSPORT UNIT LOAD DEVICE

[jmartin]

Ordered on sunday, Still not shipped.

[iLLNESS]

these servers suck


for $500 you could build a comparable pc with better cooling and in the end have the ability to run a program like sabnzbd and have vnc/http/ftp running from the box.

with this youll have hdd space running a network share.. garbage!

[4got10]

these servers suck


for $500 you could build a comparable pc with better cooling and in the end have the ability to run a program like sabnzbd and have vnc/http/ftp running from the box.

with this youll have hdd space running a network share.. garbage!

Yeah but would it have 4 hot swap bays? Legit copy of Windows home server? 2TB of space? Considering 2 x 1TB drives and WHS would cost you about $350.00 I fail to see how you would squeeze in a case/PS/MB/RAM/CPU and Cooling for $150.00.

Can you please keep the comparison to other retail home servers because the fact that you can build a PC really doesn't mean anything to those of us looking for a WHS.

[Jon Lai]

these servers suck


for $500 you could build a comparable pc with better cooling and in the end have the ability to run a program like sabnzbd and have vnc/http/ftp running from the box.

with this youll have hdd space running a network share.. garbage!

The two included 1TB drives cost $100 each, total $200.

Can you build a box for $300 with 4 hotswappable bays? Please post the parts you'll use.

[congenic]

The two included 1TB drives cost $100 each, total $200.

Can you build a box for $300 with 4 hotswappable bays? Please post the parts you'll use.

Sorry, not to be nitpicking, but just curious... it's only 3 hot swappable bays right? The OS drive isn't hot swappable?

[congenic]

HP MediaSmart Home Servers Get New Software

New software makes it easier to convert video for mobile devices

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=14855HP

I wonder if the Acer will have something like this.

[qubikal]

Sorry, not to be nitpicking, but just curious... it's only 3 hot swappable bays right? The OS drive isn't hot swappable?

no, it's not "hot" swappable, but you can eject the hard drive without opening the case, when you turn the server off, therefore it's still a 4 tray rack...

[NCIXFA]

For anyone waiting, the Hitachi drives were out of stock and back ordered for a couple of days. :cry: I believe they're back in stock now so shipments should be going out fairly soon. We have TONS of the Acer unit though...

:D

[WWWilson]

For anyone waiting, the Hitachi drives were out of stock and back ordered for a couple of days. :cry: I believe they're back in stock now so shipments should be going out fairly soon. We have TONS of the Acer unit though...

:D

I sent an e-mail last week (and got an auto-reply [from NCIX Burnaby] that my inquiry will be replied in 1-2 business days) but no one reply my e-mail yet :|

I am not sure if I sent my inquiry to the right e-mail as I use the form provided on your website.

Please follow up / advise (if you can) and thanks.

[apvm]

Mine shipped Wednesday, I ordered Tuesday. Unfortunately UPS forgot my package somewhere in Ontario: (last update from ups) THE PACKAGE WAS NOT LOADED ONTO TRAIN, AIRPLANE OR OTHER TRANSPORT UNIT LOAD DEVICE

I have ordered something else from NCIX and UPS has my package "THE PACKAGE WAS NOT LOADED ONTO TRAIN, AIRPLANE OR OTHER TRANSPORT UNIT LOAD DEVICE " since Yesterday. Any idea how long it will take or will it ever arrive?

[Moosebox]

I have ordered something else from NCIX and UPS has my package "THE PACKAGE WAS NOT LOADED ONTO TRAIN, AIRPLANE OR OTHER TRANSPORT UNIT LOAD DEVICE " since Yesterday. Any idea how long it will take or will it ever arrive?

That update was from 10pm on the 13th. There hasn't been another update yet. I might give UPS a call tonight to see what they think. I'll let you know if it gets updated and when it arrives, hopefully by Friday so I can play with it on the weekend.

[djmr2]

mine shipped yesterday so it should be here by Friday! If not i'll be a sad camper for the weekend.

[cirque]

Yeah, all high def, the detail in the warts and rashes... not pretty :lol:. Actually, I'm small fry. You can setup an unRAID Linux-based NAS alternative using this to hold 12 HDDs!

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=553514
Seriously, random drive failure is high, it's not smart to have TB data without parity or duplication esp for a business, so it looks like I would only have less than 2TB of protected data with this Acer.

Well, WHS can technically handle storage up to W2K3Server limitations. I believe this is GPT partitions as large as 18 exabytes, but don't quote me. In the case of this Acer Easystore/HP MediaSmart/or any OEM home build - as long as you have an available eSata port, it's quite easy to expand exponentially. Just tack on any readily available multi-port eSata enclosure in JBOD mode and let WHS add it to storage pool for redundancy. If you want to go big, then get this Norco 15-bay enclosure. Make sure your eSata port can handle port multiplication, if not, then get a PCIe/PCIx card for your WHS server.

http://www.norcotek.com/item_detail.php?categoryid=8&modelno=ds-1500

I run a WHS OEM build using an Antec P180 Mini (5 x 3.5" bays) and another 5-bay eSata enclosure so I can have as many as 9 sata drives in my storage pool. Running headless with AMD BE-2400 (@45w) and Antec P180 Mini keeps things cool & quiet. I'm streaming 720P to my PS3 without much problem. You can expand your storage via USB2.0 but your raw bandwidth will be 480Mbit/s vs ESata @ 3000Mbit/s so it certainly can't hurt to have the additional speed if you're planning to stream HD content. All this applies to both Linux/Windows so any Linux or Windows fanboys, put your flames away.

If you want a simple out-of-the-box solution that does backup and redundancy, you'll be hard pressed to beat WHS at this pricepoint. If you've got the Linux knowhow, then by all means go that route.

[apvm]

That update was from 10pm on the 13th. There hasn't been another update yet. I might give UPS a call tonight to see what they think. I'll let you know if it gets updated and when it arrives, hopefully by Friday so I can play with it on the weekend.

Thanks, same update as per 13th but I just checked and they have updated to "In Transit - Rescheduled" and the delivery date is 16th.

[Moosebox]

Thanks, same update as per 13th but I just checked and they have updated to "In Transit - Rescheduled" and the delivery date is 16th.

Yep, same update here, and the only day no one will be home. Sick day tomorrow? :lol:

[Lange]

I spoke with someone at NCIX. The delay in shipping (at least on my order) was due to the confusion over the env't fee. My order has been released according to the rep with whom I spoke and will ship out today.

