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HP MediaSmart Servers Gain Mac Compatibility

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Apr 12, 2001
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One of the more interesting products on display at the Macworld Expo is the HP MediaSmart Server EX485/EX487. The new server, which was the recipient of a Best of Show award, provides a home server solution for cross-platform environments.

The server contains an Intel Celeron 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM and four hard drive bays, with additional expansion possible via one eSATA and four USB ports. Although a Windows PC is required for the initial setup (Boot Camp and virtualization software are officially unsupported for setup), once configured it is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Time Machine is supported for backups of networked Macs, while Windows machines are backed up using Windows Home Server. Local file and media sharing is available via Finder, while remote access to files stored on the server is available via Internet browser.

It also includes an iTunes server that centralizes iTunes music libraries for access by any networked Mac or PC with iTunes, as well as tools for simplifying uploads to photo-sharing sites such as Facebook, Picasa, and Snapfish. Online backup via Amazon S3 is also available for additional data protection.

The MediaSmart Server is offered in two configurations, the EX485 with one 750 GB hard drive for $599 and the EX487 with two 750 GB drives for $749.

Article Link: HP MediaSmart Servers Gain Mac Compatibility
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/01/08/hp-mediasmart-servers-gain-mac-compatibility/
Once I get settled in with my new job this is definitely on my buy list. I like the feature set and compatibility.
 
sounds interesting. 4 HDD bays is useful; i hope SATA doesn't become obsolete 3-5 years from now. i might get one when the price goes down.
 
It should be noted that the iTunes server can only handle audio (I'm pretty sure it is based off of the open source Firefly project -- which can be found on a number of existing NAS solutions like ReadyNAS and Drobo).
 
Now when they say that Bootcamp setup is unsupported. Do they mean they won't help you? Or do they mean that it actually won't work?

Don
 
MacRumors said:
Although a Windows PC is required for the initial setup (Boot Camp and virtualization software are officially unsupported for setup)
Click to expand...

Boot Camp is officially not supported? Boot Camp is a normal Windows PC. Therefore, HP support is officially clueless :p
 
I really like it, but I don't have a Windows machine to set it up with. If this is something that HP can set up for you (a one time only thing), then it's no problem. But if I have to find access to someones PC to set it up, then it's not for me yet until Macs are fully supported.
 
Why in the world would I want to pay $600 for 750GB? I can buy 3.5 TB worth of externals for that money... I realize this is also a server, but I must be missing something. My current iTunes server is a G4 PowerMac I got for free, and 4 external 500 GB drives. I'm in it for about $400. So, what would the benefit of this be?
 
themoonisdown09 said:
I really like it, but I don't have a Windows machine to set it up with. If this is something that HP can set up for you (a one time only thing), then it's no problem. But if I have to find access to someones PC to set it up, then it's not for me yet until Macs are fully supported.
Click to expand...

I think the point of this product is if you have both windows and macs, then you can use this common server. If you only have macs then it is best to stick with time capsule.
 
BornAgainMac said:
Boot Camp not supported. That is dumb. That is like saying Dell isn't supported.
Click to expand...

Not OFFICIALLY supported doesn't neccessarily mean it doesn't work. More than likely, it will work just fine, as there isn't much different with Bootcamp and any other Win Box. Rather, they are most likely pointing out the fact that if you are setting it up with Bootcamp, and something goes wrong, then that just absolves them from any responsibility to support you or help you in any way or try to fix any problems that may arise after the fact.

As such, they probably didn't test it on Bootcamp, and as such, they have no idea (nor obligation) to know whether or not it works as it should.
 
That sucks

NightStorm said:
It should be noted that the iTunes server can only handle audio (I'm pretty sure it is based off of the open source Firefly project -- which can be found on a number of existing NAS solutions like ReadyNAS and Drobo).
Click to expand...

Well if video is not supported in iTunes, then that's a big negative. I think it would be great option for mac based computers if it could support video.

What about Apple TV? Can I stream to an Apple TV from the iTunes libraries on it?
 
Is there any way to sync your iPods, iPhone etc to an iTunes library held on a server with shared library?
 
rtcruz1 said:
Well if video is not supported in iTunes, then that's a big negative. I think it would be great option for mac based computers if it could support video.

What about Apple TV? Can I stream to an Apple TV from the iTunes libraries on it?
Click to expand...

No, it cannot handle the PIN passcode to establish the initial connection between the two devices.
 
iowamensan said:
Why in the world would I want to pay $600 for 750GB? I can buy 3.5 TB worth of externals for that money... I realize this is also a server, but I must be missing something. My current iTunes server is a G4 PowerMac I got for free, and 4 external 500 GB drives. I'm in it for about $400. So, what would the benefit of this be?
Click to expand...

You are missing:

The server contains an Intel Celeron 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM and four hard drive bays, with additional expansion possible via one eSATA and four USB ports. Although a Windows PC is required for the initial setup (Boot Camp and virtualization software are officially unsupported for setup), once configured it is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Time Machine is supported for backups of networked Macs, while Windows machines are backed up using Windows Home Server. Local file and media sharing is available via Finder, while remote access to files stored on the server is available via Internet browser.

It also includes an iTunes server that centralizes iTunes music libraries for access by any networked Mac or PC with iTunes, as well as tools for simplifying uploads to photo-sharing sites such as Facebook, Picasa, and Snapfish. Online backup via Amazon S3 is also available for additional data protection.


So yeah, you're not just paying $700 for a hard drive. And not everyone has a 8 year old G4 lying around to use as a server. Also, you probably can't set it up as a Time Machine backup or Windows Home Server compatible backup. Oh, also your G4 doesn't have eSATA or 4 USB ports (without expansion card) or Intel processor.

So yeah, you are missing quite a bit I must say.
 
Technical Question

Let's say you use it as a TM network storage device. Will this show up when booting with an OS X Leopard DVD and trying to do a restore or are there some hacks needed for "unsupported" AFP servers just like for FreeNAS based devices ?

Adi
 
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