Windows Home Server Ships, at Last

Remember Microsoft's Windows Home Server, that software/hardware "solution" that's supposed to back up all your home PCs and store all those massive video files from BitTorrent? (Note to Redmond: Just kidding about the BitTorrent thing. Sorta.) Well, after a wait of nearly 10 months, the first Home Server hardware is finally on sale, courtesy of HP.

The HP MediaSmart Server is now available for pre-order, and should be hitting store shelves later this month. The box (which is powered by a 1.8GHz AMD Sempron processor and comes with four hard-drive bays, plus multiple USB 2.0 ports) comes in two versions: a 500GB package for $599, and a mammoth 1TB model for $749. If a terabyte can't handle all your home PCs, well, maybe should just hire your own live-in IT dude.

Anyway, as Chris wrote way back in January when the Home Server concept was first announced, the HP MediaSmart Server hooks into your home network and backs up all you home systems each night (not hourly, unfortunately, as does Time Machine on Mac OS X Leopard); it also acts as a repository for all your digital music, photos, and videos, and it'll stream your media to your PCs or to an Xbox 360 console. Even better, Home Server products like HP's MediaSmart Server offer remote access to your home systems, and it'll even keep an eye on network security and PC hardware status.

Blogger Robin Raskin should soon be getting her own HP MediaSmart Server for a test drive; keep your eyes peeled for her full review.

Related:
Microsoft Home Server site