***Note: Before deciding to purchase or build your own Windows Home Server machine, make sure you read this article on the serious data corruption issue that Microsoft is currently working to fix.  I believe they will have it fixed very soon (they say June 2008), and I have no reason to doubt it can be fixed, but I feel I should put this warning out there for anyone planning to purchase.  I guess I am plunging in because I am a glutton for punishment ***

Be sure to visit Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of this series as well.

Well it was too late to use as part of my setup for the Ultimate Media Center Enthusiast Setup competition, but I did finally receive my Windows Home Server from Velocity Micro.  I had originally thought it was taking a month to deliver because they were waiting for the Microsoft beta fix to be released to hardware partners so they could install it before they shipped, but I am told by their tech support folks that this is not the case.  So I am left wondering what could possible take that long to get the system shipped.  I guess I may be spoiled by Dell on that front.  But nevertheless, the system arrived, and I want to share with you the un-boxing and setup experiences as I go through them.  So let's get to it:

The box was fairly sizeable and arrived in good condition.  It's not as heavy as it looks.  One thing I would give Velocity high marks on right off the bat is their nice packaging.  It's a small thing, but along with the WHS, you also get a nice portfolio with dividers for all of the manuals, discs and documentation.

One thing I have to gripe about, though, is the fact that clearly Velocity did not make any changes to their standard shipping materials (documentation) to accommodate the Home Server.  The "Quick Setup" sheet and the Velocity manual were meant for a standard PC and run through setting up a keyboard and monitor, etc.  Had I not already known this was supposed to be a headless system that gets setup through the network, I would have probably been mildly panicked that I did not buy the right peripherals.  Or I would have run around my house looking for spare parts.  Velocity should spend a few minutes cobbling together some documentation that won't be misleading for all of the folks who are new to the game.

They do also include the MSFT Home Server quick setup guide, and that was much more relevant.  In terms of software, you get an OEM copy of the server, a "Connector" installation disk (more in later posts), and a computer recovery disc.

So you may have noticed that this is a little bigger than the HP Media Smart home server everyone is so excited about.  I knew this ahead of time and chose it anyway because, right or wrong, my perception of the HP Media Smart server was that it was less sturdy - it's an intangible, but when I went and actually demo'd it at a store, it felt flimsy (this is totally my opinion and not any kind of fact about the machine).  I did not like the 512MB of RAM you were given (or the complicated, warranty-voiding way you had to upgrade it).  Also, with HP you get a Sempron processor - the bottom of the barrel - while you at least get dual core with Velocity, although admittedly the Intel E2140 is not "top of the line" either. 

I know folks will say that since this is just, essentially, a file server, you don't need a lot of beef.  But I plan on serving up DVD video to several parts of the house (possibly simultaneously), and I know that MSFT plans on enhancing the server software at some point (they always do) and that may require more resources to run.  So I went this route.  As I'll show you later, there is a compromise on the extremely easy way in which you can install hard drives in HP Media Smart (from a hardware perspective, not OS perspective), as the Velocity box does not have the slide-out trays that the HP Media Smart has.  But I have to say, it is almost as easy and no tools required.

Here is a side-by-side of my Velocity specs and the HP Specs on their site (I used the 1TB version).  You can get a cheaper Velocity than I did, but it just means less hard drive and I don't think I will ever have enough hard drive space:

One final note/rant on the documentation.  Let me show you this picture again:

Can you tell from this picture where the brackets (right) are supposed to go?  Neither could I, and there is no documentation either.  It took a lot of experimentation and just a tinge of stress to make sure these were inserted correctly and supported the weight.  Sorry - I have to point this out because, as a former Tech Support guy, I have to believe that Velocity can save themselves a lot of phone calls (and overhead to answer them) if they would simply write some basic instructions. 

OK - I'm done talking about that.  Point made.

In terms of initial perspective on how it runs, when I first plugged in the Velocity Micro, I was horrified when I heard a tornado-like sound from the fan.  However, that quickly died down and I can now report that after the first 30-60 seconds, the machine becomes quiet as a whisper (I can't hear it at all, frankly, and I have it in the same armoire as my TV).  Also, even though the size is a bit larger, I was easily able to stash it on top of an armoire and hide it with a few pictures we already had up there.  If you choose to, I think it would also look nice as a "component" in your stereo cabinet.  But I can't say it is as stylish as the HP Media Smart Server.

I'll get into this more later when I run through adding hard drives, but I also liked the lights in the front which let you know what HD bays are full.

Well - that's it for Part 1.  Next we'll move to Part 2 - getting connected, where I begin the setup process …

Cheers