HP Introduces Updated Cross-Platform MediaSmart Home Servers

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/15/hp-introduces-updated-cross-platform-mediasmart-home-servers/)

HP today introduced (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2009/09/14/hp-announces-mediasmart-server-ex490-and-ex495/) the MediaSmart EX490 and EX495 home servers, offering upgraded features and greater Mac compatibility for the company's line of cross-platform home servers that received significant praise (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/01/08/hp-mediasmart-servers-gain-mac-compatibility/) at Macworld Expo earlier this year.HP today launched the HP MediaSmart EX490 and EX495 Home Servers, new models offering increased capacity, high-performance processors, more control, new user interface and additional Mac support - all at a lower price.

Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the updated HP MediaSmart Servers have a refined user interface and a web-based home page that makes accessing and using the server easier than ever. Additionally, the new models offer a new video converter with custom settings and profiles that will automatically convert video libraries, including unprotected DVDs.HP has addressed several shortcomings of the previous versions of the server line, adding server administration, media collection, and "bare metal" Time Machine data recovery for Macs. MediaSmart Home offers an overview (http://www.mediasmarthome.com/article/12814/Review-of-Mac-Friendly-Features-in-HP-s-EX495-MediaSmart-Server/) of the new Mac-related features alongside a thorough overall review (http://www.mediasmarthome.com/article/12799/HP-MediaSmart-Server-EX490-EX495-Hands-On-Review/) of the new servers, finding them a significant update to HP's already-solid MediaSmart home server line.

The new EX490 and EX495 also support the free HP MediaSmart Server iStream (http://appshopper.com/entertainment/hp-mediasmart-server-istream) iPhone application introduced (http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2009/04/13/hp-to-add-iphone-app-and-video-transcoding-to-mediasmart-servers/) in April to allow iPhone and iPod touch users to stream media to their handheld devices.

Pre-orders for the new HP MediaSmart Server models are available beginning today with suggested retail pricing beginning at $549 for the EX490 with a Celeron processor and a single 1 TB hard drive and $699 for the EX495 with an upgraded dual-core 2.5 GHz Pentium processor and a single 1.5 TB hard drive. Additional hard drive capacity up to 7 TB (internal) or 17 TB (internal plus external) is supported.

Article Link: HP Introduces Updated Cross-Platform MediaSmart Home Servers (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/09/15/hp-introduces-updated-cross-platform-mediasmart-home-servers/)

[DipDog3]

Well then when is Apple going to update Apple TV?

Apple is falling behind in the Media Server Category...

[MalibuMatt98]

I'm waiting for Apple do deliver a similar solution like this other than the TC, or give TC advanced account setup options.

[McGiord]

DipDog3: I concur.



Is there any alternative to be able to access your iTunes Library via the iPhone over the internet?

[MacU]

I love the new itunes feature that allows you to stream your data between systems. I have a mac mini connected to my tv and a macbook that has the majority of my files. Expanding the concept of a single data storage that both can connect to and stream the data would be awesome not only within the homenetwork but also remotely.

[McGiord]

Probably "they" still see it as an opportunity for people to share without buying...damn:confused:

[RoadKill]

seeing as Apple refuse to replace my 18 month old TC, even though I have three machines (bought at separate occasions) under applecare, I know what I shall be buying as soon as available in UK

[arkmannj]

Well then when is Apple going to update Apple TV?

Apple is falling behind in the Media Server Category...

falling behind ?
I don't think they've even entered the Media Server Category. I wish they would. We're entering a time when even many consumers need some server technologies and a central storage point that is easy to setup/manage. and considerations for Media we own and use at home is certainly at the top of that list.

[convergent]

A home server seems like a natural place for Apple to make a difference... its surprising that they still have not put their foot down here. I can't imagine buying an HP server for use with Macs. I'm using a ReadyNAS NV+ currently, but I'd love something from Apple. One of the places they could really shine is in multi-user asset management. If they could allow multiple Macs to store their music, pictures, and videos on a central server, and then smartly access them from any Mac... that would be grand. I do professional photography and this is something that is sorely needed. I use Lightroom for photo work, and its very awkward to use it over multiple workstations... you have to literally copy the database around from workstation to workstation. Aperture has a similar model, and iPhoto is a whole other beast. The only thing that Lightroom and Aperture need to really work well is a multiuser database underlying the application... both are using a single user database.

[MalibuMatt98]

I love the new itunes feature that allows you to stream your data between systems. I have a mac mini connected to my tv and a macbook that has the majority of my files. Expanding the concept of a single data storage that both can connect to and stream the data would be awesome not only within the homenetwork but also remotely.

With the release of iTunes 9, I was toying with the idea of using a mac mini as an iTunes server.

[hitekalex]

I love the new itunes feature that allows you to stream your data between systems.

There is nothing new about this. You could always share and stream your iTunes libraries between multiple computers on the same LAN.

The only new thing since iTunes 9 is the ability to auto-sync purchases, and being able to drag/drop content across libraries.

[hitekalex]

falling behind ?
I don't think they've even entered the Media Server Category. I wish they would. We're entering a time when even many consumers need some server technologies and a central storage point that is easy to setup/manage. and considerations for Media we own and use at home is certainly at the top of that list.

Apple already makes and sells a perfect Media Server - it's called Mac Mini. Add some Firewire-attached storage to the Mini, and you have a perfect home server.

[mgridgaway]

I'm still sorta wondering why you would need a dual core processor to run a file server, unless you're setting it up as a processing farm for graphics, etc.

Still, it both looks and sounds pretty awesome.

[Rodimus Prime]

Well then when is Apple going to update Apple TV?

Apple is falling behind in the Media Server Category...

I think you are being to generous. Apple failed to even make it to the starting line with the apple TV.

[pimentoLoaf]

17 terabytes ...

Finally there's something to just contain every episode of Gunsmoke. :D

[nutmac]

HP EX49x seem like nice products, but like others have said, I want Apple's product. I am hoping Time Capsule is Apple's way of testing the water. With many households having multiple computers, I think the time is right for home server. My list of features:

iTunes Home Sharing server
iCal Server (CalDAV) for centralizing calendar events
Address Book Server (CardDAV) for centralizing address book
Time Machine backup
AirPort disk
Printer sharing
MobileMe integration
4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays
2 USB ports, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
Streaming to Apple TV

[the-oz-man]

HP EX49x seem like nice products, but like others have said, I want Apple's product. I am hoping Time Capsule is Apple's way of testing the water. With many households having multiple computers, I think the time is right for home server. My list of features:

iTunes Home Sharing server
iCal Server (CalDAV) for centralizing calendar events
Address Book Server (CardDAV) for centralizing address book
Time Machine backup
AirPort disk
Printer sharing
MobileMe integration
4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays
2 USB ports, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
Streaming to Apple TV


This would certainly be on my Christmas wish list!!!