It might be worth a call if your shipment still does not show as having shipped.

[Moosebox]

Turns out the environment fee is valid for Ontario purchases, so they won't be issuing refunds, just in case anyone was still wondering about it.

[halo five]

.

[feejai]

Received my Acer today (after a 3 day delay from UPS). Preliminary results are good, transfer speeds much better than my QNAP TS-409. Getting approx. 54Mb/sec over GB ethernet.

Nice looking and really quiet... can hardly hear this thing running. Glad I made this purchase and got rid of the QNAP!

[congenic]

Received my Acer today (after a 3 day delay from UPS). Preliminary results are good, transfer speeds much better than my QNAP TS-409. Getting approx. 54Mb/sec over GB ethernet.

Nice looking and really quiet... can hardly hear this thing running. Glad I made this purchase and got rid of the QNAP!

Glad to hear you received it! Did u have to install the hitachi drive yourself? Does your gigabit network support jumbo frames?

[jmartin]

The 54MBps is durring uploading or downloading?

The DLNA server is Twonky(Media)Server?

Glad to hear you received it! Did u have to install the hitachi drive yourself? Does your gigabit network support jumbo frames?

I haven't received mine yet, but UPS is telling me that my order is seperated in two packages. Considering that I've only order the server + the free HDD it's safe to assume that you'll need to install it yourself. No biggie.

[Moosebox]

Received mine yesterday, so far I like it. Easy and quick to setup, runs quiet and not too hot. Hitachi drive comes separate, but you just slide it in and add it to the storage pool, takes no time at all.

The 2nd drive and 3rd drive indicator LED's were wired improperly on my system. Couldn't rewire it but I just switch the lights from the inside.

Not sure if it was answered before, but the expansion slot is a PCI-e 1x

Installed some add-ins also, I would recommend the Advance Admin Console add-in, gives you a lot more control over the system (only way to get rid of McAfee was through 'add/remove programs', which you would only have access to if you remote desktop to the system, or simply install this add-in).

[jmartin]

That neat that they put a PCI-E slot. More eSATA port anyone?

For the Advanced Admin, you could also have used the Remote Desktop which gives you even more control. I'm using it all the time on my current makeshift server.

By the way, if there any PDF manuals that you could upload? I'm trying to find them on ACER's website with no success. At least it would give me something to do/read while I wait for it (won't be delivered before the end of last week imo).

Thanks,

JMA

[feejai]

The speed was uploading .ISO files (I don't use twonky media). Installing the HD is no big deal at all, and it can be done while the server is up and running. I'm actually not using the one that was shipped with the server as a "bonus", I bought another WD 1TB (EAVS) same as the one the system comes with and I had two other WD 1TB EADS's in the house (so 4TB right now!).

The transfer speed does degrade a bit when the server is doing it's "Storage Balancing", but so far so good... much better speed than the QNAP TS-409 I had previously.

For those looking for a device like this, I would highly recommend it (good price too considering it comes with 2 drives), going to sell the Hitachi that came as the "bonus".

The 54MBps is durring uploading or downloading?

The DLNA server is Twonky(Media)Server?



I haven't received mine yet, but UPS is telling me that my order is seperated in two packages. Considering that I've only order the server + the free HDD it's safe to assume that you'll need to install it yourself. No biggie.

[feejai]

Hey there...

Just wondering why you got rid of the Mcafee program, it's valid for free for 6 months. Also, I didn't like the "Lights Out" add-in (had to be removed from the 'add/remove programs' as well. Lights Out is a good app for perhaps a business office, but I need my box up and running all the time for server files to my media boxes in the house.

No issues with my HD led's, sorry to hear you had an issue.... but looks like you fixed it yourself :lol:

Please post if you find any other good 'add-ins', I will do the same.

Cheers!

Received mine yesterday, so far I like it. Easy and quick to setup, runs quiet and not too hot. Hitachi drive comes separate, but you just slide it in and add it to the storage pool, takes no time at all.

The 2nd drive and 3rd drive indicator LED's were wired improperly on my system. Couldn't rewire it but I just switch the lights from the inside.

Not sure if it was answered before, but the expansion slot is a PCI-e 1x

Installed some add-ins also, I would recommend the Advance Admin Console add-in, gives you a lot more control over the system (only way to get rid of McAfee was through 'add/remove programs', which you would only have access to if you remote desktop to the system, or simply install this add-in).

[jmartin]

Concerning my question about Twonky Media Server: ACER announced they used a DLNA server on the H340 (on top of Windows Media Sharing), but did not specified wich one. I was wondering which media software they are using?

[elty]

Is the Atom single core fast enough for running additional http / ftp server?

NCIX had another ITX case + dual core Atom for $160 or so. After HDD and RAM it is $400 before OS. Not sure if the additional computing power is a good trade off for hard drive slot.

[jmartin]

FTP should'nt be a problem. HTTP, depend if you wan't to have a lot of dynamic content (PHP and stuff). Of couse, the amount of concurent user is important. Considering it's home server, I'm assuming there won't be that many users.

It would be nice if the processor was on socket (need confirmation), though. Edit: I guess not.

For the NCIX bundle a similar package (with the dual core, 2GB of RAM, and 2x 1TB HDD) came to 584$ (if you include the OS at 140$, but you can get it for 100$ somewhere else). The Acer seems to still be a good deal.

[qubikal]

Hey there...

Just wondering why you got rid of the Mcafee program, it's valid for free for 6 months. Also, I didn't like the "Lights Out" add-in (had to be removed from the 'add/remove programs' as well. Lights Out is a good app for perhaps a business office, but I need my box up and running all the time for server files to my media boxes in the house.

Cheers!

I uninstalled my McAfee also right away. McAfee isn't rated very high in catching all the viruses and is usually a more bloated program. But i guess free is free...
I installed NOD32 3.0 for business and it's working nicely (although it's not part of the console though)..

As for Lights Out, I don't find that the WHS server goes into standby very often. I believe it's only when all computers around are off/sleep (some of my computers run 24/7 - but i'm trying to reduce this to save power)... and when the whs does go lights out, it has the wake on lan feature.

