Windows Home Server to be released to manufacturers soon

July 19, 2007 – Microsoft is to release its Windows Home Server software to manufacturers on July 23, the next step before home server devices based on the software become available this autumn.

Windows Home Server is Microsoft’s forthcoming solution for connected households that require storage for multiple networked PCs.  Various models of home server solutions will offer automatic backup of connected PCs, the sharing of digital content between network-attached devices - such as PCs, media players and games consoles - storage expansion and remote data access.

Iomega has just announced that it plans to offer a user-expandable home server that will run Windows Home Server software, with no price or availability dates known yet.

Other hardware partners announced for Windows Home Server products are Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Medion and LaCie.  Hewlett-Packard’s home server will be called HP MediaSmart Server, and will offer centralised storage for up to ten PCs, automated backups of multiple PCs on a network, and file sharing both from within and outside the home network.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers has announced that its SCALEO Home Server will feature two 500Gb SATA RAID array disks, gigabit Ethernet, and up to four hot-swappable drives.  Prices will range from $690 to $965, according to the German-language Fujitsu website.