[Small White Car]

I WANT THIS.

I don't give a flip if Apple wants to make one. Why sould I care? This seems to do everything I want (I'm still reading, not positive yet) and it seems to play nice with my Mac!

Why shouldn't I just get one of these?

EDIT: Ok, it still looks good, but I'm not clear why I would buy one of these over a Drobo. It's cheaper and I guess it does less...? But I'm not seeing any reason I'd need this HP machine over that.

Still, looks good overall. I guess it's just overkill for me.

[SirOmega]

Damnit, I have an Ex485 and put up with their ****** first gen Time Machine backup capabilities. This better be software upgradable on the Ex485/487 series. I cant even create time machine backups now because I have enough content on the server where I don't have a contiguous 150GB block of free space on my primary HD in the WHS box. I have 600GB free on that disk, but WHS or HPs software isn't smart enough to defrag it in such a way to make a large contiguous space available for the TM backup.

[xIGmanIx]

i think that i will be taking the plunge on this because with updated hardware i think there is nothing out there right now that is better for the consumer at home. It is unfortunate that apple refuses to address the growing need for home network storage with the advent of broadband connections. I would only be hesitant to go with an apple NAS because of concerns of apple shortchanging windows support.

[InfoTime]

Damnit, I have an Ex485 and put up with their ****** first gen Time Machine backup capabilities. This better be software upgradable on the Ex485/487 series. I cant even create time machine backups now because I have enough content on the server where I don't have a contiguous 150GB block of free space on my primary HD in the WHS box. I have 600GB free on that disk, but WHS or HPs software isn't smart enough to defrag it in such a way to make a large contiguous space available for the TM backup.I still haven't gotten my Mac to do a Time Machine backup to my EX485 since upgrading to Leopard. Also had trouble with it one time under Leopard. It quit seeing the drive. HP support was worthless. Eventually I tried reinstalling the client software on the Mac to make it work (not something they ever thought of).

I'm a bit disillusioned with the solution for Macs. Maybe the new software will be an improvement (assuming they'll make an upgrade available). Time will tell.

[arkmannj]

Apple already makes and sells a perfect Media Server - it's called Mac Mini. Add some Firewire-attached storage to the Mini, and you have a perfect home server.

I actually have a mac mini with OS X 10.5 server on it (yes Legally)
It is great in a lot of ways, but I would love an Apple dedicated media server with refinements in that direction.

[sonyc148]

Err, this device does not even support RAID... Their so-called raid-style redunduncy seems kind of lame, for the following reasons:

It doesn't implement error recovery algorithms, but simply relies on the fact that the data is duplicated. That which means that you end up consuming twice the storage space, whereas with real RAID-5 partitionning you get the same amount of security, and you still have the available space of n-1 disks (n being the number of the disks, so if you have 4 disks of 1TB each, you can still use 3TB WITH redunduncy).
It doesn't provide speed gains when compared to RAID-0 or RAID-5 setups => with a RAID-5 setup, you end up with twice the throughput because the data is split between the disks (thus when reading a file, all disks can be read at the same time for different portions of the file)


Moreover, the pricing is quite high, when you see that you can buy a Thecus N5200B Pro for 600$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822102004&Tpk=thecus%20n5200b). Ok, you still have to buy the disks after buying the chassis, but you can find harddrives of 1TB at 80$ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148411).
Which means that for 700$, you end up with a product similarly priced (600$ + 100$ for a 1.5TB harddrive), except that it will give you the opportunity to upgrate to a RAID-5 setup at a later point, just by adding more drives to it.

Just for a comparison, for 1000$ (600$ +5*80$ for five 1TB harddrives), you end up with 4TB of available space.

Among other features for the Thecus:

Faster over ethernet...
iTunes and media streaming.
Compatible with TimeMachine
Can be used as a FTP server for when you're not at home


Am I missing something obvious??

[Bevz]

Cmon apple... the one thing you're missing is a media server!

[hayesk]

HP EX49x seem like nice products, but like others have said, I want Apple's product. I am hoping Time Capsule is Apple's way of testing the water. With many households having multiple computers, I think the time is right for home server. My list of features:

iTunes Home Sharing server
iCal Server (CalDAV) for centralizing calendar events
Address Book Server (CardDAV) for centralizing address book
Time Machine backup
AirPort disk
Printer sharing
MobileMe integration
4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays
2 USB ports, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
Streaming to Apple TV


Apple sells that. It's called an XServe.

[coolbreeze]

Apple sells that. It's called an XServe.

So you have a server rack in your home, do you? :rolleyes:

I have the EX487. I surely hope HP provides expanded Mac functionality via a software update. Even a paid update would be fine with me.

[droz]

While I agree it would be nice if Apple would jump into this market, I own one of the EX485's and I have to say I'm quite happy with it. No, it's not perfect, but it's actually quite a bit more snappy than I thought it would be and the features/usability are pretty good. I will likely upgrade to this series when they become available and just sell my 485 box. The 485 does about 90% of what the new one will do but it just automates most of it. And adds "full" time machine restore capability (or so it sounds). These things are really built for people with both Windows and Mac based systems in their house (like me). If you're running strictly Mac then I can see the incentive to hold out for a better solution, though I think someone already mentioned that the mac mini would make a pretty nice solution.

[arkmannj]

Apple sells that. It's called an XServe.

Besides the hot swappable SATA drives a Mac mini with OS X Server installed can do all of this. But it's still not Media oriented. (For example: iTunes Home Sharing server)


Originally Posted by nutmac View Post
HP EX49x seem like nice products, but like others have said, I want Apple's product. I am hoping Time Capsule is Apple's way of testing the water. With many households having multiple computers, I think the time is right for home server. My list of features:

* iTunes Home Sharing server
* iCal Server (CalDAV) for centralizing calendar events
* Address Book Server (CardDAV) for centralizing address book
* Time Machine backup
* AirPort disk
* Printer sharing
* MobileMe integration
* 4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays
* 2 USB ports, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
* Streaming to Apple TV


Don't forget Firewire, if we're making a wish list I want atleast 2 Firewire 800 ports.