I also installed "drive balancer" not really an add-in, but the proggy evenly balances out your files between your 2-4 drives. WHS likes to fill one drive up first, then move on to the next one - which sometime leaves an entire drive empty and useless.

[Moosebox]

I uninstalled my McAfee also right away. McAfee isn't rated very high in catching all the viruses and is usually a more bloated program. But i guess free is free...
I installed NOD32 3.0 for business and it's working nicely (although it's not part of the console though)..

As for Lights Out, I don't find that the WHS server goes into standby very often. I believe it's only when all computers around are off/sleep (some of my computers run 24/7 - but i'm trying to reduce this to save power)... and when the whs does go lights out, it has the wake on lan feature.

I also installed "drive balancer" not really an add-in, but the proggy evenly balances out your files between your 2-4 drives. WHS likes to fill one drive up first, then move on to the next one - which sometime leaves an entire drive empty and useless.

Yea I was just looking at the drive balancer too, might be a handy utility to utilize all drives.

For McAfee I took it off because I'm not a big fan of their software, also because I wasn't sure how to activate it... though I didn't really look around that much, were there instructions for this? I may put it back on if I can as I haven't been able to locate any free homeserver av program.

[congenic]

I also installed "drive balancer" not really an add-in, but the proggy evenly balances out your files between your 2-4 drives. WHS likes to fill one drive up first, then move on to the next one - which sometime leaves an entire drive empty and useless.

I guess this would happen if you don't have folder duplication on?

[jmartin]

I wonder if enabling Duplication, leave like that for a while and then disabling it does the same thing? I don't really like that it's suggested to disable duplication of each folder and not using the server at while doing that. It seems to be too much hassle for what you are getting.

[qubikal]

I guess this would happen if you don't have folder duplication on?

i'm guessing, if you had 4 drives, then i think the duplication would happen over the drive 2 and 3 first (drive 1 is OS, and whs tries to avoid that).

i don't have duplication on everything (ie my video files). I actually filled up my 1tb hitachi first.. then added another 1tb drive. I didn't like seeing the red bar notifying that one drive was 100% full, while the other one stayed empty.

[fredsmith]

I have an EX470, and am now looking for an EX487 . . . I prefer the Celeron processor and 60 watt steady state draw and double fans in the HP. Better support, too.

Unfortunately everyone seems to be out of stock.

[feejai]

Hey there...

As far as DLNA goes on the Acer I think it's called Digital Media Server v1.5 (0907.028). Here is a copy of some additional info from the help file on this application.

How to Configure Settings for Digital Media Server
Digital Media Server is an application compatible with DLNA 1.5 and runs on Windows Home Server to provide with content directory service which auto starts upon booting of the server system. With Digital Media Server enabled, other Digital Media Controllers and Digital Media Players based on UPnP structure can co-work with the application to help you browse, access and play media contents on Windows Home Server. Besides, it also makes possible for iPod, iTunes and Xbox360 users to share media files on Windows Home Server of their respective self-supporting formats.

Digital Media Server uses a database to manage media contents on Windows Home Server. It avails of the album, artist, genre and playlist information to sort music files. As for photos and videos, it uses folder mode to collect them. Two options are available for you to configure the folder mode:

Sorting by Name - Photos and videos are arranged according to the original organization, which is the default option.
Sorting by Date - Digital Media Server auto checks the latest modification dates of files and creates different virtual folders by year and subfolders by month.
To keep the media library updated, Digital Media Server auto upgrades the database when media files are copied to the working directory. Besides, the application brings up the database update process when you reboot the server system or re-enable Digital Media Server.

There is no problem if you want to share media on an extended USB storage device, for example, a USB flash disk, a USB HDD, a digital camera, etc, with Digital Media Controller and Digital Media Player users. When you plug a device of this kind onto Windows Home Server, the application will auto scan its media contents and collect them by using the folder mode.

An easy-to-use module is added into the Windows Home Server Setting console to help you configure Digital Media Server settings to make a most suitable sharing solution tailored to your demands at any time.

To enable or disable Digital Media Server:
In the Digital Media Server field, check the Enable option to run the application. Otherwise, check the Disable option to turn it off.
Click the Apply button to save your modification. Alternatively, click OK to save and quit.

To customize the sorting method of photos and videos:
Select one of the two sorting methods.
Click the Apply button to save your modification. Alternatively, click OK to save and quit.
Besides, the interface also provides you with the name of the media server.

:lol: Let me know if there is something else you wish to know.

Concerning my question about Twonky Media Server: ACER announced they used a DLNA server on the H340 (on top of Windows Media Sharing), but did not specified wich one. I was wondering which media software they are using?

[jmartin]

Thanks for the details! No mention about the PS3, but considering it supports DLNA 1.5 it should be fine. Edit: The PS3 is mentionned in the manual. Oh, and the server support MKVs if Sony ever support it (meanwhile I'll just need to remux them with mkv2vob).

For those like me who want to check the manual to help the waiting, here it is(thanks to feejai):

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/231284/Guide.pdf

[riellanart]

curious. with WHS, would you be able to run a simple http server or a vent server on this?

[fredsmith]

curious. with WHS, would you be able to run a simple http server or a vent server on this?

Yes

[j27lee]

Got mine on the weekend and am doing a full backup now. 2 questions:
1) How can you see how fast the data is transferring?
2) How can I uninstall mcafee? I don't see it in the add ins list.

[Moosebox]

Got mine on the weekend and am doing a full backup now. 2 questions:
1) How can you see how fast the data is transferring?
2) How can I uninstall mcafee? I don't see it in the add ins list.

Not sure about your first question as Vista shows you how fast you are copying/moving data, are you using xp? You could always just transfer over some data and time how long it takes then calculate it for yourself.

To uninstall McAfee you need to get into the control panel -> add remove programs. To do this you can remote desktop in and log in as administrator, or install the Advance Admin Console which will give you all the access you need through the console: http://www.home-server-addins.com/download/WHSAdminInstaller.msi

[j27lee]

Not sure about your first question as Vista shows you how fast you are copying/moving data, are you using xp? You could always just transfer over some data and time how long it takes then calculate it for yourself.

To uninstall McAfee you need to get into the control panel -> add remove programs. To do this you can remote desktop in and log in as administrator, or install the Advance Admin Console which will give you all the access you need through the console: http://www.home-server-addins.com/download/WHSAdminInstaller.msi

Thanks! I'm super new to WHS and appreciate the help. Yep, I'm on xp... i'll see what other tools I can get.