But my preference would be that Apple would make Media Server centered capabilities incorporated with OS X Client or OS X Server. Then yiou could buy a copy of that and then buy Apple hardware that would best suit your needs. (I'm guessing most of us would be just fine with a Mac Mini)

[xIGmanIx]

While I agree it would be nice if Apple would jump into this market, I own one of the EX485's and I have to say I'm quite happy with it. No, it's not perfect, but it's actually quite a bit more snappy than I thought it would be and the features/usability are pretty good. I will likely upgrade to this series when they become available and just sell my 485 box. The 485 does about 90% of what the new one will do but it just automates most of it. And adds "full" time machine restore capability (or so it sounds). These things are really built for people with both Windows and Mac based systems in their house (like me). If you're running strictly Mac then I can see the incentive to hold out for a better solution, though I think someone already mentioned that the mac mini would make a pretty nice solution.

all mac solution aside, the mac mini doesn't really allow for the expandability of these boxes in an all in one solution. my preference would be to have a stand alone box instead of a headless computer.

[hitekalex]

Err, this device does not even support RAID... Their so-called raid-style redunduncy seems kind of lame, for the following reasons:

It doesn't implement error recovery algorithms, but simply relies on the fact that the data is duplicated. That which means that you end up consuming twice the storage space, whereas with real RAID-5 partitionning you get the same amount of security, and you still have the available space of n-1 disks (n being the number of the disks, so if you have 4 disks of 1TB each, you can still use 3TB WITH redunduncy).
It doesn't provide speed gains when compared to RAID-0 or RAID-5 setups => with a RAID-5 setup, you end up with twice the throughput because the data is split between the disks (thus when reading a file, all disks can be read at the same time for different portions of the file)



RAID-5 has its own share of weaknesses. The main one being that it doesn't protect you from file system level data corruption, or controller failure/corruption that can result in a loss of the whole array.

In terms of performance, you actually get a performance hit with RAID-5. Only with RAID-0 (mirroring) you get the improved dual-read performance, but you're obviously not taking advantage of N+1 redundancy in that setup.

I personally prefer Win Home Server approach, where the drives are universally readable outside of the system.. and there are no complexities / performance penalties of RAID-5.

[hitekalex]

I actually have a mac mini with OS X 10.5 server on it (yes Legally)
It is great in a lot of ways, but I would love an Apple dedicated media server with refinements in that direction.

Like what? I am not sure what could possibly be done on a dedicated media server, that could not be done on full-blown MacOS system like Mini.

The only thing Mini lacks in media server department is expandable internal storage. But that can be easily overcome with cheap FW800-attached external storage.

[GoodWatch]

HP EX49x seem like nice products, but like others have said, I want Apple's product. I am hoping Time Capsule is Apple's way of testing the water. With many households having multiple computers, I think the time is right for home server. My list of features:
iTunes Home Sharing server
iCal Server (CalDAV) for centralizing calendar events
Address Book Server (CardDAV) for centralizing address book
Time Machine backup
AirPort disk
Printer sharing
MobileMe integration
4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays
2 USB ports, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
Streaming to Apple TV

Synology is making big steps towards this. I have a 207+ that does most of the non-specific Apple program items. It is my web server as well.

[lord patton]

Just as it received Genius support after said feature was introduced in iTunes, I fully expect AppleTV to receive Home Sharing, and soon.

That won't satisfy everyone's needs for a home server (obviously) but it would help a lot of folks who are primarily looking for household-wide synced media distribution device. With AirTunes and the Remote app, it would be pretty robust, imo.

It would also make me wish I had the 160 GB version!

[grozier]

I just bought the EX485 about 4-5 months ago, along with three 1 TB drives. I primarily use it as a NAS, but I installed iTunes on it with the intention of attaching my :apple:TV to that library for syncing. I never was too impressed with the backup and streaming features.

The most attractive part of the new models is the 2.5 GHz Dual-Core processor in the EX497. It could also function as my video converter, running my Handbrake queue round the clock!

[jdechko]

HP EX49x seem like nice products, but like others have said, I want Apple's product. I am hoping Time Capsule is Apple's way of testing the water. With many households having multiple computers, I think the time is right for home server. My list of features:

iTunes Home Sharing server
iCal Server (CalDAV) for centralizing calendar events
Address Book Server (CardDAV) for centralizing address book
Time Machine backup
AirPort disk
Printer sharing
MobileMe integration
4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays
2 USB ports, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
Streaming to Apple TV


Sound's great. I'd really like to see dual gigabit ethernet, in it though. And I'd like to see a home server OS from Apple, too. Something that combines the media streaming abilities and adds remote access (standards based SSH, VPN, RDP), FTP/SFTP (I know you said AirDisk, but I want it based on standards).

Really, the Mini would make a great solution except for the lack of storage expandability and the dual gig-e thing.

[jmpage2]

I have an EX485 and like it very much. It is used to back up two Macs and several PCs in the household and does this job excellently.

The addition of the media scavenger feature, bare metal restores over the network (even the TM does not do this) and control direct from a Mac make upgrading to this a no brainer for my household.

As to the idea of a Mac Mini serving the same purpose, I would point out that the Mac Mini can't do over the air TM backup and restore and to add additional drive space that is redundant on the Mini is very expensive and requires additional boxes being plugged into it.

Someone also commented that the duplication features on the Mediasmart were a joke. I strongly disagree as the drive pooling technologies used most closely mimic what is seen in Solaris ZFS setups. Simply put in additional drives and mark folders for duplication and the system does the rest. If the box ever fails or crashes you can pull the disks out, hook them up to a Mac or PC and recover the contents.

About the only thing missing right now is the option to mirror the operating system partition itself, something I anticipate to show up in the next version of the Windows Home Server software, code named Vail which should ship early next year.

[SirOmega]

Am I missing something obvious??

Yes, HP's WHS boxes are built for normal people. Not like people like you. Not to say you aren't normal, but if you're posting to MR about how it doesn't have RAID-5 support, then WHS in general isn't for you.

I don't care that it doesn't have RAID or whatever. I've pulled HDs out, read the data off the drive, and put it back in, no biggie. It works, and I'm sick of having to spend all my time fixing stuff and keeping stuff running. WHS is as good as it gets in that category. Backups for windows and Mac (when it works, hopefully 3.0 fixes the current TM backup issue), centralized file storage, access to those files over the internet over HTTPS and built-in dynamic DNS, streaming over Firefly dappd or whatever its called.

[Shiner]

Damnit, I have an Ex485 and put up with their ****** first gen Time Machine backup capabilities. This better be software upgradable on the Ex485/487 series. I cant even create time machine backups now because I have enough content on the server where I don't have a contiguous 150GB block of free space on my primary HD in the WHS box. I have 600GB free on that disk, but WHS or HPs software isn't smart enough to defrag it in such a way to make a large contiguous space available for the TM backup.

http://www.wegotserved.com/2009/09/14/new-hp-mediaserver-ex490-ex495-home-servers-announced/

Software will be available for Ex 485/487. It is a great server.

[MorphingDragon]

TRAITORS!!! :eek:

/Sarcasm

[SirOmega]

http://www.wegotserved.com/2009/09/14/new-hp-mediaserver-ex490-ex495-home-servers-announced/

Software will be available for Ex 485/487. It is a great server.

They've been promising the first gen (Ex47x) users that the 2.x software would be backwards compatible since January and they haven't released it as far as I know, so until they actually release the 3.0 software I wouldn't take them at their word. Its vaporware as far as I'm concerned.

[Eidorian]

It looks like HP isn't taking it easy with features on the new models. Kudos but hopefully you give earlier models some love too.

[twoodcc]

well i'm glad to see HP continue to evolve this.

[Chimpy]

Pretty sexy and a decent price, too. Way to go HP.

[sonyc148]

RAID-5 has its own share of weaknesses. The main one being that it doesn't protect you from file system level data corruption, or controller failure/corruption that can result in a loss of the whole array.

In terms of performance, you actually get a performance hit with RAID-5. Only with RAID-0 (mirroring) you get the improved dual-read performance, but you're obviously not taking advantage of N+1 redundancy in that setup.

Yep, controller failure/corruption risk is a big draw-back (although you can still recover from such error by just buying a new chassis, but it then becomes a bit more expensive). Fortunately, RAID controller failure/corruption is nowadays almost non-existent (just try to look at the thecus/synology forums, not much people are complaining about these kinds of problems).

For the performance part, you are partly wrong (or partly right, as you wish :)). With RAID-5, and for reading scenarios, you get almost the same level of performance than RAID-0. But for writing scenarios, you get a slight performance hit, as the controller has to calculate the parity bits for the error recovery algorithm.
Link (sorry, I have more reference in french, this is the first one I found in english through Google): http://www.raid-data-recovery.net/raid-5.html

Of course, as we are talking about network storage, the main limiting factor for the throughput will always be the transfer through ehternet, so performance considerations of the underlying storage system shouldn't really play a role in the decision process.

I don't care that it doesn't have RAID or whatever. I've pulled HDs out, read the data off the drive, and put it back in, no biggie. It works, and I'm sick of having to spend all my time fixing stuff and keeping stuff running. WHS is as good as it gets in that category. Backups for windows and Mac (when it works, hopefully 3.0 fixes the current TM backup issue), centralized file storage, access to those files over the internet over HTTPS and built-in dynamic DNS, streaming over Firefly dappd or whatever its called.


Mmm, the reason I switched to Macs is that for a given amount of money, it was the most polished and professional system I could get. PC or Macs alike. Most people still using Windows just say they don't care that MacOSX is running on top of Darwin, that it's Unix-based, ... Even if those assets that non-technical people are likely not to understand are what makes MacOSX "just works". Most people just use Vista, MSN Messenger, IE8. It works, and they are sick of having to spend all their time considering switching to Macs. Sorry, that was a bit a of a joke there :)

But my point is that most good NAS (like the Thecus N5200 Pro, but there are other systems made by Synology that are of the same quality level or even better) have the same feature set, while being more professional/polished.

The funny thing is that you are saying "hopefully 3.0 fixes the current TM backup issue". TM backups already work with the Thecus, no need to wait for a future 3.0 that might or might not restore full compatibility. All other features you quote are also supported by the Thecus and other good NAS (centralized file storage, access to those files over the internet over HTTPS and built-in dynamic DNS, streaming over Firefly).
To quote most people experience with the Thecus 5200: you buy it, you plug it in, you insert the hard drives, and it just works...

To sum it up: for me, a forum is a place where opinions can be gathered. In my opinion (still waiting for more opinions though), HP MediaServer solution is a good choice when compared with a single USB2/Firewire external harddrive. But when you compare it with the other solutions available on the market, it just doesn't cut it. Kind of like when you compare Windows to MacOSX, it just doesn't cut it.

I'm posting this not because I think it's "hype" to have a NAS setup, but because I believe that I can help some people and teach them something they don't know (maybe not you, as you seem to know what NAS and RAID stands for). And at least these people will make an informed decision, even if they decide to buy the HP MediaServer (after all, some people are also buying Windows OS ;)).

[oldwatery]

Apple already makes and sells a perfect Media Server - it's called Mac Mini. Add some Firewire-attached storage to the Mini, and you have a perfect home server.

I agree. That's why it wouldn't take a giant leap to take the idea to the next level and offer a ready to go media server.
Come on Apple...this would only needs a couple of programmers and marketing people.
Make the TV/Mini the machine that can not the machine that didn't.

[Shiner]

They've been promising the first gen (Ex47x) users that the 2.x software would be backwards compatible since January and they haven't released it as far as I know, so until they actually release the 3.0 software I wouldn't take them at their word. Its vaporware as far as I'm concerned.

I see your point, but the HP 47x series is really old hardware. Sure it is easy to upgrade the software side but the server is going to run like a pig. The hp 48x series has a faster processor (celeron 2 Ghz) and 2 gb of memory. It can handle the new software and functions much better. The hp 47x series was a first attempt at backing up people's computers with relative ease. It worked very well for that function. Software update 2.5 brought video encoding and streaming into the server. The old 512K of ram and 1.8 Ghz sempron processor just can't cut it. HP should have come out and stated they will not be upgrading the software due to hardware limitations. I mean the new 490 only has the celeron 2.2Ghz 64bit processor and everything else is the same. There is no reason to not allow the 48x customers to update.

[Shiner]

Yep, controller failure/corruption risk is a big draw-back (although you can still recover from such error by just buying a new chassis, but it then becomes a bit more expensive). Fortunately, RAID controller failure/corruption is nowadays almost non-existent (just try to look at the thecus/synology forums, not much people are complaining about these kinds of problems).

For the performance part, you are partly wrong (or partly right, as you wish :)). With RAID-5, and for reading scenarios, you get almost the same level of performance than RAID-0. But for writing scenarios, you get a slight performance hit, as the controller has to calculate the parity bits for the error recovery algorithm.
Link (sorry, I have more reference in french, this is the first one I found in english through Google): http://www.raid-data-recovery.net/raid-5.html

Of course, as we are talking about network storage, the main limiting factor for the throughput will always be the transfer through ehternet, so performance considerations of the underlying storage system shouldn't really play a role in the decision process.