[gambit_360]

I don't think anyone has yet posted this, but for those looking to get power consumption numbers on this thing, stock configuration (1TB Green HD) uses about 38-40W.
Will probably draw another 5-10W per drive added in.

[fredsmith]

For those who might want to compare, I just got in my HP EX-485, so I have specs on the 475 and 485.


EX-475 - 1.8 GHz Sempron, 512 Megs of RAM (mine is upgraded to 2 Gigs)

1 drive 52 watts idle 60 watts active
2 drives 60 watts idle 73 watts active
3 drives 68 watts idle 86 watts active
4 drives 76 watts idle 99 watts active


EX-485 - 2.0 GHz Cceleron, 2 GB RAN

1 drive 44 watts idle 50 watts active
2 drives 55 watts idle 60 watts active
3 drives 65 watts idle 70 watts active
4 drives 76 watts idle 80 watts active

[generaltao99]

Thanks! I'm super new to WHS and appreciate the help. Yep, I'm on xp... i'll see what other tools I can get.

Alternatively, you can do it the old school way. Figure out how much data you're transferring and time how long it takes to transfer. Then you can work those two values whichever way you want to give you a transfer rate.

Example: you try and transfer a 350MB file and it takes 10 seconds, therefore your average speed is 350MB / 10s = 35MB/s

[j27lee]

Alternatively, you can do it the old school way. Figure out how much data you're transferring and time how long it takes to transfer. Then you can work those two values whichever way you want to give you a transfer rate.

Example: you try and transfer a 350MB file and it takes 10 seconds, therefore your average speed is 350MB / 10s = 35MB/s

haha... i'm too far gone from school to do things the old school way... i remember having a question in a networking course exam where we had to find the bandwidth of a fedex box full of tapes with certain dimensions... it was surprisingly high...

[pitabread]

that is a pretty good deal with the free drive. However if you want a great NAS/SAN is to build your own machine using freeNAS or openfiler.

I never used freeNAS myself but openfiler is really easy to install and to setup.

[muhhahhah]

I'd like to know how the Atom CPU performs in the Acer 340.

Can the Atom CPU keep up with:
- Streaming HD video on a home LAN?
- Streaming audio using the iTunes server feature on a home LAN?
- Streaming audio over a remote connection (i.e., running web connection and iTunes server simultaneously)?

[djmr2]

I'd like to know how the Atom CPU performs in the Acer 340.

Can the Atom CPU keep up with:
- Streaming HD video on a home LAN?
- Streaming audio using the iTunes server feature on a home LAN?
- Streaming audio over a remote connection (i.e., running web connection and iTunes server simultaneously)?

seriously, this has got to the be the worst first post ever.

[iconicrocket]

My NAS arrived this afternoon, and I've been playing with it. Seems pretty good so far, and I'm a noob at WHS. There's not much you can do until u get into adding the add-ins which are neat little programs that add functionality. Everything was pretty much straight forward and easy to setup, including the remote access, only issue is port forwarding on the router.

Anyone have a way to file manage directly off the server using the console. I want to transfer stuff from an external usb drive straight to the server using the built-in USB connection. I don't want to send over the wireless network.

[j27lee]

Anyone have a way to file manage directly off the server using the console. I want to transfer stuff from an external usb drive straight to the server using the built-in USB connection. I don't want to send over the wireless network.

Yep, get the advanced admin console add-in (http://www.home-server-addins.com/archives/8), then the usb drive into one of the USB ports on the back.

From the admin console, you click on "My Computer", then do what you need.

[purelifewater]

I Picked one of these bad boys up also. Current configuration is running 4 western digital green hard drives.

I'm getting about 65 MB/s upto 77 MB/s transfering one large file about 1.5gb.

and Yes it supports Jumbo Frames who ever asked in a previous thread.

I'm also going to pick up an ESata enclosure today and hook it up. I'll let you know how that works out.

This server has really had my head spinning for a few days just because I usually have my own custom built server and this is already assembled for me.

I was kinda hessitent with the brand "ACER" just cause in the past I've heard nothing but horror stories about them. But so far not too bad.

So heres a few things i noticed so far as with performance and if someone else has one and has expereinced similar it would be nice to know.

One windows update does not want to install on this thing. ( KB958687 )
also mcAfee I had to register with a US postal code cause it wouldnt take my canadian postal code.

The windows server snapin that shows you everything without actually logging into the server has at times shown me nothing. Seems like it crashed.
But I could remote in using remote desktop and then I was able to manually log off the user and then log into the snap shot version again.

I tried using the lights out feature (trying to be more energy concious)
Set it to goto suspend after 15 minutes of it not detecting any users.
Only other option in Lights out is (Shut down).
Anyways After trying to ping the server. going to the snapin and even right clicking to get wake this computer for backup. Nothing it would not wake up. even though I had enable remotely wake this computer selected.

For the price this is a good deal. But just wished they had put some better hardware in this as in respects to the CPU.

also there is only one Dimm slot with 2gb ram. I opened it up and nothing else you can really do.

Tried doing a fan mod. Cause on loads I was getting about 59 - 60 c. with a fan mod I got about 48 - 50 c. Didnt think 10 c was making a difference so i pulled it out.

[kakuy]

Deal is cooler now, they do not give you the 1TB additional drive with the server...
I did not pull the trigger yet because I may try to use an old box with the evaluation version first. Or is this box anything really special that cannot be substituted easily?
I was thinking of building a low power pc that can be used lightly on browsing, etc. besides server functions, but may be WHS does not support that. Your thoughts?
Also do you expect to have this deal or better soon?

Cheers

EDITED:
False alarm, today for a couple hours the NCIX website did not show the gift, now it is OK.
But Canada Computers have it better, you get a second 1TB drive with enclosure, USB and eSATA, for a few dollars cheaper if you buy from the stores in the GTA, comparing the PST against shipping and insurance (and the wait). But with a $30 MIR.
I'm presently initializing it, after running the numbers it would cost MORE to build one instead.