Mmm, the reason I switched to Macs is that for a given amount of money, it was the most polished and professional system I could get. PC or Macs alike. Most people still using Windows just say they don't care that MacOSX is running on top of Darwin, that it's Unix-based, ... Even if those assets that non-technical people are likely not to understand are what makes MacOSX "just works". Most people just use Vista, MSN Messenger, IE8. It works, and they are sick of having to spend all their time considering switching to Macs. Sorry, that was a bit a of a joke there :)

But my point is that most good NAS (like the Thecus N5200 Pro, but there are other systems made by Synology that are of the same quality level or even better) have the same feature set, while being more professional/polished.

The funny thing is that you are saying "hopefully 3.0 fixes the current TM backup issue". TM backups already work with the Thecus, no need to wait for a future 3.0 that might or might not restore full compatibility. All other features you quote are also supported by the Thecus and other good NAS (centralized file storage, access to those files over the internet over HTTPS and built-in dynamic DNS, streaming over Firefly).
To quote most people experience with the Thecus 5200: you buy it, you plug it in, you insert the hard drives, and it just works...

To sum it up: for me, a forum is a place where opinions can be gathered. In my opinion (still waiting for more opinions though), HP MediaServer solution is a good choice when compared with a single USB2/Firewire external harddrive. But when you compare it with the other solutions available on the market, it just doesn't cut it. Kind of like when you compare Windows to MacOSX, it just doesn't cut it.

I'm posting this not because I think it's "hype" to have a NAS setup, but because I believe that I can help some people and teach them something they don't know (maybe not you, as you seem to know what NAS and RAID stands for). And at least these people will make an informed decision, even if they decide to buy the HP MediaServer (after all, some people are also buying Windows OS ;)).

Well I have had both in the house and the Thecus N5200 Pro just was not a good fit at all.

Price wise vs hardware I have to argue with you a bit.
The hardware is much better in the HP media 490 series even the 48x series is much better.

For functions like encoding when not backing up that 1.5 Ghz celeron M is just too slow. Take that and pair it to 512K ram and you have a really slow machine. Now I know you don't need power in your server rig but it is nice to have a little more power when you need it. I would even forgive this horrible setup if it was a silent machine but it was about twice as loud as my HP mediasmart 485.

The internet interface was horrible in my opinion and nothing close to the ease of the hp interface.

Price: well I will just use newegg as a standard

Thecus pro= $649.99 no hard drive
HP Mediasmart 490=$549.99 with 1 TB

In addition for any redundancy in the NAS you need at least 2 Hard drives.

I like to come to the forum and help people make an informed decision as well.

[psingh01]

I'm still sorta wondering why you would need a dual core processor to run a file server, unless you're setting it up as a processing farm for graphics, etc.

Still, it both looks and sounds pretty awesome.

You can set it up to automatically encode videos to mp4. I just bought the last gen last week lol. Dual core would help big time.

[hitekalex]

I agree. That's why it wouldn't take a giant leap to take the idea to the next level and offer a ready to go media server.
Come on Apple...this would only needs a couple of programmers and marketing people.
Make the TV/Mini the machine that can not the machine that didn't.

A purpose build home storage server is still a very much of a niche product. Between the Time Capsule and Mini, Apple has the bases covered.

A combined TC/Mini type product is unlikely to sell in large numbers, and I just don't see Apple making anything like that in the foreseeable future.

[Shiner]

A purpose build home storage server is still a very much of a niche product. Between the Time Capsule and Mini, Apple has the bases covered.

A combined TC/Mini type product is unlikely to sell in large numbers, and I just don't see Apple making anything like that in the foreseeable future.

+1

[scottness]

I'd like to see something that includes both functions of the Time Capsule and Apple TV, with at least two easily swappable drive bays (RAID capable).

[TXCraig]

They say they are taking "pre-orders" now, anyone know when this is going to ship?

[batchtaster]

"Pentium" ?!

[DrewG5]

I have the EX845! I love the thing mine is packed with over 4TB of storage space. Yes I have about 65% of it filled up at this time.

One thing I see missed here, HP is offering support for Mac and for system users like myself I have both Mac and PC all playing in harmony.

Will Apple offer something better than tc maybe but by that time I would have to buy the 10TB version and my bet is Apple would not make it expandable.

[rhg84]

I'm still sorta wondering why you would need a dual core processor to run a file server, unless you're setting it up as a processing farm for graphics, etc.

Still, it both looks and sounds pretty awesome.

It can do automatic video encoding. That would be the only reason, but a big reason I think. I need to start saving up for the 495

[DrewG5]

They say they are taking "pre-orders" now, anyone know when this is going to ship?

According to HP's sight unless sold out by now within 24 hours

[4God]

HP EX49x seem like nice products, but like others have said, I want Apple's product. I am hoping Time Capsule is Apple's way of testing the water. With many households having multiple computers, I think the time is right for home server. My list of features:

iTunes Home Sharing server
iCal Server (CalDAV) for centralizing calendar events
Address Book Server (CardDAV) for centralizing address book
Time Machine backup
AirPort disk
Printer sharing
MobileMe integration
4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays
2 USB ports, 802.11n, gigabit ethernet
Streaming to Apple TV


Apple sells that. It's called an XServe.

Actually, minus the 4 hotswappable internal SATA drive bays, you could do that with a Mini and Snow Leopard Server. It'd be much cheaper than
an Xserve.

In fact, I just might do that!

[akuretz]

Hey everybody, some good discussion here. I wanted to clarify a couple points I saw mentioned. HP have committed to providing the 3.0 software for previous generations of the MediaSmart Server, so yes, present owners of the EX47x and EX48x should be able to get perform this update in the Fall. As for availability, they are available for pre-order now and I believe they will be available in October. Another bit of good news is that the servers will once again be available in Europe.

I've got all this info and a ton more in my review, if anyone is looking for more details. Thanks for the link in the blog post.
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2009/09/14/review-hp-mediasmart-server-ex490-and-ex495/

[bigwig]

The problem I have with these types of computers is the same box does storage and media. I'd rather have a ZFS NAS box with ECC handling storage, and an essentially diskless front end machine handling audio, video, and human interface duties.

[sonyc148]

Well I have had both in the house and the Thecus N5200 Pro just was not a good fit at all.

Price wise vs hardware I have to argue with you a bit.
The hardware is much better in the HP media 490 series even the 48x series is much better.