[purelifewater]

OKay. I'm seriously thinking about returning this. So I added an external ESata drive. and this darn thing does not want to recognise it. I downloaded the newest chipset drivers from intel and installed them as acer had its version from 2007. Still no go. Made sure drive was in NTFS even though it shouldnt make a difference. Logged into the computer via remote desktop and went to Computer management. And the drive does not show up there. Ahhhhhhhhh. Acer i tell ya. Now i'm so thinking to buying that HP media server. sure its like more $$$$ but maybe that will be worth it. or better yet if i can find a copy of media home server online. maybe it be easier to build er yourself.

[feejai]

Getting the same thing in regards to the windows update KB958687, will simply not install (tried a few times).

I find the performance is really good in regards to file transfers, I don't think beefer hardware would make too much of a difference (and it's so much faster than my older QNAP TS-409 that I paid way too much for before).

Not too sure about the Mcafee product, on there right now only because it's free for six months, but wondering if there is a free/better alternative.

I uninstalled Lights Out, the server is not too bad on power and I use it for streaming movies to my Markus-800 Media players (http://www.hantech.ca/product/product_detail.asp?M=1&S=2&bCateName=MARKUS&CATEID=00020003), love those media players!

In regards to the eSata port, I was able to get mine to work no problem (required a reboot of the server though, so not "plug and play".). I am using one of those external NexStar units with a 640GB WD). What size drive is your eSata (wonder if that makes a difference), or perhaps the drive model itself (have you tried a different drive)?

All in all I am extremely happy with my unit.

:lol:

I Picked one of these bad boys up also. Current configuration is running 4 western digital green hard drives.

I'm getting about 65 MB/s upto 77 MB/s transfering one large file about 1.5gb.

and Yes it supports Jumbo Frames who ever asked in a previous thread.

I'm also going to pick up an ESata enclosure today and hook it up. I'll let you know how that works out.

This server has really had my head spinning for a few days just because I usually have my own custom built server and this is already assembled for me.

I was kinda hessitent with the brand "ACER" just cause in the past I've heard nothing but horror stories about them. But so far not too bad.

So heres a few things i noticed so far as with performance and if someone else has one and has expereinced similar it would be nice to know.

One windows update does not want to install on this thing. ( KB958687 )
also mcAfee I had to register with a US postal code cause it wouldnt take my canadian postal code.

The windows server snapin that shows you everything without actually logging into the server has at times shown me nothing. Seems like it crashed.
But I could remote in using remote desktop and then I was able to manually log off the user and then log into the snap shot version again.

I tried using the lights out feature (trying to be more energy concious)
Set it to goto suspend after 15 minutes of it not detecting any users.
Only other option in Lights out is (Shut down).
Anyways After trying to ping the server. going to the snapin and even right clicking to get wake this computer for backup. Nothing it would not wake up. even though I had enable remotely wake this computer selected.

For the price this is a good deal. But just wished they had put some better hardware in this as in respects to the CPU.

also there is only one Dimm slot with 2gb ram. I opened it up and nothing else you can really do.

Tried doing a fan mod. Cause on loads I was getting about 59 - 60 c. with a fan mod I got about 48 - 50 c. Didnt think 10 c was making a difference so i pulled it out.

[feejai]

BTW, has anyone tried using a larger drive than 1TB on this thing. Description says max 1TB, just wondering if anyone has tried with larger drives. If so, please post and let me know (or PM).

Thanks!

[purelifewater]

Thats the same external enclosure i'm using the nexstar 3 with usb and esata.

Man I tried everything to get that darn thing to work but no luck. Soooo many reboots. maybe its just my unit. DEFECTIVE.

Cause the Esata works on my laptop and on my desktop.

But hey I saw that Office Depot has the HP media smart server EX 475
for about 480.00 taxed in.

Ram upgrade is about $35.00 so still not too bad.

[purelifewater]

Hey feejai,

where did you pick up that media player. looks really cool.

Getting the same thing in regards to the windows update KB958687, will simply not install (tried a few times).

I find the performance is really good in regards to file transfers, I don't think beefer hardware would make too much of a difference (and it's so much faster than my older QNAP TS-409 that I paid way too much for before).

Not too sure about the Mcafee product, on there right now only because it's free for six months, but wondering if there is a free/better alternative.

I uninstalled Lights Out, the server is not too bad on power and I use it for streaming movies to my Markus-800 Media players (http://www.hantech.ca/product/product_detail.asp?M=1&S=2&bCateName=MARKUS&CATEID=00020003), love those media players!

In regards to the eSata port, I was able to get mine to work no problem (required a reboot of the server though, so not "plug and play".). I am using one of those external NexStar units with a 640GB WD). What size drive is your eSata (wonder if that makes a difference), or perhaps the drive model itself (have you tried a different drive)?

All in all I am extremely happy with my unit.

:lol:

[Moosebox]

I also found my esata wasn't working, however I never tested the external drive on esata before so I'm not sure if the acer is the problem or the external drive, or the cable itself. At first I had trouble getting the esata cable to stay in the esata port on the server, I actually shaved a bit of plastic off the cable casing to get a better connection. Don't think I tried rebooting while the drive was connected though.

Instead I just put the drive(formatted ext2) in the server since I was just coping files off it.

Lightsout seems like a good little program for me, I don't need the server on at night so I put it into suspend at night and wake it up in the morning, figure the 9 hours I save a day will just make the system last longer.

[gambit_360]

BTW, has anyone tried using a larger drive than 1TB on this thing. Description says max 1TB, just wondering if anyone has tried with larger drives. If so, please post and let me know (or PM).

Thanks!

I put a 1.5TB in there. Works fine.

[feejai]

There are a few places in Toronto that sell that media player:

http://www.cty.ca/productdetails.asp?pid=2899
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=410388
http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?prodID=7099

I highly recommend these units to anyone I know that mentions they are looking for such a device. I have 4 of these, one on each TV in the house, streaming movies from my Acer (one thing I really like about the unit is that it can play .ISO files streaming from the Acer).

Too bad about your eSata port though, it must be defective. I simply hooked mine up after I saw your post, turned it on and rebooted the Acer... as soon as it booted back up, the drive showed up no problem.

:lol:

Hey feejai,

where did you pick up that media player. looks really cool.

[feejai]

Thanks for the reply Gambit, much appreciated (I had 3 extra 1TB's from my previous NAS that went into the Acer). Just waiting for the Green Power 1.5TB's to come down in price (or the 2TB drives).

I put a 1.5TB in there. Works fine.

[feejai]

For those who may be local to a Canada Computers in Ontario and don't want pay for shipping from NCIX, Canada Computers is now including an addition Seagate 1TB Hard Drive with a cash price of $485.

Damn, do I need another one? :lol:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowBundle&cmd=pd&pid=023287&cid=170

[feejai]

Hi all...

For those owners of the Acer Easystore, some of us have been having issues in regards to a certain MS update KB958687. I thought I would advise that I finally got this update installed (pretty easy fix for me), this is what I did:

- Logged in using Remote Desktop as Administrator
- Opened IE (Internet Explorer), Clicked "Tools", then "Windows Update"
- Somewhere on that page it has install "Microsoft Update"
- Installed Microsoft Update (plug in for browser)
- Then did a "custom" update (this one took a bit longer than the regular Windows Update, as I think the Windows Update may have been corrupted).
- It showed KB958687 in the "High Priority" section of the update
- Clicked "Install Updates"
- It downloaded/Installed with no issues

Hope this helps :lol:

[Ghetto_Child]

i wonder how the atom fares compared to the celeron in the hp boxes,

or even the amd semprons in the older hp boxes.

Good question. Seeing that there are not many reviews on this unit (I will post one when I get mine :lol:). I can say that the much more expensive QNAP TS-439 Pro's use the same/similar hardware (running linux mind you). Couldn't pass up that deal, even though I just built my own WHS.

I'm interested to see how the Atom performs as well.

N270 Atoms are like P4 single core 32bit with Hyper-Threading, less heat and lower power than P4 because the chips are smaller. I think the N280 might be a dual core 32bit chip or a single core 64bit chip. They both also have faster bus and more cache than P4 did too.

[elty]

For those who may be local to a Canada Computers in Ontario and don't want pay for shipping from NCIX, Canada Computers is now including an addition Seagate 1TB Hard Drive with a cash price of $485.

Damn, do I need another one? :lol:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowBundle&cmd=pd&pid=023287&cid=170

PST kills the deal.

[feejai]

Well, by the time you add shipping from NCIX (even if the $10 gift card route) + the additional insurance to cover "the entire price of the order" almost another $10 it almost adds up to the same, or pretty close anyway. Just a note to some of those people who just can't wait to have it shipped :)

PST kills the deal.

[congenic]

I'm still trying to figure out what happens if the OS drive fails. There's a lot of information out there but it seems like a tedious process to rebuild the OS drive and you have to be careful with how the other drives are handled (inserted or seen) or they may get formatted.

It seems like it would have been a good idea to set up raid 1 for the OS drive.

Am I wrong?

Also, when you add a drive, there are two options... 1 to add storage and the second option backs up the server. I chose the second option but I don't understand what's it doing because it hasn't used any of this drive's space. What did you guys select?

[y2k-inc]

this one is better and cheaper ... look at the bottom $210CAD including shipping :lol:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=190303107484


There are a few places in Toronto that sell that media player:

http://www.cty.ca/productdetails.asp?pid=2899
http://www.infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=410388
http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?prodID=7099

I highly recommend these units to anyone I know that mentions they are looking for such a device. I have 4 of these, one on each TV in the house, streaming movies from my Acer (one thing I really like about the unit is that it can play .ISO files streaming from the Acer).

Too bad about your eSata port though, it must be defective. I simply hooked mine up after I saw your post, turned it on and rebooted the Acer... as soon as it booted back up, the drive showed up no problem.

:lol:

[feejai]

How do you know if this one is better, have you used both devices (what can you compare it againts)? I would be very interested to know as I love the Hantec devices (so if you have proof this one is better, please provide more details). Not as nice looking as Hantec (no LCD screen), but I can deal with the looks of almost anything is the device is actually better.

How is the support on this device? The Hantech units have excellent support, their head office for Canada is in Markham Ontario only a few minutes from my house :lol:

Anyone else out there using this unit? I would appreciate any input you have on this device.

Thanks!

this one is better and cheaper ... look at the bottom $210CAD including shipping :lol:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=190303107484

[djmr2]

Hi all...

For those owners of the Acer Easystore, some of us have been having issues in regards to a certain MS update KB958687. I thought I would advise that I finally got this update installed (pretty easy fix for me), this is what I did:

- Logged in using Remote Desktop as Administrator
- Opened IE (Internet Explorer), Clicked "Tools", then "Windows Update"
- Somewhere on that page it has install "Microsoft Update"
- Installed Microsoft Update (plug in for browser)
- Then did a "custom" update (this one took a bit longer than the regular Windows Update, as I think the Windows Update may have been corrupted).
- It showed KB958687 in the "High Priority" section of the update
- Clicked "Install Updates"
- It downloaded/Installed with no issues

Hope this helps :lol:

thanks buddy! :)

[congenic]

I just found the User Guide for this unit. (Mine only came with a quick start manual).

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/231284/Guide.pdf

My unit has a red "i" on the front. In the manual on page 8, it says red means there's a failure of some sort (hard drive, memory etc.).

Does anyone else have a red "i"?

[feejai]

Log in to the terminal and check out the "Network" status tab. It will tell you what the issue is. It is likely the McAfee service not running or that is out of date (I uninstalled the McAfee Total Protection after a week, terrible program that always has some sort of issue).

Hope this helps.

I just found the User Guide for this unit. (Mine only came with a quick start manual).

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/231284/Guide.pdf

My unit has a red "i" on the front. In the manual on page 8, it says red means there's a failure of some sort (hard drive, memory etc.).

Does anyone else have a red "i"?

[y2k-inc]

the iStar is an NMT base device (same as Popcorn Hours), support is upto date and if support die, you can alway crosx-flash the device with Popcorn Hours firmware ... you can also install a enternal hard drive and have a multitude NMT applications install, like NAS server, torrent download station, Youtube browser, etc ... also it a good upscaller upto 1080p.

As for Hantec, support only good when they are alive ....



How do you know if this one is better, have you used both devices (what can you compare it againts)? I would be very interested to know as I love the Hantec devices (so if you have proof this one is better, please provide more details). Not as nice looking as Hantec (no LCD screen), but I can deal with the looks of almost anything is the device is actually better.

How is the support on this device? The Hantech units have excellent support, their head office for Canada is in Markham Ontario only a few minutes from my house :lol:

Anyone else out there using this unit? I would appreciate any input you have on this device.