For functions like encoding when not backing up that 1.5 Ghz celeron M is just too slow. Take that and pair it to 512K ram and you have a really slow machine. Now I know you don't need power in your server rig but it is nice to have a little more power when you need it. I would even forgive this horrible setup if it was a silent machine but it was about twice as loud as my HP mediasmart 485.

The internet interface was horrible in my opinion and nothing close to the ease of the hp interface.

Price: well I will just use newegg as a standard

Thecus pro= $649.99 no hard drive
HP Mediasmart 490=$549.99 with 1 TB

In addition for any redundancy in the NAS you need at least 2 Hard drives.

I like to come to the forum and help people make an informed decision as well.

Thanks for your input, I was looking for the opinion of someone having tried both :)

[bobnugget]

I see your point, but the HP 47x series is really old hardware. Sure it is easy to upgrade the software side but the server is going to run like a pig. The hp 48x series has a faster processor (celeron 2 Ghz) and 2 gb of memory. It can handle the new software and functions much better. The hp 47x series was a first attempt at backing up people's computers with relative ease. It worked very well for that function. Software update 2.5 brought video encoding and streaming into the server. The old 512K of ram and 1.8 Ghz sempron processor just can't cut it. HP should have come out and stated they will not be upgrading the software due to hardware limitations. I mean the new 490 only has the celeron 2.2Ghz 64bit processor and everything else is the same. There is no reason to not allow the 48x customers to update.

LOL! I'm afraid not. I'm running the 2.5 update on my 470 and it is working fine. No problems here. I recently updated it to 2 GB RAM, and noticed it does go slightly faster when you are connected via Remote Desktop - however it previously managed to stream a movie to my MB, a song to my iPod Touch and carry out both Time Machine and Windows backups all at the same time with no issues. The only issue is that the drive lights don't light up any more, (driver issue), which I'm sure HP will fix when they bring out the official 2.5 for 47x release.

If you dig around on wegotserved.net, they have a guide showing how to install the 2.x updates on the 47x series

[RudolfOSX]

Hi

Does anyone have experience yet of how well this server works with AppleTV? Like many others I would like to export all my iLife media to this server and then consume it seemlessly from iTunes & iPhoto "client" on my main Mac, from an AppleTV box, from an Airport Express (for audio of course, using iTunes client on Mac or iPod Touch Remote control) etc.

Can anyone advise if this box is the magic bullet?

Also I would like to ensure that any iTunes Account purchases (my wife and I have our own iTunes Store accounts and seperate user accounts on the main Mac) are all sync/copied over to the server and freely accessable on my max. five Apple consuming devices.

Hope someone can clarify this! ;-)

Cheers

PS: Sorry - maybe about to answer my own question. A little more reading leads me to think no ;-(. The issue is that AppleTV and iPhone / iPodTouch register with an iTunes application (running on Mac or Win) and not with the embedded third party "iTunes Server". So unless / until HP can duplicate this functionality from iTunes application - or Apple beat HP at this game, its no HP MediaSmart for me ;-( And I have even warmed up by CreditCard!!

[EagerDragon]

This is where Apple should go.

For years people here have been asking for a mid tower system, TC is too small, do not have all the same services of the HP, OSX Server (unlimited license) is now only 499.

Making a system based on OSX Server with media streaming and everything else that comes with the OSX Server, would address the needs of small companies and also address the home market. It would also provide TM backup of downstream workstations and full user authorization to files and features. But one thing will be needed ...... The box would need to come with two gigabit ethernet ports so it can be used as a firewall.

I would pickup 2 of them, one for a Firewall and another for internal media server, file server and anything else. $800-900 pricepoint would do for me.

Will you listen Apple?

[wallinbl]

A purpose build home storage server is still a very much of a niche product. Between the Time Capsule and Mini, Apple has the bases covered.

A combined TC/Mini type product is unlikely to sell in large numbers, and I just don't see Apple making anything like that in the foreseeable future.

Except for the most important base: simplicity.

[OllyW]

Hi

Does anyone have experience yet of how well this server works with AppleTV? Like many others I would like to export all my iLife media to this server and then consume it seemlessly from iTunes & iPhoto "client" on my main Mac, from an AppleTV box, from an Airport Express (for audio of course, using iTunes client on Mac or iPod Touch Remote control) etc.

Can anyone advise if this box is the magic bullet?

Also I would like to ensure that any iTunes Account purchases (my wife and I have our own iTunes Store accounts and seperate user accounts on the main Mac) are all sync/copied over to the server and freely accessable on my max. five Apple consuming devices.

Hope someone can clarify this! ;-)

Cheers

PS: Sorry - maybe about to answer my own question. A little more reading leads me to think no ;-(. The issue is that AppleTV and iPhone / iPodTouch register with an iTunes application (running on Mac or Win) and not with the embedded third party "iTunes Server". So unless / until HP can duplicate this functionality from iTunes application - or Apple beat HP at this game, its no HP MediaSmart for me ;-( And I have even warmed up by CreditCard!!

You can actually run iTunes on the HP MediaSmart server, it's running a variant of Windows Server 2003. You need to install it via remote desktop and leave it running in the background, it supposedly works great with AppleTV. :)

[VoR]

This is where Apple should go.

For years people here have been asking for a mid tower system, TC is too small, do not have all the same services of the HP, OSX Server (unlimited license) is now only 499.

Making a system based on OSX Server with media streaming and everything else that comes with the OSX Server, would address the needs of small companies and also address the home market. It would also provide TM backup of downstream workstations and full user authorization to files and features. But one thing will be needed ...... The box would need to come with two gigabit ethernet ports so it can be used as a firewall.

I would pickup 2 of them, one for a Firewall and another for internal media server, file server and anything else. $800-900 pricepoint would do for me.

Will you listen Apple?


This can all be done very easily with current hardware (or much older?...), it's just a software issue.

Looking at the features most people want, it seems that a simple itunes server option would cover a lot of it. I also think your price point is far too high considering what you're actually asking for, and I'm not a fan (at all...) of osx server.

I don't use itunes/time machine (but it's easy enough to get the library/image shared if that's all your after - if you can use google), and use freenas and monowall/pfsense on various boxes for a 'server' and firewalls - perhaps an option you could consider? Free and 'better', assuming you're top purchasing priorities aren't a shiny and branded aluminium box with a limited (but one-click) use :)

[peletrane]

After an external hard drive failure, I got the following to backup all 4 bays of my Mac Pro. So far, so good, I can back up everything in all 4 bays with one click in Time Machine and it's expandable--right now, 4 1.5 TB SATA drives (good enough to back up 4 TB of total potential data) back up about 1.4 TB of actual data. Not bad.

What do people think of this?


www.drobo.com

[AidenShaw]

After an external hard drive failure, I got the following to backup all 4 bays of my Mac Pro. So far, so good, I can back up everything in all 4 bays with one click in Time Machine and it's expandable--right now, 4 1.5 TB SATA drives (good enough to back up 4 TB of total potential data) back up about 1.4 TB of actual data. Not bad.

What do people think of this?


www.drobo.com

It's rather pricey ($1499 for the 0 TB model) - but easy to use and expand. Good fit for non-technical people with fat bank balances.

Unfortunately, no eSATA ports - so I'll pass on the Drobo and use an eSATA RAID.

[EagerDragon]

This can all be done very easily with current hardware (or much older?...), it's just a software issue.

Looking at the features most people want, it seems that a simple itunes server option would cover a lot of it. I also think your price point is far too high considering what you're actually asking for, and I'm not a fan (at all...) of osx server.

I don't use itunes/time machine (but it's easy enough to get the library/image shared if that's all your after - if you can use google), and use freenas and monowall/pfsense on various boxes for a 'server' and firewalls - perhaps an option you could consider? Free and 'better', assuming you're top purchasing priorities aren't a shiny and branded aluminium box with a limited (but one-click) use :)

I get your point, and I have Linux esperience, but .....

The idea is to produce a box that non-techies can use and that it just works. If you have to drop into console to do anything, then it is not the right solution for the masses. It has to be 100% servicesable via a GUI with little to no techno-babble.

The other thing I stated is that it can be used as a standard server for small businesses (10 or less people). It is not just about music and video sharing, it is also about doing backups, share files by individuals and groups, setting up a web server, set up an application server, riun a blog, run ichat server, etc. All without expending 3000 on a Mac Pro that most households and small businesses can not afford.

[VoR]

Yeah, of course you're right.

What I mean was that for all that was mentioned, any current/old mac should be fine for the job. It just seems to me that osx/server/and its apps are limited, and it's worrying to me that people want yet another piece of apple branded hardware to fill the gap, when pretty much all that's needed is a few extra checkboxes in the itunes/tm/tc/etc preferences.

Media sharing/streaming, backups, webservers, blogs, application servers (hmmm) is all feasible with minimal hardware reqs, there's no real reason you can't have all these features on a TC/apple TV/etc box.

ps. freenas/monowall/pfsense are config'd through a web based gui for 99% of users and uses (and not linux based hehe) - but I understand that running apps like these aren't what 99% of 'average' users are going to do or consider (not that web/application servers are what most people want either...) - we are on a tech forum though :) I'd like to think that people here are after the best solutions, not just (artificially limited and expensive?) apple ones.

[xIGmanIx]

Hi

Does anyone have experience yet of how well this server works with AppleTV? Like many others I would like to export all my iLife media to this server and then consume it seemlessly from iTunes & iPhoto "client" on my main Mac, from an AppleTV box, from an Airport Express (for audio of course, using iTunes client on Mac or iPod Touch Remote control) etc.

Can anyone advise if this box is the magic bullet?

Also I would like to ensure that any iTunes Account purchases (my wife and I have our own iTunes Store accounts and seperate user accounts on the main Mac) are all sync/copied over to the server and freely accessable on my max. five Apple consuming devices.

Hope someone can clarify this! ;-)

Cheers

PS: Sorry - maybe about to answer my own question. A little more reading leads me to think no ;-(. The issue is that AppleTV and iPhone / iPodTouch register with an iTunes application (running on Mac or Win) and not with the embedded third party "iTunes Server". So unless / until HP can duplicate this functionality from iTunes application - or Apple beat HP at this game, its no HP MediaSmart for me ;-( And I have even warmed up by CreditCard!!

i think for music and video the answer is in fact yes, however not sure about applications, but for media, your connecting to the media store that contains all music.

quote of what i thought was a pretty good review above.

Hey everybody, some good discussion here. I wanted to clarify a couple points I saw mentioned. HP have committed to providing the 3.0 software for previous generations of the MediaSmart Server, so yes, present owners of the EX47x and EX48x should be able to get perform this update in the Fall. As for availability, they are available for pre-order now and I believe they will be available in October. Another bit of good news is that the servers will once again be available in Europe.

I've got all this info and a ton more in my review, if anyone is looking for more details. Thanks for the link in the blog post.
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2009/09/14/review-hp-mediasmart-server-ex490-and-ex495/

[akuretz]

If you dig around on wegotserved.net, they have a guide showing how to install the 2.x updates on the 47x series

Great to hear you got the 2.5 update working well, the tutorial and Add-In that Nigel Wilks and myself wrote is available here (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/wiki/index.php/Installing_the_HP_MediaSmart_Server_2.5_Update_on_the_EX47x).

Does anyone have experience yet of how well this server works with AppleTV?

We've got an excellent Wiki article (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/wiki/index.php/Apple_TV) on getting the Apple TV working with your Windows Home Server, I'd suggest checking into this before you make your final decision. We've also got discussion in the forums about installing iTunes 9 on the Server and the users experiences after doing so.

[dummptyhummpty]

Great to hear you got the 2.5 update working well, the tutorial and Add-In that Nigel Wilks and myself wrote is available here (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/wiki/index.php/Installing_the_HP_MediaSmart_Server_2.5_Update_on_the_EX47x).



We've got an excellent Wiki article (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/wiki/index.php/Apple_TV) on getting the Apple TV working with your Windows Home Server, I'd suggest checking into this before you make your final decision. We've also got discussion in the forums about installing iTunes 9 on the Server and the users experiences after doing so.

Great link, though you might want to verify that Firefly can actually stream iTunes protected content. Your Wiki article says it can't. I have a homebuilt Ubuntu Linux NAS running Firefly and when I tried to stream a protected song to my MacBook Pro, I was presented with a dialog asking for the iTunes account info. After doing so I was able to stream the protected song. Also now that many songs are iTunes Plus it's really an irrelevant issue.

[rhett7660]

I WANT THIS.

I don't give a flip if Apple wants to make one. Why sould I care? This seems to do everything I want (I'm still reading, not positive yet) and it seems to play nice with my Mac!

Why shouldn't I just get one of these?

EDIT: Ok, it still looks good, but I'm not clear why I would buy one of these over a Drobo. It's cheaper and I guess it does less...? But I'm not seeing any reason I'd need this HP machine over that.

Still, looks good overall. I guess it's just overkill for me.