Thanks!

[congenic]

My network health is bad because of stupid McAfee, but I didn't know it would show up on the front of the machine! That's crazy...

Thanks for your help!

Log in to the terminal and check out the "Network" status tab. It will tell you what the issue is. It is likely the McAfee service not running or that is out of date (I uninstalled the McAfee Total Protection after a week, terrible program that always has some sort of issue).

Hope this helps.

[emocean]

Any good forums / sites for whs to share?

::

[jumran]

Any good forums / sites for whs to share?

::


http://www.wegotserved.co.uk/

http://www.homeserverhacks.com/

[ShadowVlican]

For those who may be local to a Canada Computers in Ontario and don't want pay for shipping from NCIX, Canada Computers is now including an addition Seagate 1TB Hard Drive with a cash price of $485.

Damn, do I need another one? :lol:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowBundle&cmd=pd&pid=023287&cid=170
how do i pay cash online? :lol:

and seems like NCIX doesn't bundle with a free 1TB hdd anymore?

[condorhero]

Thanks for posting the deal!

Selecting an affordable NAS server is a hard task. Too bad there is not too much review on that new Acer. Though the 2 TB hdd costing around 210$, imo it leaves the enclosure pretty expensive specially one which does not do RAID.

I like the below which has many good reviews so to start with a 1TB hdd first which will cost about 160$+105$, but there is no much good deal but the price looks good.

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=011783&cid=NT.791

[congenic]

Thanks for posting the deal!

Selecting an affordable NAS server is a hard task. Too bad there is not too much review on that new Acer. Though the 2 TB hdd costing around 210$, imo it leaves the enclosure pretty expensive specially one which does not do RAID.

I like the below which has many good reviews so to start with a 1TB hdd first which will cost about 160$+105$, but there is no much good deal but the price looks good.

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=011783&cid=NT.791

I don't think you can fairly compare the Acer and the D-Link. The acer isn't just an "enclosure", it's a processor, ram, software (windows home server), and the ability to expand via e-sata, usb and 2 more drive bays than the D-Link...

[sf1]

deal is back at 189.99

does anybody know if this will perform well with wireless G or 100Mbps?
I tried DNS-323 before it was horrible speed, netdisk was way better but still struggled with wireless G.

[condorhero]

I don't think you can fairly compare the Acer and the D-Link. The acer isn't just an "enclosure", it's a processor, ram, software (windows home server), and the ability to expand via e-sata, usb and 2 more drive bays than the D-Link...

Not entirely true, but yes for whs but the dlink 323 has integrated ftp server, printer server and you can also remotely access from the web the file server but not as powerful as a window server software will allow one to do.

You are right, it can be compared due to whs but the below can be when it will be on sale but not for now though

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4496377&Sku=H50-3024%20CA

HP has upgraded the cpu to a more powerful and sport it with 2 gig memory.
Plus it has TwonkyMedia Server which is becoming the defactor standard to streaming video. I use the software which streamd HD content to PS3 and it is so good delivering content nicely.

Futureshop has an another version but pricier, I do not know the difference between the 2.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000fs10119880&test_cookie=1

But something for sure, I have seen the old one , the enclosure is neat, small and pretty high tech and solid. I think it can only accept 2.5 inc sata drive. But the acer photo looks big to me!

Anyhow, I was more looking at a cheaper NAS as I have seen the dlink 3232 outperforms a lot of more expensive NAS!

[dmxlite]

...NCIX has a promotion right now that includes an extra 1TB SATA hard drive with online purchase. $499 @ NCIX including additional 1TB HD. Everywhere else I've searched for has it for the same price or more without the "bonus" drive.

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37196&vpn=PG%2ET170W%2E007&manufacture=Acer


Just FYI, new deal is $10 cheaper at $489.99 with a Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 3.5IN 7200RPM 32MB Hard Drive:

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=37196&vpn=PG.T170W.007&manufacture=Acer&promoid=1043

I'm starting to see these in Future Shop, but they haven't updated the website yet. Last week, FS listed them at $700 (2 locations)! I went by my local FS and the price is now $500. Close, but NCIX still better with sale and another HD.

[feejai]

I just picked up my second unit, this time from PCVillage. They are having a limited promotion on this unit for $360 (currently out of stock online, now I need to find some more cheap 1TB WD Green drives!).

Here's the link:
http://www.pcvonline.com/ProductDetails.aspx?prodID=9033

[djmr2]

I just picked up my second unit, this time from PCVillage. They are having a limited promotion on this unit for $360 (currently out of stock online, now I need to find some more cheap 1TB WD Green drives!).

Here's the link:
http://www.pcvonline.com/ProductDetails.aspx?prodID=9033

i guess similar in price as NCIX is throwing in a second drive which u should really have in this guy!

[feejai]

True, but at least this way you can choose which drive you want to accompany the one that is already in there. I personally like the Green Power Drives from WD for these devices (personal choice of course :razz:).

i guess similar in price as NCIX is throwing in a second drive which u should really have in this guy!

[congenic]

True, but at least this way you can choose which drive you want to accompany the one that is already in there. I personally like the Green Power Drives from WD for these devices (personal choice of course :razz:).

$360 without a drive is a good deal!

[ShadowVlican]

True, but at least this way you can choose which drive you want to accompany the one that is already in there. I personally like the Green Power Drives from WD for these devices (personal choice of course :razz:).
indeed, i would'v prefered throwing in another WD Green instead of the 7200.12 series they used

[dhype55]

Comparing this to a DNS-323, will this homeserver box supports macs too? Does it do AFP?

Thanks

[vibes]

Comparing this to a DNS-323, will this homeserver box supports macs too? Does it do AFP?

Thanks

I'm running it with my mac mini...works great as network storage but doesn't support time machine...

[kin0kin]

This is very tempting. I've been looking at a DIY alternative and the price comes up very close, but without a copy of home server:

- CM Centurion 590 - whopping 9 X 5.25 bay
- OCZ Stealth xtreme 500w
- 2 X 1tb WD EAVS
- Atom 230
- 2gb Ram
- 4 X hot swap bay from Monoprice

About $570 tax in. There's more bay capacity with this and no need to spend on the cable to get monitor out.

decision decision decision.......