All a drobo is a storage device. You cannot run any programs off of it. It doesn't have an OS associated to it.

If all you are looking for is just storage then yes a drobo would work for you. But if you want another computer that you can run programs on and have the ability to have a good amount of storage this might be something you might want to look into.

[bobnugget]

Great to hear you got the 2.5 update working well, the tutorial and Add-In that Nigel Wilks and myself wrote is available here (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/wiki/index.php/Installing_the_HP_MediaSmart_Server_2.5_Update_on_the_EX47x).

In fact, I used your tutorial via that site, so all credit should go to you guys :cool: . When do you think you'll be able to do 3.0 for the EX475? :D

[Hitch08]

I think I am going to be one of those guys who is frustrated that technology continues to improve. I bought an HP MediaSmart home server (EX485) a few months ago. One of the things that I wanted to do with it was store AVCHD video on the server and watch and edit it from there. Unfortunately, I can't even watch it from this server. The video will play for a bit and then will freeze up/hang. I need to call HP about it (aside from delays in getting through to their tech support, I have been quite happy with their support for other issues), to see if they have a suggestion/fix. However, the advice that I have received is that the processor on the server is likely the issue - too slow.

I wonder if the new processor (dual-core 2.5 GHz Pentium processor) will be available will fix my issue? Anyone have any comments or thoughts? If so, and as much as I will be annoyed with dumping a very new product, I don't think I will be able to avoid the need to update. :)

[ddrueckhammer]

I think I am going to be one of those guys who is frustrated that technology continues to improve. I bought an HP MediaSmart home server (EX485) a few months ago. One of the things that I wanted to do with it was store AVCHD video on the server and watch and edit it from there. Unfortunately, I can't even watch it from this server. The video will play for a bit and then will freeze up/hang. I need to call HP about it (aside from delays in getting through to their tech support, I have been quite happy with their support for other issues), to see if they have a suggestion/fix. However, the advice that I have received is that the processor on the server is likely the issue - too slow.

I wonder if the new processor (dual-core 2.5 GHz Pentium processor) will be available will fix my issue? Anyone have any comments or thoughts? If so, and as much as I will be annoyed with dumping a very new product, I don't think I will be able to avoid the need to update. :)

Yeah probably. My Mom's Macbook Air can't playback HD video that well and it has a much faster processor than your server. If you upgrade you should be able to play it back without a hitch but you will want a gigabit eithernet connection or 802.11n wireless may work to stream it depending on your video quality.

[beaner454]

All a drobo is a storage device. You cannot run any programs off of it. It doesn't have an OS associated to it.

Actually that's incorrect. If you pick up the DroboShare that turns it into a NAS there are DroboApps that can be installed on the unit such as FireFly to do server related tasks like remote access or iTunes media serving.

http://www.drobo.com/Products/droboshare.php

[ATimson]

WHS is as good as it gets in that category. Backups for windows and Mac (when it works, hopefully 3.0 fixes the current TM backup issue)...
My EX485's Time Machine backup worked fine with Leopard, and works fine with Snow Leopard. So it's something on your end, I suspect. It's a bit drastic, but have you tried nuking (or at least renaming to save) the Time Machine container on the server and starting over?

[MacMonster1985]

Does it have Windows? Not sure why any self respecting Apple user would buy anything that is stained by M$.

[ATimson]

Does it have Windows? Not sure why any self respecting Apple user would buy anything that is stained by M$.
Because Apple doesn't have an equivalent product, nor is likely to (especially one that works with Windows too)?

[akuretz]

In fact, I used your tutorial via that site, so all credit should go to you guys :cool: . When do you think you'll be able to do 3.0 for the EX475? :D

We don't expect to do that for 3.0, primarily because HP has promised the 3.0 software will be available this fall for the previous generation servers.

[akuretz]

I think I am going to be one of those guys who is frustrated that technology continues to improve. I bought an HP MediaSmart home server (EX485) a few months ago. One of the things that I wanted to do with it was store AVCHD video on the server and watch and edit it from there. Unfortunately, I can't even watch it from this server. The video will play for a bit and then will freeze up/hang. I need to call HP about it (aside from delays in getting through to their tech support, I have been quite happy with their support for other issues), to see if they have a suggestion/fix. However, the advice that I have received is that the processor on the server is likely the issue - too slow.

I wonder if the new processor (dual-core 2.5 GHz Pentium processor) will be available will fix my issue? Anyone have any comments or thoughts? If so, and as much as I will be annoyed with dumping a very new product, I don't think I will be able to avoid the need to update. :)

I stream AVCHD files off of the MediaSmart Server, it's possible there's some other issue going on. I can try to help you troubleshoot here if you'd like, but I think you'd get a bunch more help if you were willing to post in the MediaSmartServer.net forums.

Check out this forum post (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3667) if you'd like to see the experiences others have had upgrading the processor in the EX48x.

[Shivetya]

Does it have Windows? Not sure why any self respecting Apple user would buy anything that is stained by M$.

M$ simply indicates someone without an opinion. The worst think about Apple is users like you. Love the platform and OS but can't stand a lot of the fanbois.

[Hitch08]

I stream AVCHD files off of the MediaSmart Server, it's possible there's some other issue going on. I can try to help you troubleshoot here if you'd like, but I think you'd get a bunch more help if you were willing to post in the MediaSmartServer.net forums.

Check out this forum post (http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3667) if you'd like to see the experiences others have had upgrading the processor in the EX48x.

Thanks Akuretz, I would appreciate the help. I have a couple posts over there, from when I was first getting it set up to work with TM. I'll see you there. I would like to avoid buying another one, if my current one can be fixed to do this.

[nwilks]

In fact, I used your tutorial via that site, so all credit should go to you guys :cool: . When do you think you'll be able to do 3.0 for the EX475? :D

Thanks, Glad it worked out for you. Hopefully we won't need to and we all get 3.0 soon as part of the "fall" update. If not, watch this space!

[rhett7660]

Actually that's incorrect. If you pick up the DroboShare that turns it into a NAS there are DroboApps that can be installed on the unit such as FireFly to do server related tasks like remote access or iTunes media serving.

http://www.drobo.com/Products/droboshare.php

Sorry, maybe I should of been more specific.. This is not a OS like windows Server 2003 or Apache Server, that can run more then just a few apps. What it is does have a few apps that drobo/community designed to run on the storage box.

[AidenShaw]

For what it's worth, this sale is on through Thursday at Fry's (Bay area at least).

Note that while the Atom might not be a screamer, it sips power if you're looking for a greener home server and don't plan on making the server your ripping machine...