[dmxlite]

This is very tempting. I've been looking at a DIY alternative and the price comes up very close, but without a copy of home server:

- CM Centurion 590 - whopping 9 X 5.25 bay
- OCZ Stealth xtreme 500w
- 2 X 1tb WD EAVS
- Atom 230
- 2gb Ram
- 4 X hot swap bay from Monoprice

About $570 tax in. There's more bay capacity with this and no need to spend on the cable to get monitor out.

decision decision decision.......

How much is the case and PS?

For only two drives and an atom, take a look at the Chenbro ES34069, it comes with a 120W/180W power adapter, and it much more compact. You don't need 9 X 5.25 bays for 2 drives.

It has hot swap bays already, but you'll need a mobo with at least 4 SATA connectors to use all of them. It's like $250ish.

For other people, NCIX is now bundling the WD WD10EAVS Green drives with the Easystore.

[kin0kin]

case is a little over 90 after taxes. PSU is about 45 after tax and MIR. The deal for the psu is alraedy over but it will be back :)

The point is that the CM case is future proof (for a few years).

[Emancipated]

I'm running it with my mac mini...works great as network storage but doesn't support time machine...

I haven't had time to do some heavy handed tinkering but are you administering via Windows? I had to install the software on an Vista partition that nearly crippled my Mac. It's up and running now but not without giving me some headaches.

The iTunes Server function is a joke. It isn't any different than any other NAS I've used.

[vibes]

I haven't had time to do some heavy handed tinkering but are you administering via Windows? I had to install the software on an Vista partition that nearly crippled my Mac. It's up and running now but not without giving me some headaches.

The iTunes Server function is a joke. It isn't any different than any other NAS I've used.

You can install remote desktop connection for your mac and access the server that way...there is also a way to setup the homeserver console as well...try googling it.

[coolspot]

I have some extra DDR RAM, can I upgrade the RAM on the EasyStore?

[dmxlite]

I think it takes ddr2

[chroma_cg]

isnt the atom chipset limited to 2gb max? and i think it does come with 2gb or ram so i dont think there is a need to upgrade, unless you want to tweak timings

just guessing though

[dougmania]

Windows7 feature support.

http://gizmodo.com/5317141/windows-home-server-power-pack-3-beta-adds-new-windows-7-functionality

[oc613]

about to pull the trigger BUT;

does the onboard controller in the h340 support port multiplication through its rear esata port? i'd want to attach another 4 bay external to this unit to have 4tb of mirrored data.

maybe i should just go for a raided system, but this is cheaper, smaller, and easier.

anyone try this yet? having the extra 4tb drives in single usb enclosures is not really an option for me as it adds cost, clutter, and inherently decreased reliability.

[bhupeshg]

cc has it for 465.98 for those of us that are in the GTA and it comes with the extra hard drive too
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowBundle&cmd=pd&pid=023826&cid=170.45

[dmxlite]

about to pull the trigger BUT;

does the onboard controller in the h340 support port multiplication through its rear esata port? i'd want to attach another 4 bay external to this unit to have 4tb of mirrored data.

maybe i should just go for a raided system, but this is cheaper, smaller, and easier.

anyone try this yet? having the extra 4tb drives in single usb enclosures is not really an option for me as it adds cost, clutter, and inherently decreased reliability.

Haven't tried it, but I did read that the e-sata port on this one supports port multiplication.

[feejai]

Most of those Atom based boards only come with 2 or 3 sata ports on-board though... and usually only have a single PCI slot (so not sure how many PCI slot type SATA controllers there are). The Acer WHS @ $300 is a steal, you can always add an external 4-bay drive case with the eSata port on the back of the Acer... I have it and it works well... got the external case from Newegg.ca for $160 free shipping). Not on sale at the moment, but it was this device:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816111048


case is a little over 90 after taxes. PSU is about 45 after tax and MIR. The deal for the psu is alraedy over but it will be back :)

The point is that the CM case is future proof (for a few years).

[Haz]

Most of those Atom based boards only come with 2 or 3 sata ports on-board though... and usually only have a single PCI slot (so not sure how many PCI slot type SATA controllers there are). The Acer WHS @ $300 is a steal, you can always add an external 4-bay drive case with the eSata port on the back of the Acer... I have it and it works well... got the external case from Newegg.ca for $160 free shipping). Not on sale at the moment, but it was this device:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816111048Cheaper if you go with this one:

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=36066&vpn=HF2-SU2S2&manufacture=Mediasonic

Sometimes, it's down to $129.99 on promo.

[feejai]

Nice, didn't see this item before, thanks for the link. Do you happen to know if this is compatible with the Acer WHS?

Thanks!

Cheaper if you go with this one:

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=36066&vpn=HF2-SU2S2&manufacture=Mediasonic

Sometimes, it's down to $129.99 on promo.

[elty]

I wonder if anyone has this problem. I created a user and grant him the RDP right. However when I try to login with RDP I got the message saying the user has no right and should be added to the Remote Desktop User group.

The thing is the user IS in the Remote Desktop User group. RDP is al;so enabled in remote settings. I can RDP using the Administrator account fine.

[netwise]

I wonder if anyone has this problem. I created a user and grant him the RDP right. However when I try to login with RDP I got the message saying the user has no right and should be added to the Remote Desktop User group.

The thing is the user IS in the Remote Desktop User group. RDP is al;so enabled in remote settings. I can RDP using the Administrator account fine.

Is the user a member of the Administrators group? On full blown Windows Servers, it doesn't matter what right you give them if the server is not a "terminal server". If it is just terminal server for remote admin, then only users wiht admin rights can connect, regardless of how you might want to set it up.

[sprung]

Just put Windows 7 Ultimate on the laptop from the deal. I didn't get my free Windows 7 f'rom Acer yet but I installed the free one from the Microsoft House Party event. It installed effortlessly on the laptop and found drivers for all the devices.

Also stuck 3 more SATA drives in the server. It is super easy, it finds them right away. You don't have to power down or anything, just stick 'em in and format 'em. Nice!

There is a new BIOS for the laptop . The weird thing is it says 'OE' next to the BIOS version. It also jumps from 1.26 up to 2.30. Anybody try this latest BIOS update yet, dated Oct 9/2009? UPDATE - installed it today. OE must mean Olympic Edition cause now there is a Olympic ring logo when I boot up. Also, lots of Windows 7 drivers posted as of 10/15 on the Acer site.